A cup of kindness yet

I've tried since September 11,
With verses and limericks, to leaven
The news, at its worst.
If I may be the first,
Let me say "Happy 2007!"

In the last week we have witnessed the demise of a dictator, the passing of a president, the loss of the godfather of soul and many more souls lost in the Grand Guignol that is Iraq. None requiring comment from the Savant to heighten its poignancy.

During my holiday hiatus I have given some thought to the future of this blog. I have been filling these virtual pages with my detritus for five years now. First, on my website and finally here on this blog. The discovery of blogging was a revelation since it no longer required a major reformat every time I wished to make a post. So, technically it has actually become easier to do what I set out to do.

There certainly has been no shortage of topical nonsense to fuel my nonsense rhymes so I can’t claim a lack of subject matter. There are many more talented limerick writers than I (e.g. see Graham Lester’s wonderful ditty in the comments on my last post). Graham, along with many equally talented folks, has been contributing regularly to the OEDILF (Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form), a remarkable project that I wish I had thought up. My sole contribution so far (on the word "retromingent") has been removed since the dictionary is nowhere near the "Rs" yet.

Yet, I can’t claim to be filling the much-needed niche for political limerick writers, either. As I have discovered along the way, mine was not a unique idea, as I would have liked to believe. Bob Duplantier had already published his book Politickles before I had the notion to self-publish on the Web. And Madeleine "Mad" Kane has been liberally churning out left-wing humor, including limericks, for some time now. I know that I can’t resist taking aim at some of our inflated celebrities, as well, but political figures are more often in my sights.

I have also realized that a blogger is only as good as his/her last post. If you wish to be read, then you need to write. Like the shark that must keep moving to live, a static blog will only sink to the bottom of the ocean of words written every day on the Internet. I have never fooled myself into believing that this venture was more than a self-indulgent pastime. That it has managed to entertain some others, beside myself, greatly pleases me. Though I am not ready to deep six the idea, I may do less to keep it afloat in the year ahead(that certainly beat the nautical metaphor to death didn’t it?). Let's hope less is more.

I have been contemplating a blog in which I can explore the history of my maternal grandfather who died when I was only two. He is my namesake (no, not "Limerick") and I find that I yearn to know more about him and his life. I also hope to use the process as a means for spending more time with my mother who will be my primary source of information. I expect it to be of no interest to anyone but myself and possibly my family but it is what draws me now.

As to the Savant in 2007, who knows? Looking ahead, I can only quote a recently viewed bumper sticker, "Is it 2008 yet?"



U.S. military deaths in Iraq reach 3,000
By Solomon Moore, The Los Angeles Times, 12/31/06