Category Archives: Writing

from the pitcher to the bowl

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 Wisława Szymborska’s epigrammatic poem “Vermeer” (translated by Clare Cavanagh and Stanisław Barańczak from the Polish): So long as that woman from the Rijksmuseum in painted quiet and concentration keeps pouring milk day after day from the pitcher to the bowl … Continue reading →

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Freedom of the Press

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Every day I seem to be reading another story about the erosion of press freedoms here in the United States and around the world. The insidious takeover of print and online news outlets by rightwing corporate capitalist enterprises is just … Continue reading →

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Wet

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“Wet” by Joy Williams from 99 Stories of God The Lord was drinking some water out of a glass. There was nothing wrong with the glass, but the water tasted terrible. This was in a white building on a vast wasteland. … Continue reading →

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“What is the purpose of all this?”

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in His cosmic loneliness. And God said, “Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done.” And God created every … Continue reading →

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Dead Stars

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

DEAD STARS by Ada Limón Out here, there’s a bowing even the trees are doing. Winter’s icy hand at the back of all of us. Black bark, slick yellow leaves, a kind of stillness that feels so mute it’s almost … Continue reading →

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Don’t Panic It’s Towel Day

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

There isn’t a better time to release a collectible edition of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy than on Towel Day May 25th. The Folio Society is releasing a special edition of Adams’ trilogy in five parts, featuring “70 illustrations by Jonathan … Continue reading →

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What’s your sign

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I have recently noticed a number of stories online suggesting that there is a resurgence in the popularity of astrology. While I do not want to wander into the quagmire of discussing  astrology, it’s interesting to note that the pseudo-science … Continue reading →

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Amsterdam

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Amsterdam                                                                Sofia Elhillo Concentric ripple of the canals, little … Continue reading →

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If you build it, they will come

Posted on May 13, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A 57 year old poet named Jiang Libo in China has spent $116,000 building a bookshop in a remote village on top of a mountain. The Milestone Bookstore is located in a rural area of Zhejiang province in eastern China, … Continue reading →

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Frivolous Friday

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Last month, a small sailboat in distress was rescued by a massive 18th-century sailing ship. “This moment was very strange, and we wondered if we were dreaming. Where were we? What time period was it?” “So however surreal those cities, … Continue reading →

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