Pirates prove no match
For well-trained Seals’ derring-do
The real swashbucklers
Two aid workers saved
From Somalians’ hell hole
The latest triumph
Get Osama? Check
Free some Iranians? Check
All in a day’s work
Now let’s have the Seals
Occupy Wall Street, rescue
The economy
Jan. 26, 1788 — First prisoner colony, New South Wales
Jan. 26, 1950 — Republic of India established
It’s Australia Day
Let’s raise a toast to the land
Of second chances
And in India
Democracy for millions
Born of Gandhi’s blood
Warren Zevon, Jan. 24, 1947 — Sept. 7, 2003
John Belushi, Jan. 24, 1949 — March 5, 1982
Zevon, Belushi
Does “birth” describe arrival?
More like “eruption”?
Zevon, Belushi
Two volcanoes of talent
Nothing could contain
Zevon, Belushi
Werewolves and Animal House
“Rah-hoooo!” and “Food fight!”
Zevon, Belushi
Shared a birthday, their demons
A death wish, times two
Zevon, Belushi
Too many drinks, hits and smokes
The real blues brothers
Belushi, untamed
Star-crossed and drug-crucified
Dead at 33
Belushi, a waste
When laughter died, tombstone said,
“Rock and roll lives on”
Zevon, redemption
For Mr. Bad Example
Some extra decades
Friends sobered him up
Music saved him till cancer
Ripped his lungs out, Jim
Zevon, Belushi
Left on the wind; let’s keep them
In our hearts awhile
Dot i’s, cross t’s, it’s
National Handwriting Day
Be neat about it
John Hancock’s birthday:
Practice autograph, you might
Be famous someday
—————————
It’s Chinese New Year,
Slow Monday — just hope I’m not
Dragon till next year
It’s 1-21
“Squirrel Appreciation Day”
Rocky would love it
The squirrel family’s huge
Three hundred sixty-five kinds
One species per day
Except it’s Leap Year
So I might jump in and join
The parade of squirrels
Tree squirrels and ground squirrels
Chipmunks, woodchucks, flying squirrels
And cute prairie dogs
Pygmies (3 inches)
To Marmots (2 point 5 feet)
Long and short of it
Excellent vision
(Where did you get those big eyes?)
Sharp teeth, sturdy claws
A nuisance, granted
(They empty our birdfeeder)
But much fun to watch
And Letterman says,
“It’s so hot I saw a squirrel
“Out fanning his nuts”
Etymon of “squirrel”
Includes Latin sciurus,
Norwegian ekorn
(Those sound like “scurry”
And “acorn” — you must admit
That’s kinda squirrelly)
And Greek skiouros
Means “shadow-tailed” — poetic
For rats that jump, fly
So put out some food
For your favorite squirrel today
I’ll be right over
Etta James, Jan. 25, 1938 — Jan. 20, 2012
Life is like a song
It must reach its end and yet
Echo on and on
Edgar Allen Poe, Jan. 19, 1809 — Oct. 7, 1849
He passed through this world
Like a wraith on holiday
A solid shadow
Abandoned, orphaned
Breathing disembodied words
Instead of Earth’s air
University,
Army, West Point had no use
For this phantom man
But the phantom’s words
Insinuated, haunted
Recesses most dark
Poet and critic,
Macabre’s master, creator
Of detective lit
Child cousin his bride
(Foreshadowing Jerry Lee)
Her death did them part
Before his heart stopped
Poe’s pen poured out his terrors
Still tingling today
Poe man’s haiku:
Flutter in the dark
Raven wings, or telltale heart
Terror of unknown
Single bead of sweat
Right between the shoulder blades
Defies gravity
Rustle in the dark
Fevered brain, or rodent’s claws?
Imagined, it’s real
Peter Mark Roget
Jan. 18, 1779 — Sept. 12, 1869
It’s Thesaurus Day
Should we celebrate, revel,
Proclaim, or extol?
There’s a synonym
For thesaurus: lexicon
“Glossary” comes close
Peter Mark Roget
Doctor, inventor, researched
TB, laughing gas
Made log-log slide rule,
Tried to make calculator
More powers to him!
Studied optics, liked
Kaleidoscopes, but we know
What he’s famous for
“Roget’s Thesaurus
“Of English Words and Phrases”
Stuffed with synonyms
Of him we’re in awe
(Or reverential wonder)
And don’t lack for words
Like · · Share · 8 hours ago
Betty White, Jan. 17, 1922
Betty White, 90:
Shows us how to keep going,
Laughing, having fun
Betty White, great roles:
Snide Sue Ann, Golden Girl Rose,
Host of SNL
Betty White, great looks:
Once a babe, always a babe
She likes hearing that
Betty White, roll on:
But the prez wants to see your
Birth certificate
This Tuesday feels like
Monday, this year like last year
My state of behind
Greg's Hack-u 