Ordinarily I offer up opinionated posts and odes that illustrate those themes. I might tackle our modern ordeals as we hurtle toward obsolescence in an over-wired and under connected world. I might opine on the offensive behaviors I observe in others on our little blue orb. I might obsess over the obstacles of my ordinary existence, or even try to prove myself an oracle by exploring the omens obviously looming over all of us. But today I thought I'd try something different.
Today's blog post is inspired by the letter O.
I'm not sure why, but yesterday I had an urge to read the O section in the dictionary. (I do that sometimes - read sections of the dictionary in search of new vocabulary - I've always had a fascination with words.) I found a lot of gems in the O's - and only wish I could've incorporated more of them into my poem.
O is full of ideologies - it introduces us to oligarchy (government in the hands of the people) and ochlocracy (rule by a mob). It introduces us to concepts like omnipotence (being all powerful) and omniscience (being all knowing) and orthodoxy (conforming to or holding the accepted or standard opinions). It offers moral lessons - one should be obdurate (unyielding) in upholding one's moral standards lest they fall into obliquity (departure from sound moral principles or behaviors) and face opprobrium (disgrace resulting from shameful behavior) as a result.
O teaches us that oology is a study of eggs, and that odiferous rolls off the tongue better than "stinky" and oleo sounds more exotic that margarine. O begins a few ominous words too - I mean if too many of us are obviated than we might all face obsolescence! And obituarese is the obvious language for writing the obituary of one who overdosed on opium, or was obliterated by an obnoxious overlord. (It's obvious!)
O gives us one of my favorite words - onomatopoeia. Who doesn't love to see words like BAM! Whoosh! or thud! (Can you really write any of those words without adding an exclamation mark?) Without O - and onomatopoeia - pigs couldn't oink!
Think what life would be like if you could never outwit an oaf or overpower an onerous ocelot. What would you be without original ideas, ordinary ordeals and occasionally outrageous opinions? This odist would be truly ornery without O's overwhelming offerings.
And so today my offering is an opportunity for you to dust off the other "good book" and let Mr. Webster help you optimize your vocabulary with a few new O words.
"O"
I like the letter O because
it's oval shaped you see -
used to start optimistic words,
like opportunity.
Without an ordinary O
no odes would poets write;
no oboes in an orchestra
would ever ears delight.
We'd miss oodles of oddities
without the letter O -
no oology, orthography
or odysseys we'd know.
We would miss the ostentatious -
for orchids could not thrive;
not even Ozzy Osbourne could
without his O's survive.
We would all live without order
if O did not exist;
without an orbit 'round an orb
organic life desists.
So much in life would obfuscate
without O's awesomeness -
I'm really quite obdurate when
O's merits I assess.
We couldn't breathe in oxygen
or ogle or observe;
nothing would be orgasmic - oops!
(I might have hit a nerve!)
Please pardon my obliquity -
I face opprobrium.
I'm not yet quite omniscient -
might cause offense to some.
If my ode seems over zealous,
odiferous at best,
please take the opportunity
to put O to the test.
Though onerous this opuscule
I hope - at least for some -
I've optimized O's offerings
and not plied opium!
by Sharon Flood Kasenberg, April 20, 2015
Monday 20 April 2015
Thursday 2 April 2015
Oh Panama! by Sharon Flood Kasenberg
Oh Panama
Overworked and overwhelmed
he asked me, "Should we go?
It's no place I've considered,
but I'm so tired of snow."
I really had no answer
but question of my own,
one I often ask myself
when I am all alone.
"Will you wonder what you missed
if you pass up this chance?"
His answer to my query
I noted in a glance.
With no real expectations,
we landed in your heat.
Tired, hungry, overdressed,
Oh Panama, we meet.
Oh Panama you offered
so many sights to see -
old and new and rich and poor -
so much diversity!
Towers rising to the sky
attest to modern age,
but it's with your crumbling ruins
my senses most engage.
You're striving to move forward
embracing modern ways,
and slowly you're restoring
what's been since ancient days.
You link the past and present,
connect great oceans too.
How is it, Oh Panama
I never thought of you?
I've explored your city streets,
your smells and tastes and sights -
I've kayaked in your jungle;
admired your city lights.
I've perused your history,
and wonder where you'll go
the future's still unwritten,
so neither of us know.
You're growing, building, reaching,
I hope it's not too fast.
So much of you is untamed -
I hope that part will last.
No matter what your future,
you'll hold a little spot;
in northern heart, Oh Panama -
I'll think of you a lot.
Sharon Flood Kasenberg, April 2, 2015
I'm not an adventurous soul. My dreams of travel have always been limited to Europe, North America and the more civilized portions of Australia. I can honestly say that up until three weeks ago I never once considered taking a trip to South or Central America. But then we got an unusual offer.
My husband has a lifelong friend who works for an airline, who just happens to be a few days older than him. She asked him what he was doing to celebrate his fiftieth birthday. When he told her he was toying with the idea of going to Windsor to enjoy some hometown pizza, or perhaps getting a few friends together for a local dinner she seemed a bit horrified. She posted this message to his wall:
Take vacations - go as many places as you can.
You can always make money. You can't always make memories.
Then she sent a private message to him, inviting us to accompany her and a friend to Panama City, Panama, where she intended to celebrate her birthday. She could get us cheap flights and hotel accommodations.
I know it's crazy, but we still had to think about it. We vacillated for about a week. Winter had been colder than usual, but money was tight and my husband has a lot of demands on his time. Could we do it? Should we do it? We finally decided we could and would. It would be "an adventure". We weren't sure (yet) if that was a good thing or not, but we were willing to try something new. And so a week ago we packed our bags.
Six days ago we flew to Panama City and ate our first Panamanian meal. Over the next three days we explored the Panama Canal, the old town, the shopping options, the waterfront and the restaurants. We roamed the city on foot, in pairs and as a foursome. Sometimes we availed ourselves of the new metro and its amazingly affordable rates - thirty five cents a ride! Other times we haggled with one of the ever-present honking taxis to negotiate a price. Then, looking like circus clowns piled into a Volkswagon we'd all cram into what was usually a far too small vehicle and endure another white knuckle ride through the streets of Panama City - where the lines on the road are merely a suggestion and I never once noticed a speed limit posted.
It was a very different experience. I've visited destinations in Canada, the United States, Holland, Germany and England - and never felt that I particularly stood out in any of them. In Panama, not only did everything look different to me - I looked different to them. I spotted very few blonds and fewer redheads in the course of my explorations. My travel companions tell me I "got looks", but I was so busy taking in the very different scenery that I was seeing that I barely noticed. Then again, as a group we all stood out - some of us too tall (my husband and Elizabeth), and all of us too pale to not be obviously marked as tourists. Still, the people of Panama City were, for the most part, very friendly and helpful.
Tuesday was our last day in Panama - and we ended the trip on a high note by taking a jungle tour. Our travel companions were really excited about this part of the trip, but my husband and I were filled with doubts and trepidation. Boating, kayaking and swimming in a secluded lagoon seemed like unlikely activities for two non-athletic individuals who barely swim. But Caroline and Elizabeth were insistent that we needed to face fears and expand our horizons.
So we went, and in a slightly battered motorboat we zipped alongside freighters in the Panama Canal and spotted monkeys and sloths on jungle islands. One of the members of our tour group got a Tamarind (monkey) to eat from his hand. We ate lunch at a floating lodge, where we had close encounters with a toucan, a baby crocodile and a boa constrictor. (Okay - so I screamed like a sissy when our guide walked toward me with the boa, and in that case the encounter wasn't very close. Still, the fact that I managed to get within twenty feet of a large, uncaged snake is a big deal for me.)
After lunch we hopped into kayaks and paddled off to the lagoon. I partnered with our guide, Juan-Antonio, who was very kind and said that I did well. (He was friendly and charming, and probably said that to all the ladies who paddled in his kayak - but that's okay. In the end what matters is that I did it - not that I did it well.) I refused to ask how deep the water was or what dangerous creatures might live nearby. (I knew about the crocs, but refused to think about them.) I missed the memo about bringing aqua shoes, so when we had to disembark from our kayaks I waded barefoot through the stream until we got to our swimming spot in the jungle.
Did I climb up the rock and dive into the deep waters of the lagoon? Nope - didn't even swim - didn't bring my swimsuit. (Putting on a swimsuit in front of a much younger, more fit tour group would have been too much bravery for one day. I still need something to aspire to, other than not screeching when I see someone wearing a large snake.) It was enough for my husband and I to sit and drink in the scenery - and marvel that we, as stuffy and boring and unadventurous as we are, had kayaked into the Panamanian jungle at all.
Caroline told us to embrace adventure and dared us to do one thing that scared us every year. I think I managed to tackle a few fears on Tuesday - and I'm heartened enough to believe that I might have a bit more bravery and a few more adventures lurking in my depths.
Panama reaffirmed my belief in the value of diversity. It was everything I expected, and nothing I expected. It made me appreciate what is so different from my home, and at the same time appreciate everything that was waiting for me at home. It helped me understand how okay it is to be who I am, and still really appreciate beauty in faces so unlike my own - and to recognize how much alike we all are on the inside. We all need to dream so that we can change and grow. We need to reach like modern skyscrapers, but wait patiently like ships in a canal for sufficient water to help us pass through those narrow channels we find ourselves in.
Panama reminded me that a lot of hard work in the beginning can shorten the journey for a whole lot of people in the long run. Panamanians know their place in the world - they provide the shortcut the rest of us benefit from. I met two Panamanian men who expressed love for their country. One said it while pointing to the canal - the other while pointing at the jungle. Two extremes in one country - the bustle of an international thoroughfare, and the tranquility of the wild - both representative of the "real" Panama.
We went to Panama on a whim. I'm glad we said yes to travel and adventure.
Thanks for the memories, Panama.
Overworked and overwhelmed
he asked me, "Should we go?
It's no place I've considered,
but I'm so tired of snow."
I really had no answer
but question of my own,
one I often ask myself
when I am all alone.
"Will you wonder what you missed
if you pass up this chance?"
His answer to my query
I noted in a glance.
With no real expectations,
we landed in your heat.
Tired, hungry, overdressed,
Oh Panama, we meet.
Oh Panama you offered
so many sights to see -
old and new and rich and poor -
so much diversity!
Towers rising to the sky
attest to modern age,
but it's with your crumbling ruins
my senses most engage.
You're striving to move forward
embracing modern ways,
and slowly you're restoring
what's been since ancient days.
You link the past and present,
connect great oceans too.
How is it, Oh Panama
I never thought of you?
I've explored your city streets,
your smells and tastes and sights -
I've kayaked in your jungle;
admired your city lights.
I've perused your history,
and wonder where you'll go
the future's still unwritten,
so neither of us know.
You're growing, building, reaching,
I hope it's not too fast.
So much of you is untamed -
I hope that part will last.
No matter what your future,
you'll hold a little spot;
in northern heart, Oh Panama -
I'll think of you a lot.
Sharon Flood Kasenberg, April 2, 2015
I'm not an adventurous soul. My dreams of travel have always been limited to Europe, North America and the more civilized portions of Australia. I can honestly say that up until three weeks ago I never once considered taking a trip to South or Central America. But then we got an unusual offer.
My husband has a lifelong friend who works for an airline, who just happens to be a few days older than him. She asked him what he was doing to celebrate his fiftieth birthday. When he told her he was toying with the idea of going to Windsor to enjoy some hometown pizza, or perhaps getting a few friends together for a local dinner she seemed a bit horrified. She posted this message to his wall:
Take vacations - go as many places as you can.
You can always make money. You can't always make memories.
Then she sent a private message to him, inviting us to accompany her and a friend to Panama City, Panama, where she intended to celebrate her birthday. She could get us cheap flights and hotel accommodations.
I know it's crazy, but we still had to think about it. We vacillated for about a week. Winter had been colder than usual, but money was tight and my husband has a lot of demands on his time. Could we do it? Should we do it? We finally decided we could and would. It would be "an adventure". We weren't sure (yet) if that was a good thing or not, but we were willing to try something new. And so a week ago we packed our bags.
Six days ago we flew to Panama City and ate our first Panamanian meal. Over the next three days we explored the Panama Canal, the old town, the shopping options, the waterfront and the restaurants. We roamed the city on foot, in pairs and as a foursome. Sometimes we availed ourselves of the new metro and its amazingly affordable rates - thirty five cents a ride! Other times we haggled with one of the ever-present honking taxis to negotiate a price. Then, looking like circus clowns piled into a Volkswagon we'd all cram into what was usually a far too small vehicle and endure another white knuckle ride through the streets of Panama City - where the lines on the road are merely a suggestion and I never once noticed a speed limit posted.
It was a very different experience. I've visited destinations in Canada, the United States, Holland, Germany and England - and never felt that I particularly stood out in any of them. In Panama, not only did everything look different to me - I looked different to them. I spotted very few blonds and fewer redheads in the course of my explorations. My travel companions tell me I "got looks", but I was so busy taking in the very different scenery that I was seeing that I barely noticed. Then again, as a group we all stood out - some of us too tall (my husband and Elizabeth), and all of us too pale to not be obviously marked as tourists. Still, the people of Panama City were, for the most part, very friendly and helpful.
Tuesday was our last day in Panama - and we ended the trip on a high note by taking a jungle tour. Our travel companions were really excited about this part of the trip, but my husband and I were filled with doubts and trepidation. Boating, kayaking and swimming in a secluded lagoon seemed like unlikely activities for two non-athletic individuals who barely swim. But Caroline and Elizabeth were insistent that we needed to face fears and expand our horizons.
So we went, and in a slightly battered motorboat we zipped alongside freighters in the Panama Canal and spotted monkeys and sloths on jungle islands. One of the members of our tour group got a Tamarind (monkey) to eat from his hand. We ate lunch at a floating lodge, where we had close encounters with a toucan, a baby crocodile and a boa constrictor. (Okay - so I screamed like a sissy when our guide walked toward me with the boa, and in that case the encounter wasn't very close. Still, the fact that I managed to get within twenty feet of a large, uncaged snake is a big deal for me.)
After lunch we hopped into kayaks and paddled off to the lagoon. I partnered with our guide, Juan-Antonio, who was very kind and said that I did well. (He was friendly and charming, and probably said that to all the ladies who paddled in his kayak - but that's okay. In the end what matters is that I did it - not that I did it well.) I refused to ask how deep the water was or what dangerous creatures might live nearby. (I knew about the crocs, but refused to think about them.) I missed the memo about bringing aqua shoes, so when we had to disembark from our kayaks I waded barefoot through the stream until we got to our swimming spot in the jungle.
Did I climb up the rock and dive into the deep waters of the lagoon? Nope - didn't even swim - didn't bring my swimsuit. (Putting on a swimsuit in front of a much younger, more fit tour group would have been too much bravery for one day. I still need something to aspire to, other than not screeching when I see someone wearing a large snake.) It was enough for my husband and I to sit and drink in the scenery - and marvel that we, as stuffy and boring and unadventurous as we are, had kayaked into the Panamanian jungle at all.
Caroline told us to embrace adventure and dared us to do one thing that scared us every year. I think I managed to tackle a few fears on Tuesday - and I'm heartened enough to believe that I might have a bit more bravery and a few more adventures lurking in my depths.
Panama reaffirmed my belief in the value of diversity. It was everything I expected, and nothing I expected. It made me appreciate what is so different from my home, and at the same time appreciate everything that was waiting for me at home. It helped me understand how okay it is to be who I am, and still really appreciate beauty in faces so unlike my own - and to recognize how much alike we all are on the inside. We all need to dream so that we can change and grow. We need to reach like modern skyscrapers, but wait patiently like ships in a canal for sufficient water to help us pass through those narrow channels we find ourselves in.
Panama reminded me that a lot of hard work in the beginning can shorten the journey for a whole lot of people in the long run. Panamanians know their place in the world - they provide the shortcut the rest of us benefit from. I met two Panamanian men who expressed love for their country. One said it while pointing to the canal - the other while pointing at the jungle. Two extremes in one country - the bustle of an international thoroughfare, and the tranquility of the wild - both representative of the "real" Panama.
We went to Panama on a whim. I'm glad we said yes to travel and adventure.
Thanks for the memories, Panama.
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