Spark Glimmer Flame

Spark, Glimmer, Flame Avoid calling it prayer Apply wishful thinking Yours alone to take A second choice Still fighting well-aged despair   Search the seemingly burned out coals Perhaps a flicker of light Remains beneath Though worn down Remembrances Mine to keep   Beneath it all My mind’s eye revealing Yet difficult to trust   Sleep remains in groggy eyes Yawning, scarcely in belief Once it was then Today I perceive A flame appears Flickering brighter now Coals brightly burning Have they returned A spark, a glimmer, a flame The soul of this actor   More than an ember Then, it is now Not yet quenched A flame still burns An upward curtain New, better, unspurred   He shares his secret Inside his grounded temperament Urgings for him to growl again Okay then, you bastards, one more time Do not play me Is it truly a sparkle I feel Oh if only emotions were trustworthy Oh to be At home, at home again, with lights shimmering, and a flame flickering at rise   Oh! To bow again   Once more hearing the blissful sounds of an unmasked audience with its wave upon wave of approving tides, forever filling all of life with blessings! -hk- 

Chicago Auditorium Theatre Chicago's Landmark Stage Est. 1889

Gentle Fist

 

Gentle Fist Gentle Fist Gentle Fist   A fist, is a fist, is a fist as that of a child

Fists are designed to hold things Some more tightly than others Fist sizes vary, mostly dependent on age Basic shapes are the same worldwide Fists should not be used to hit people   Pundits perch, a thought process from the eminences of those who choose to remain free When you seek love in your life, never clench too tightly, Beware, unwilfully squeezing emotionally from what your heart dictates An unclenched fist will help love grow  An open hand may signal betterment in your life’s direction Love is most aptly shown when one relieves the emotional pressure in a relationship by merely relaxing their hold, especially when the grip has been strained and relentless A clenched fist can never be held for a lifetime.

Fist pumping is usually a good thing to do, but not always; Sporting events, yes; "bad" news about a relationship, no. (For example, if she tells you she doesn't want to see you anymore, and you celebrate.)

-hk-

Emergence

Listening in

While visiting almost

Every age of the past

A child was heard to ask

Why don’t we live forever

Why don’t all the good things last

Why do people have to hurt

Especially towards one another

Why was a friend’s father taken

Another one’s mother, the same way

When will I go back to school

Will my friends be there

So we can play

Hurrah!

Daddy’s home!

He’ll know what to say

First, as a single strand seemingly a gentle struggle without fear, seeking direction, all life has this similarity. All with a blossom uncovered, recovered, born, and reborn.

We listen before we are able to see.

We hear before we are capable of understanding.

We interpret at nature’s will, some with more spirituality than others.

As in clouds before breeze becomes a wind we drift. Gentle zephyrs bring nor bear warning. And, if at first light there is truly light, do we treasure it?

Do we pray for its lasting glow?

Are we aware that shadows are destined to fall, covering us, though more gently for some, never equal; this being nature’s shade.

Then without a herald, darkness comes. And finally, it is within my contemplation, my study, and my search for knowledge that a reasonable answer brings a degree of meaning.

The process of learning is the process of growth. Discovering contemplation as a major component will continue to nourish our life’s journey. Far more joy would be derived if this awakening would come sooner than later for all of us, but awakening is part of nature’s domain.

There is no need for anyone to wait.

We are born with the ability to process. Some discover it sooner than others. Some are not destined to ever discover they are endowed with the ability to spiritually engage the true process of life.

The light, the shadows, and the darkness will ultimately become part of each of our contemplative journeys. But inherent in all of us is the ability for learning. And without learning, our growth is impossible.

HK

Say hello to anyone who knows me...

Chapter 60: “Say hello to anyone who knows me.” – HK (flavorful farewell words, still today and yesteryear)   October 6, 1993: Cathy and Harvey had been married almost one year to the day when they got their first casting work order under the marque lights as the team known as, Kalmenson & Kalmenson.

Thirty-plus years ago, I uttered that flavorful farewell to the actors who came in to audition for me at 105 South Sparks Avenue in Burbank. On our first day of business, it struck almost all of them as a funny “au revoir” (that’s French, folks) from me to them before departing. And for whatever the reason might be, to this day, none of the actors, men or women, have enquired about my farewell to them. The response has always been with their charming laughter.         Today, while driving home from Costco, I mistakenly reminded Cathy that not even she had ever asked me what my departing phrase to the actors meant. She instantly reminded me of our conversation which took place some thirty years ago. (Can you imagine thirty years goes “bye-bye” in a marriage and my wife remembers every single word of that ancient conversation?)          I knew I was in for it when Cathy began reminding me of my exact words. She began with, “Don’t you remember? You asked me if I knew what the phrase ‘say hello to anyone who knows me’ meant. And then, when I asked you to explain it to me, you told me to figure it out on my own.”         "My cop-out?" I explained to Cathy, I wasn’t attempting to be a wise guy, I was writing a piece for one of my Sunday morning essays and I didn’t want to ruin it for her. She answered me with a mild smirk, which meant for me not to think I was getting away with anything. Our discussion temporarily ended there. We had arrived at Costco (thankfully).

Origin Explanation: “Say hello to anyone who knows me.”

Jimmy Francis Durante Born February 10, 1893. Died Jan 29, 1980 (age 86).

Jimmy was a worldwide known and loved entertainer. Most who appeared on his radio show became stars in their own right. Incidentally, one of my favorites was the show’s regular singer, Peggy Lee. Another prejudiced choice of mine was, of course, my cousin, Dave Barry, who also appeared regularly to do the voice of a character named Mr. Bubbles. Dave sounded like he was underwater with the sound of bubbles coming from his throat. Audiences loved them.         After the death of Jimmy’s wife, Jeanne Olsen, in 1943, he began ending his radio program with the phrase, “Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash; wherever you are”, as a tribute to her.         For the umpteenth time in my life, nostalgia clicks in, and there I am, for one reason or another, back in time, seeing, hearing, and above all, feeling. Both in color and black and white, a variety of emotions. Emotions I have learned to accept at the moment they occur. The ‘why’ of it all, I have successfully deemed to be of no immediate value other than as my stimulus to recapture thoughts of what I perceive them to be.         When I first saw the film “Sleepless in Seattle”, it was long after experiencing Jimmy Durante singing. Most people think of Jimmy only as a comical performer, but when you hear him become a serious deliverer of any number of real-life experiences, you, too, will capture what I did as well. It’s called “a lived-in truth”.         In “Sleepless in Seattle”, he renders his performance of “ As Time Goes By”. For those of us who’ve lived a day or two, turn your life’s memories up—his singular performance, just for you alone, may conjure the unexpected.   You must remember this A kiss is just a kiss A sigh is just a sigh The fundamental things apply As time goes by And when two lovers woo They still say "I love you" On that you can rely No matter what the future brings As time goes by Moonlight and love songs Never out of date Hearts full of passion Jealousy and hate Woman needs man, and man must have his mate That no one can deny It's still the same old story A fight for love and glory A case of do or die The world will always welcome lovers As time goes by –"As Time Goes By"–           Durante was playing himself, delivering his personal commentary of what life is all about just as he remained in contact with all near and dear to him while singing “As Time Goes By”. When he ended his radio program each week and uttered the famous words, “Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash”, he was still feeling love for her (it was still the same old story about a man who had lost his wife, but life goes on). And all the people who gathered with him for his radio performance, week in and week out. Life goes on.         And the answer is, what I equate to as past, present, and future. Thousands have come before me seeking direction. I follow what we teach with religious fervor: be responsive to another, be responsive to yourself, be honest and true with those you know, those you intend to meet, with love, or merely in need of a helping hand. You and I, therefore, have something in common.         And so, with this day coming to its finality, I repeat to all who are still with me and all who have labored equally within our creative sphere of life, with a special shout out to a past colleague (and there are thousands I could name), the dearest Cloris Leachman, “say hello to anyone who knows me.”   And now you all know my secret.   HK