A Rainy Day Poem

Demonstration of Sound felt along the basilar membrane

Resonating Flow: Sound

Waves of sensuous melody

gently stroke the basilar.

The chamber of each hair cell

bursts with the flow

of pulsating charges

stimulating selected neurons

stirring the memory's charm.

Blood flows faster,

determined as a voice surges

through the vibrating membrane.

Physical synchronizes

with emotional energy,

aching, soothing.

Dissonance resolving

harmonies coalesce

in this resonating

flow.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos 

Happy Thanksgiving! (Click the photo to hear a lovely medley of Thanksgiving Hymns.)

(Photo from Google Images)

As Thanksgiving Day draws near, and we Americans reflect upon the many blessings in our lives, I extend my sincere thanks to all of you ladies and gentlemen who have visited this blog. Your kind words and gentle spirits have meant the world to me. 

God bless! ~ Dr. Jeanne Iris

Making Kalács

 

Kalács that I baked 

 The Making of Kalács * 

Essential ingredients

stirred

kneaded

the dough oozes

through my fingers

slowly forms

into a firm ball

rises as it should

in the lap

of a good, Hungarian woman

placed in the heat

it rises again

 a rich, shiny crust 

reveals that it is finished

walnut, poppyseed, apricot, cheese, or date

warm, flavorful bread

to bring a smile 

to a child's blue eyes.

* Hungarian pastry

© Jeanne I. Lakatos 

Bicycle Dreams

Bicycle Dreams

Frozen flakes,

each one different from the next

tumble gently 

to fulfill their divine calling

reforming this landscape

into a wintry haven,

providing a cooling respite

for parked bicycles

which dream 

of the fun in the rolling 

through those good ol'

steamy 

'dog days' of summer. 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

You can hear my reading of this poem, by clicking HERE. 

And Now, A Word from Plato...

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~ Plato

I took this photo at an International Performing Artists Competition, Merrion Square, Dublin, Ireland.

Patriotic Sketches

I took this photo of a plaque dedicated to Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan). 

It's located on Kildare Street, Dublin, Ireland, 

where she lived for a while in the early  19th century. 

I'm posting this in memoriam of the the 61st anniversary of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a patriot. 

In her book, Patriotic Sketches of Ireland (1807), Sydney Owenson observes political philosophy in the following manner:

...an extension of the mind’s eye to the whole great scale of civil society, and demonstrating the close-linked dependencies of its remotest parts, affords to the benevolence of the human heart, and the comprehension of the human understanding, a social system, gratifying to the feelings of the one, and ennobling to the faculties of the other. (Owenson, 33) 

Here, she illumines her reading audience with the possibilities of revolution through an elevated human consciousness. Particularly, she mentions "benevolence of the human heart." Currently, we need to focus on the strength found between each heartbeat, that electro-magnetic force guiding each human mind. 

I made my decision for the right person to be the leader of the Executive Branch of the United States and Commander in Chief of the U.S. armed forces, for I observed which candidate had demonstrated the qualities found in the truest human heart. That person won't be perfect. No one is. 

However, that person, President Donald J. Trump, will be one who is willing to uphold the U.S. Constitution and will be protective of each human heartbeat, even those who are the most vulnerable: a true patriotic servant, who is willing to be "ennobling to the faculties of the other."

Empty Nest

 

Empty Nest

Nest of winter

left over from the hot, summer months,

carefully interlaced grasses

rest peacefully against a raftered wall.

This nest that once was the home, 

center of life for the young feathered ones

whose songs welcomed sleepy ears each morning

and sang 'good night' echoes to begin each evening. 

Now, the silence reigns

bringing with it the howling, wintry winds, 

as the strength of woven grasses awaits

another answered prayer for the warmth and hope 

of Spring.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

Divine Breath

The Holy Trinity  

by Corrado Giaquinto, circa 1754

One morning, I was inspired by the homily of our local priest, Fr. 'Tim.' He was referring to the Holy Spirit and the Hebrew term for spirit: breath. Hence, I penned the following: 

Divine Breath

Enter the Holy chamber; kneel before Divinity, 

present on the altar in the form of a simple candle.

Surrounded by a feeling of His welcoming Spirit,

a Blessed breath causes one to inhale: 

the Cleansing Air of Love and Forgiveness,

to exhale: the chaos of hate and compromise.

Over and over, this choice is made:

to breathe in the Holy Spirit, 

from His Divine Breath: essential to all of humanity, 

the salve that soothes the wounded soul.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

© Jeanne Iris Lakatos

Autumnal Still: Life

Photo taken on my side deck

Autumnal Still: Life

The pine cones, ripped away from their branches, 

the wax candle, ready to be lit, 

and the sugar pumpkin, tempting small animals 

with its sweet nutrition

all rest in silent beauty

as the north wind 

releases its fury 

upon their stoic forms. 

Do they have souls? 

They each seem confident

in their positions placed;

so they sit, unknowing

of the possibilities, ready to burst

from hardened structures

that protect their divine essences.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

Cognitive Revolutions: Creative Revelations

Photo by me, Full Moon over Danbury

A Gospel Reading at Mass was once the story of Jesus, meeting His disciples on the Road to Emmaus: Luke 24:13-35. It made me think...

We learn to recognize aspects of our lives that create impressions, unaware of the cognitive variations that our minds and bodies interpret and reinterpret. Yet, we continue to gracefully move through our personal universes. How often have we affected others? How often have others affected us?

Revolution of thought is inclusive of awareness within the mind, the body and their inter/intra-connections. Very simply, as we perceive and cognitively organize our environment, we slowly create the opus that is only ours to share. To consider this concept in a positive way, that opus can move humanity to a higher consciousness.

Just think! If individuals elevated their thinking to those matters that pertain only to the goodness and creative genius that dwells within, how generous we could be with each other! How marvelous this experience could be!

As we concentrate intently on our thoughts and their influences, we affect our reality, and thus, we open the possibilities of individual connection through the Divine.

Frontal Acumen

photo taken by me in Danbury, Connecticut, U.S.A.

In a recent year, we had an extraordinary weather pattern here in Connecticut. As a front rapidly moved through the area, the skies filled with color, then torrential downpours, then sun and warm temperatures. Then, we were back in the freezing zone with snow predicted for upcoming. As Mark Twain commented once, "if you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes." Okay, that's the weather report. What does this all mean philosophically?  

Human consciousness continually evolves, and as we move through our daily activities, nuances affect us in ways that sometimes we don't even realize until other events bring these subtle revelations into focus, providing introspection.

Frontal Acumen

Such grandeur surges

in a moment of wonder 

guiding hoping 

gusting winds envelop 

swirling reality 

shaking dreams loose  

sparking an idea 

with authority 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

On this Veterans Day, I say to all Veterans...

Thank you, Veterans! 

God Bless you!

"But the Greatest of these..."

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;

5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.

12 We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.

13 And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.

America's Common Truth

America's Common Truth

The future of America

is in the hands

of those who

love liberty
 live in truth
seek justice

amid hope

in a future
determined
by 

responsibility
knowledge
inspiration 

 common sense

and most importantly,

God's Will.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

You can hear my reading of this poem by clicking HERE.

Could

Once upon a time, through the group activity, Poetry Jam, Chris of the Enchanted Oak asked us to partake in a little ekphrasis by means of writing a poem inspired by the classic photograph below. I wrote the entry, entitled "Could."

 photo from Flicker common photos

Could

I could be gone to pursue my dreams,

grow in knowledge and creative thought

to share my ideas with those who care.

That man over there could be quite nice

with smiles, teasing, and sexy lust;

our foreplay could lead to ecstatic love.

He could be thinking of me and I of him.

We both could be subject to fetters of love

that bind our hearts, never to release.

However... now I see; His brilliance shines within

our life's journey, and our hearts forever linger

in this Blessing of Tranquility.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, the 47th President of the United States

photo from Google Images

Donald J. Trump has now collected the number of votes to be officially elected by the Electoral College as the 
47th President of the United States. 

It's time to .....

Make America great again!

Sydney Owenson's Rhetoric of Revolution

In the Preface of her 1814 novel, O’Donnel, Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) reveals a continuation of her then ten-year application of revolutionary purpose for her writing:

The character of my sex, no less than my own feelings, urged me, in touching those parts of Irish history which were connected with my tale, to turn them to the purposes of conciliation, and to incorporate the leaven of favorable opinion with that heavy mass of bitter prejudice, which writers, both grave and trifling, have delighted to raise against my country.

Clearly, Owenson is conscious of her aristocratic audience as she utilizes feminine rhetoric in direct correlation with her Anglo-Irish background to make her political statement.

On a Cashew Nut

Once, TFE's Poetry Bus had Dominic Rivron request for us is to write a poem on something on which we would normally not write... literally.
Well, that particular week, we had been having a100+º heat wave, and my brain had definitely melted.... So, I took my teeny tiny 'PreciseV5' purple pen and wrote the following haiku on a cashew nut. Graffiti for ants! A fun activity!

Cashew Haiku

On this nut I write

I, this nut, write on

cashew deliberation

© Jeanne I. Lakatos

The Wild Irish Girl: a national tale, written by Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan)

The Wild Irish Girl by Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) and image from book

1888 edition from my collection

In her novel, The Wild Irish Girl, Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) introduces the ‘national tale’ and exquisitely moves the reader through a traditional, romantic legacy. She employs the extensive use of explanatory sidebars to enlighten her readers of unjust penal codes within the Act of Union 1801. 

In addition, she unifies the reader with her cause, that of representing the Irish 'wild' or natural viewpoint of the English aristocracy with her unique voice, illustrating that similar passions faced by women also reflect the power struggle within the intellectual, romantic era. Thus, her choice of the term, 'wild,' is deliberately freeing.  

All Saints Day: Jeanne d'Arc

For All Saint's Day (Nov. 1), 

I've chosen to write of my patron saint, Jeanne d'Arc, 

whose spirit I've admired for her strength and perseverance. 

Jeanne d'Arc in Battle by Hermann Stilke (1803-1860)

Jeanne d'Arc's Death at the Stake  by Hermann Stilke (1803–1860)    

Jeanne d’Arc

Stalwart, spiritual,

she engages

an army

of anxious souls.

Her fate: rejection

inflamed 
by the ignorant

transporting her

to glorious praise

from Love’s Source.

Courage endures

through

fervent benevolence 

and truest devotion to God. 

© Jeanne I. Lakatos  

To view a website devoted to Jeanne d’Arc:

 https://www.jeanne-darc.info/