The Physics of Seatbelts

Momentum versus inertia The science of everyday life Start, stop, start again  A body in motion Inside a body in motion Must keep together Or there will be consequences What a lifesaving invention Is this momentum stopper This inertia preserver The humble seatbelt

Butterfly Business

Climbing from the chrysalis Metamorphosis is done Spreading wings to dry And then it’s time to fly Time to get down to butterfly business Feeding from nectar Spreading pollen flower to flower Morning is time to bask for the sun Heat the wings in order to fly And taste the air for food and love…

A Letter from the Earth

Got a letter from the Earth So, what are you doing to save the world From the sorry sons of bitches Who are mucking up the place? How are you helping Or are you just shutting your eyes And going along with it Throwing up your hands And saying it’s too much for me And…

Foraging for food and medicine

I have gone for walks to exercise for many years, and usually lost in my own little world while I do so. But some time back I read a book about foraging – picking plants growing wild for food or medicine, and it intrigued me. So I started looking around a bit more as I…

Compounders of Equilibrium

It’s a matter of balance, say the astronaut gods As they watch the world below Keeping place at the pivot of the seesaw Equal weights on each side of the scales We are the keepers of the peace The compounders of equilibrium Without us, there is a slow and steady slide Towards one end or…

Review “Masque of the Red Death” (1964)

The producer/director Roger Corman made eight adaptations of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. This movie is one of the better productions. It stars Vincent Price as Prince Prospero, a devil-worshipping European prince who mistreats the peasants and invites nobility to his castle to indulge in endless partying while the ‘red death’ plague kills off…

Jack-o-Lantern

Flame flickers in the eyes of the pumpkin Grin stretches wide over darkness within Squatting at the doors of all the houses Standing sentinel on All Hallow’s Eve Flickering orbs scan the night for unwanted visits Ghosts and spirits and devilish things Jack-o-lantern stretches mouth wide Devouring the evil that wanders abroad Jack-o-lantern guards hearth…

Review “The Comedy of Terrors” (1963)

Vincent Price. Peter Lorre. Boris Karloff. Basil Rathbone. All in one movie. What’s not to love? “The Comedy of Terrors” is a comedy/horror (not sure there’s that much horror in it, really) that is a great deal of fun. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur (‘Cat People’, ‘I walked with a zombie’) and the screenplay…

Stuck in Between 

Ghosts emerge around every corner An answer to questions you dare not ask Here we are! Look at us! This is how you too shall end Roaming restless never at peace Wailing forever in the dead of night We are the lost souls, waiting for you Come and see, come and be Join with us…

Favourite Ghost Movies

I’ve said more than once that I am very partial to ghost stories, so I thought I’d talk about a few ghost films I particularly like, that you might want to check out. These are in no particular order of preference, and I make no claim to them being the best. They’re just movies I…