reverend cletis: "bbb...bird is the word"

Dalai Lama Mazappa

better days ________ www.coopradio.org

Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love,
respect for others, sharing other people’s suffering.
On these lines every religion has more or less the
same viewpoint and the same goal.
The Dalai Lama

Christianity
Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you, for this is the law...Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31

Judaism
What is hurtful to yourself do not to your fellow
man. That is the whole of The Torah and the
remainder is but commentary.
Shabbath/Rabbi Hillel

Islam
Do unto all men as you would they should unto
you, and reject for others what you would reject
for yourself. Mishkat-el-Masabih

Buddhism
Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
Udanavarga 5.8

Confucianism
What you do not yourself desire, do not put before
others. Analects 15.23

Hinduism
This is the sum of all true righteousness -
Treat others, as thou wouldst thyself be treated.
Do nothing to thy neighbor, which hereafter
Thou wouldst not have thy neighbor do to thee.
Mahabharata (Ganguli, Book 13 CXIII)

Sikhism
Treat others as thou wouldst be treated thyself.
Guru Angad (Macauliffe vol 2, p.29)

Native American
All things share the same breath -the beast, the
tree, the man, the air shares its spirit with all the
life it supports. Chief Seattle

Taoism
Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain;
and regard your neighbor’s loss as your own loss,
even as though you were in their place.
Tai-Shang Kan-Ying Pien

Bahá’í
Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst
not have ascribed to thee. Bahá’ulláh

Mazappaism
We're all mazappas at heart. Every last one of
us. I dont' like it, but there's no escaping it.
Cletis Stanley Mazappa http://www3.telus.net/billybob

photo by jackie 2 

photo by jackie 

Other Ways

better days ________ www.coopradio.org
.
Other Ways To Weep

Kids in school now
Memory hurts
Their father's gone
She wears his shirts
She's got emotions
Deep as oceans
Oceans deep...
Been to the doctor
Been to court
He won't provide support
Ask any mother
There are other ways
To weep

Her heart opens
Then it shuts
Divorce proceeding
Paper cuts
She reaches for a shadow
In her sleep...
No one there now
Toss and turn
Grin and bear now
Live and learn
Ask any mother
There are other ways
To weep

The landlord wants his money
Rent has just been raised
Grant me food for my children
Every night she prays...

She battles on
The children fight
She tells herself
It'll be all right
Gritted teeth
Leap of faith
She takes the leap...
Gonna make it
She'll survive
Come out the other side alive
Ask any mother
There are other ways
To weep

DL

a photo Billy took of me

Smoke Rings

better days ________ www.coopradio.org
.
Smoke Rings

My father loved tobacco
in his navy days
Old tin can, rolled his own
cool one-handed ways
Rollin', lickin', lightin'
that first and deepest draw
When it comes to smoke-rings
Dad's the best I ever saw

When my dad turned forty
he just up and quit
For a while there we avoided him
he blew up a bit
Last year he turned eighty
forty years now clean
When it comes to quittin'
Dad's the best I've seen

I turned twenty-six in Athens
Smokes were forty cents
Bought a box on Santorini
been smoking ever since
That's not exactly true
I've quit fifty times at least
But eventually my teddybear
gets eaten by the beast

Don't smoke in the morning
keep moving until ten
Have a cup of coffee
gotta have one then
Hell of an addiction
get shaky when I stop
Got good at blowin' smoke-rings
but not as good as Pop

An interview with Vonnegut
different kind of cat
He said he is committing
suicide by cigarette
Sometimes I'll blow a smoke-ring
looking in the mirror
Stand there watching my own face
Slowly disappear

My father loved tobacco
in his sailor days
Old tin can, rolled his own
cool one-handed ways
Rollin', lickin', lightin'
that first and deepest draw
When it came to blowin' smoke-rings
dad's the best I ever saw

DL

The writer has not smoked a cigarette
since March 5th, 2005