a fondness for rabbits

well, more like a fondness for the idea of rabbits. (i'm allergic to the real ones). the conceptual rabbit and his magnificent ears that he would not have if he wasn't the animal he is, an object of pursuit. the biggest parts of a rabbit are his ears and his back legs. these are what have developed in response to his lot in life, his position as a non-predator.

he hears well and runs fast--these are two qualities i can admire.

also his burrowing habits.

even the word 'rabbit' is lovely; it is a word as shapely as a rabbit's long ears.

remember rabbit ears in the 70's? having to wiggle them to enhance reception?

remember eddie rabbit?

well, it might be better to leave you with peter.

"simplicity"

some thoughts not yet strung together:

october makes me toast to transience more than any other month.

good writing involves being objective about one's subjectivity.

the ordinary has a transparent quality.

a lovely and unusual word for a dandy is "exquisitist."

for the next time you play mad libs

from the 1940 roget's thesaurus:



ATTENTION.


--. nouns: alertness, notice, note, regard, circumspection, care, study, scrutiny. (or how to look at the tiny).


--. verbs: observe, heed, recognize, make note of, note.


--. adjectives: mindful, alive to, engrossed in, absorbed, rapt, circumspect, open-eyed, on the watch.


--. interjections: look out!, hark!, listen!, hear ye! oyez!.



in addition to the joy of paying attention is the joy of appreciating the words that hold the key to our ever hoping to articulate 'paying attention.'

getting down underneath the upholstery of paying attention.

"to the silence of one who leaves us dreaming..." -rene char

in honor of david ray, whose birthday is today, i leave a trail of poems by surrealist malcolm de chazal, from "sens plastique":

a bicycle rolls on the road.
the road is the third wheel
rolling the other two.

the water says to the wave,
"you are swallowing me."
"how could i?"
replies the wave,
"i am your mouth."

the pupil
turned the eyes
the iris followed
the white of the eye
delayed
just long enough
friend
for you
to slip into the face
of the one you love.

a stone
hears its heart beat
only
in the rain.

blue
always has
an idea
up its sleeve.

"take me
naked"
the flower said
to the sun,
"before
night
closes
my thighs"

"i have always thought of a dog lover as a dog that was in love with another dog." -james thurber

some dogs in paris, for an achingly pretty fall saturday afternoon:

























































this one asked sean for a dance! (of course he said he'd be delighted.)

what do you think of the new blog design?

since i spent all day learning about the inner workings of a blog template, i haven't much time for thoughts.

two wonderful blogs

Sidney is a humble monkey who's just joined the big blog city. all cities are made more wonderful through his eyes. every post comes with a brilliant yet humble illustration and equally brilliant and maybe even humbler poem.

Camilla Engman also has a lovely blog with loads of exciting links to all things stylish and delightful. for instance, today's post has a link to artist fredrikson stallard, who makes horsehair and porcelain vases and hairbrushes in crucifix shapes, among other strangely compelling things.

along with her blog camilla also has a shop of her paintings and illustrations which can be bought or, as in my case, just quietly admired.

here's one i especially like: