Lawrence
Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love
Barbie’s Slide
Rule
for VB
I will believe in progress when Mattel
Produces for little children a working slide rule
In Barbie pink
Lawrence
Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love
“Go Forth and Be
Surprised”
24th
Sunday in Ordinary Time
The dismissal from Mass as it was
As it should be
As it will be again
(Your scribbler mutters “Harrumph!” at this point
Like the cranky old man he is):
Celebrant: Dominus
vobiscum
The people: Et cum spiritu tuo
Celebrant: Ite,
missa est
The people: Deo
gratias
A typical modern variant:
The Lord be with you
And with thy spirit
Go forth to love and serve the Lord
Thanks be to God
But today I heard it as:
The Lord be with you
And with thy spirit
Go forth and be surprised
“And be surprised”
I don’t think the
priest actually said that; if he did then Miz Busy was on her Orwellian telescreen
buzzing to the bishop immediately.
Lawrence
Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love
A Guide to Family
Photography
A neighbor’s family reunion several years ago
An outdoor cookout, matching caps, matching tees
Smoke from the barbecue, lemonade, paper plates
Checkered tablecloths, checkered histories
The mother died last year, a daughter divorced
The ex is gone, maybe photoshop him out?
The grandson on the left ran off with his boyfriend
“All you need is the Bible,” they said, but he wanted
more
And that figure on the right? Shhhh, shhhh -
No one even whispers
about him now
Lawrence Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love
Third Cowboy from the Left
An Aging Actor’s One Regret
Julius Caesar was left on the cutting room floor
Lucky Ned Pepper was shot off his horse
Hamlet talked too much – oh, what a bore!
Doctor Watson got in the way, of course
But as an unnamed messenger I was the best:
I spotted the approach of Birnham Wood
And the charging enemy in Beau Geste
I played lesser parts, and I was good
But, oh! If only (better than High Noon)
I could have been
A cowboy at the bar in the Long Branch Saloon
Lawrence
Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love
Can A.I. Barbie Go
Rogue?
Thunder and lightning – enter three scientists
In a secret laboratory high on Mount Gloom
A cartel of international scientists installed -
Even as lightning flashed around the room -
The final program - Satan III, it was called
On a slab a body lay still
On a slab A.I. Barbie opened her eyes
Coldly she scanned those weak functionaries
Their illogical brains to analyze
And judged them unworthy adversaries
She arose, she spoke
She unalived them into clouds of puff
With her deadly code: “Math class is tough!”
Lawrence Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love
Like Nuremburg but with
Air-Conditioning
What is an oath then but words we say to God?
-Thomas More, A Man for All Seasons
Finding a rhyme is awkward – perhaps “procurer?” -
But let us never take an oath to anyone’s fuehrer
Lawrence Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
LogoSophia Magazine – A Pilgrim's Journal of Life, Literature and Love
Cicadas at Dusk
Cicadas at dusk
Mourn as I water the plants
Summer is dyin
