Teachings of Diogenes the cynic

Plato was discoursing on his theory of ideas and, pointing to the cups on the table before him, said while there are many cups in the world, there is only one `idea' of a cup, and this cupness precedes the existence of all particular cups.

"I can see the cup on the table," interupted Diogenes, "but I can't see the `cupness'".

"That's because you have the eyes to see the cup," said Plato, "but", tapping his head with his forefinger, "you don't have the intellect with which to comprehend `cupness'."

Diogenes walked up to the table, examined a cup and, looking inside, asked, "Is it empty?"

Plato nodded.

"Where is the `emptiness' which procedes this empty cup?" asked Diogenes.

Plato allowed himself a few moments to collect his thoughts, but Diogenes reached over and, tapping Plato's head with his finger, said "I think you will find here is the `emptiness'."

I read this and laughed. A link to read more is here. http://members.optushome.com.au/davidquinn000/Diogenes%20Folder/Diogenes.html

The Bungler by Amy Lowell

The Bungler 
by Amy Lowell


You glow in my heart
Like the flames of uncounted candles.
But when I go to warm my hands,
My clumsiness overturns the light,
And then I stumble
Against the tables and chairs.


I like the self depreciating humor in this poem. A link to read more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Lowell

Tableau at Twillight by Ogden Nash

Tableau at Twillight 
by Ogden Nash


I sit in the dusk. I am all alone.
Enter a child and an ice-cream cone.

A parent is easily beguiled
By sight of this coniferous child.

The friendly embers warmer gleam,
The cone begins to drip ice cream.

Cones are composed of many a vitamin.
My lap is not the place to bitamin.

Although my raiment is not chinchilla,
I flinch to see it become vanilla.

Coniferous child, when vanilla melts
I’d rather it melted somewhere else.

Exit child with remains of cone.
I sit in the dusk. I am all alone,

Muttering spells like an angry Druid,
Alone, in the dusk, with the cleaning fluid.


One of my all time favorite poems. Silly, funny and real life. I have included a link to read more about him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden_Nash

My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson

My Shadow

BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an errant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

I like how he took something common and transformed it with humor. I have included a link to read more. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/robert-louis-stevenson

A Parable by Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle

A Parable

BY DR. ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

The cheese-mites asked how the cheese got there,

    And warmly debated the matter;

The Orthodox said that it came from the air,

    And the Heretics said from the platter.

They argued it long and they argued it strong,

    And I hear they are arguing now;

But of all the choice spirits who lived in the cheese,

    Not one of them thought of a cow.

Good humor and something to think about. A link to learn more about this poet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arhur_Conan_Doyle