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My name is Bob Land. I am a full-time freelance editor and proofreader, and occasional indexer. This blog is my website.

You'll find my rate sheet and client list here, as well as musings on the life of a freelancer; editing, proofreading, and indexing concerns and issues; my ongoing battles with books and production; and the occasional personal revelation.

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Haiku Monday: Time

Hosted this week at the magnificent Karl's Korner.

Deadlines, mortgages:
Accordion-like squeezes,
But like trolley cars . . .

Tomorrow — flexing
Like a whore — and tomorrow.
Shakespeared; lad insane.

===

I don't usually do videos or any visuals for Haiku Monday or post the haiku here, but I found this -- an interesting, unbroadcast live version of a song from one of my favorite albums -- so I figured I might as well post the video. Sorry you had to sit through the haiku.


8 comments:

Karl said...

Good morning Czar,


Talk about the march of time. I didn't realize that was David Bowie until we started singing.

Most interesting haiku this week. Perhaps you could fill in the story behind the second one?

czar said...

Hi, Karl. No particular narrative. As with the first one, a discussion of the march of time, but through other folks' lenses. The quotes in the first two lines reference some of my favorite passages on the subject. "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" is from Macbeth, of course, and he has his issues -- maybe not quite a Hamlet "lad insane," but troubled as we all are.

The song Bowie is singing, "Time," which includes the line, "Time, he flexes like a whore," is from an album titled Aladdin Sane, which, phrased differently, becomes "A lad insane."

Macbeth has been Shakespeared; so has Bowie's lyric; so, by reading the haiku, have we.

Tomorrow and time flex like whores with their allure, and often leave us empty -- as I imagine whores do.

Thanks for the opportunity to expound. All additional associations are welcome.

moi said...

Brilliant second haiku! You're the master of those obscure references.

And a wonderful video of Bowie. Talk about time marching. Glam rock seems so archaic today. Bowie cleaned up, fixed his teeth, disavowed fascism, married Iman. But he's still king. A girlfriend and I were front row center when he brought his Serious Moonlight tour to Phoenix in '87 or '88, with Stevie Ray Vaughn on guitar. Mindblowing.

DeepBlue said...

Thanks for "expounding". I wouldn't have made up anything at all otherwise. ;)

Rafael said...

Czar, have to admit I didn't fully understand the meaning behind your words, but, per usual, they always have a certain flow that makes me want to read what you have to say and try to understand.

Thanks for the explanation...it's AWESOME!!!

Aunty Belle said...

hmmnnn...thas' some Haiku.

Aunty Belle said...

Ya know....I think I have a book youse gonna love.

czar said...

@Moi: Thanks. I'm jealous of your seeing Bowie. I am not that familiar with all of his work, but somehow I ended up latching onto Aladdin Sane, and I love every note of it. Have since 1974.

@DeepBlue: Thanks for coming by. I often think after posting, "No one's gonna have a clue what that's about," not that that's a good thing at all. But it's just how I do.

@Rafa: I appreciate the kind words.

@Aunty: The main book you have that I'll love is the next one you write. In manuscript form. Tell your publishers you know a good copyeditor.