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Dionysus Don



Last Updated: 11/21/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Single
Age: 58
Sign: Gemini

City: SHERMAN
State: TEXAS
Country: US
Signup Date: 8/6/2006

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009 

Current mood:  ecstatic
Category: Writing and Poetry

I watched a great DVD last night:

The Lives of Others is a rare film. It's a solemn work of art, a thrilling piece of entertainment, and a heart-wrenching portrait of both compassion and oppression. Set in East Berlin in 1984, the film starkly dramatizes the atmosphere of secrecy and paranoia enshrouding the totalitarian German Democratic Republic (read more at http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/The-Lives-of-Others)...

 
A bright moment in this dark movie is when the former Stasi agent, reduced to steaming open envelopes, learns of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. He walks off his job.


In a former life, I was a GI in Germany. In 1973, the US Army, in order to show the soldier the importance of its mission in Europe, took a select few on a tour to the East. I was among those fortunate enough to pass through Checkpoint Charlie - and back.
Checkpoint Charlie in the background.
There was no graffiti on the Berlin Wall then. It was feared and respected on both sides. Crosses and flowers dotted every block or so to show where lovers of freedom had died.

Curtains from 1961, nothing more than rags in 1973, still showed through the mortar in bricked-over windows. Occupants of homes and visitors to stores were ordered to exit - to the rear - and the fronts of buildings and churches became part of the wall.
  
Vestiges of the original Iron Curtain were still evident on my visit. A mixture of broken glass and cement topped many walls. Other sections were capped by large pipes, impervious to grappling hooks, too large for a human grip. 

The Brandenburg Gate was a mockery of its former glory. This barrier to traffic, to freedom, was a blockage in the artery of life.

How many remember the spirit captured in the photo of a young GDR soldier, taking his chance at liberty? His jump is now immortalized in steel.

I watched TV with the world 20 years ago - and cheered at the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The echoes of that celebration still linger.

Happy Veterans Day to all my comrades-in-arms. Your service was - and is - worth it. Thank you!

Dionysus Don
Specialist, 4th Class
United States Army

Currently watching:
The Lives of Others
Release date: 2007-08-21
Saturday, October 10, 2009 

Category: Writing and Poetry
Fall is the perfect time to go for a walk in one of our beautiful parks. Here is a perfect poem for the season. It appears in the October 2 issue of T.G.I.F., 'The Biggest Little Newspaper in Town,' distributed in communities in the Red River basin of Texas and Oklahoma. 
Though originally written for a 'Writers Take A Hike' exercise in the Eisenhower Park of San Antonio, this version celebrates the State Park on Lake Texoma.
Coincidently, Dwight Eisenhower's birthday is coming up. He was born October 14, 1890, in nearby Denison, Texas.
     Dionysus Don 


             Eisenhower Park Poem
 
High hilly trail allows a view of the ground
above the dell where life abounds.
It takes some work to take a walk
along the rocks to get to the top.
And when you do, the windy view
rewards your soul and makes you whole.
Put on your boots. Don't trip on the roots.
I think you ought to bring your water.
Take a drink, don't even think,
and you will find it eases the mind.
We're high as the trees in the cross-breeze,
up the rocky stair to the lake-side air.
Relax your care, and you are there!
To be there for another
is to have another there.
And that is great, to change your pace,
to give a smile, to offer an embrace.
 
Don Mathis, Sherman, TX

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 

Current mood:  giddy
Category: Writing and Poetry
With apologies to Mason Williams (scroll down 4 times at http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4648 )

Toe Suckers

How 'bout them Toe Suckers, ain't they slick?

Sucking them slow, sucking them quick!
 
Sucking them big toes, sucking them pinkies,
sucking on the ones all nice and stinky!
 
I was a toe-sucker in my younger day.
It was just good fun and just fore-play.
 
Them toe suckers know the thrill of phalanges,
it works best with a partner who exchanges!
 
How to suck a toe? Ain't no surprise -
Just open your mouth and close your eyes!
 
Dionysus Don
Currently listening:
The Mason Williams Phonograph Record
By Mason Williams
Release date: 1990-10-25
Wednesday, May 06, 2009 

Category: Writing and Poetry
Call me a 'Ghostwriter in Disguise.'
This is a guest column I wrote for my boss; published in the May 1 issue of T.G.I.F., a weekly newspaper in the Red River region of Texas and Oklahoma.

Mothers Day Guest Column


Mothers are important in our lives – Everybody’s Life. Today, and on Mothers Day, I want to salute the mother’s traditional role as care-giver.


At The Rehabilitation Center, when a child comes in for therapy for Sensory Integration Dysfunction, therapy for speech or hearing, or therapy for any of the other disabilities or disorders we treat, it is usually the mother who brings him in.


It is usually the mother who sacrifices her time and energies to ensure her child’s physical, mental, and spiritual health.


She is fully aware that raising a child is one of the richest, most rewarding occupations on earth. It is a gift of love. And for that love, The Rehabilitation Center salutes all women.


The Rehabilitation Center often is called upon to treat oldsters. On Mothers Day, we pay homage to the women who cared for us when we were youngsters. Now a time is coming for us to care for her.


Oftentimes therapy can help a body feel younger. Therapy is routinely prescribed by a doctor to treat illnesses, injuries, and conditions brought on by the onset of age. We ask you to consider services like those offered at The Rehabilitation Center when it is time for your mother to receive care.


Aquatic Therapy is an important part of both physical and occupational therapy treatments. If you believe your mom could benefit from gentle exercises in warm water, ask her doctor if it is right for her. An After-Hours Aquatic Program or an Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Class may be beneficial for the most important woman in your life. A doctor's release is all that's required for this.


Young or old, The Rehabilitation Center wishes to thank all the women who provided motherly guidance in our lives. Please allow us to serve you. Happy Mothers Day!


Susan Vardell, Executive Director

The Rehabilitation Center, Therapeutic Solutions for Children and Adults

Currently listening:
What a Wonderful World
By Louis Armstrong
Release date: 1996-02-27
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 

Category: Writing and Poetry
Feel free to send a letter to the author or editor about the essay at http://www.heralddemocrat.com/April-is-the-month-of-poems (or make a comment at the site). This is what I sent to jwhiteley@heralddemocrat.com and deldredge@heralddemocrat.com .
 
Dear Jerrie,
 
Thank you 1,000 times for your discourse on poetry on the front page of the April 21 Herald Democrat. If you get hungry again for poems, please visit the Texoma Poetry Society. We meet at the Sherman Public Library at 2:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month.
 
I like "Stopping by the Woods" too because it is so full of images. And then, if you read between the lines, you will discover the "darkest evening of the year" would put this poem at the Winter Solstice, right before Christmas. Like many people, I feel a little melancholy at this time of year.

Snowfall in nature has got to be one of the most beautiful experiences. Not only is everything decorated with white, there's an aural difference that adds to the richness. If a picture is worth a thousand words, Frost paints thousands of pictures with each stanza of words.

And then, there is the complex rhyming pattern that adds so much texture: a, a, b, a; b, b, c, b; c, c, d, c; d, d, d, d. Wow, I am impressed! It was Robert Frost, after all, who said, "Poetry without rhyme is like tennis without a net." What nets this man does weave.

And then, in addition to all the luxurious scenes, sounds, and rhythms, I love the 'sound bite' at the end. "And miles to go before I sleep," implies the author has some traveling to do before his journey is done. So the poem continues into the future.

So it is in life, for, hopefully, we all have "miles to go" before we sleep. Peace, Love, and Poetry,

 
Dionysus Don, Member
Texoma Poetry Society 
 

http://www.heralddemocrat.com/hd/SiteSearchResults/April-is-the-month-of-poems

 
April is Poetry Month

Seems like everyday someone shoots me an E-mail or fax about it being National Twiddle our Thumbs day or week or month.
 
Most of them are good causes just trying to get some space in publications and I respect that. Some are quite silly and I get a little irritated.

One that caught my eye just recently is National Poetry Month which it seems happens in April.

According to information found on Poets.org, National Poetry Month was started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. It is a time for those in the publishing industry to band together with libraries, schools, literary organizations and poets to celebrate the art of poetry and its impact on American culture.

Thinking about all of that made me think about my favorite poem, Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken."

Now, some might argue that my life would be no less grand had I never read that poem, but I would disagree. Several times in my life, I have thought about the verses of that poem as I faced decisions that could alter the direction of my career or family life. I don't know if Robert Frost ever gave much thought to how much his words might still impact people nearly 90 years after he wrote them.

I think about the poem to remind myself that none of us really knows how our lives will turn out or how they would have turned out if we had made different choices on big or small decisions. We just have to be brave, make a choice and move forward.

I think that is what Frost was saying when wrote the poem, but many would probably disagree. That ability to find meaning in the poet's words is one of the things that I find the most interesting in the study of greats like Frost.

Another of my favorite of his poems is "Stopping by a Woods on a Snowy Evening," and that one always makes me think of the constant flow of life. Favorite line, "And miles to go before I sleep."

Now that I have shared some of my favorite things about poetry, I invite you all to grab a book of poems sometime this month and find your own favorite.

Sunday, April 19, 2009 

Category: Writing and Poetry
In honor of National Poetry Month, this poem appears in the April 19 issue of the Sherman, Texas, Herald Democrat

North Texas Winter
 
I've seen cities,
silent as a forest,
in the falling snow.

The path I shoveled
in Germany's January
watched March's thaw.

Slush and slop-turtles
in D.C.'s streets
shows ugly freeze.

But I have never seen
the same white blossoms
in a variety of trees,

Signs with teeth
fearsomely demanding
respect for the road,

Teeth that bite,
in a North Texas Winter,
with a bitter cold.
 
-- Don Mathis, Sherman, TX

Thursday, April 02, 2009 

Category: Writing and Poetry

D.C. Spring Haiku
 
Is that snow I see?
It must be low lying clouds
Ah! Cherry Blossoms

Wet chill says winter
Cherry blossoms disagree
Spring will win again

Florets announce spring
As loud as colorful fire
As silent as fog
 
Pink petals peeking
Mist is silently creeping
Tides are reflecting
 
Cherry trees proclaim
Quietly with pinks and whites
Vernal contagion
 
Pink and white fireworks
Enlighten tidal basin
Spring lives forever
 
Poetic postcard
Sent from Washington, D.C.
Cherry blossom stamp
 
Florets teach patience
They will refuse to open
Until spring is here
 
Night fog brings focus
Pale cherry blossoms brighten
Mood and awareness

Saturday, February 14, 2009 

Category: Writing and Poetry

You Know I Know
 
You know I know your pants are wet.
So quit your playing hard-to-get.
 
I love you baby so let's don't fight.
Don't I come home most every night?
 
It may be 5 a.m. when I get home
but I can't stand to think of you all alone.
 
Why did you get that restraining order?
Are you trying to tell me that it's over?
 
I thought it was just a paradox
when you changed the back and front door locks.
 
But I'm itching always for you baby.
You see me twitching, it's your fault lady.
 
Come on, sweetie; let's have some fun.
Give me a kiss and put down that gun.
 
Dionysus Don

Friday, January 30, 2009 

Current mood:  happy
Category: Writing and Poetry
My son's birthday is February 1. His Grandmother's was January 24. Together, they celebrate 100 birthdays! How cool is that?

The attached poem was published in the January 30 issue of T.G.I.F. Weekend Bandit, "The Biggest Little Newspaper in Town" a publication in the Texoma region of the Red River.





Sweet Sixteen (for Charlie, on his birthday)

He's sweet 16, his mother's pet,
and never kissed a young girl yet.

This is untrue. He's not that sweet.
And he keeps his kissing discreet. 

He loves his mom; that much is true.
And what's more, his dad loves him too.


Dionysus Don (aka Daddy)

Sunday, January 18, 2009 

Category: Writing and Poetry

White House White Elephant Yard Sale....

or....

Going Out of Business Sale ....

Everything Must Go! - Especially HIM!....

  ....

An elephant is the symbol of the GOP. ....

A White Elephant represents a thing we don’t need. ....

 ....

Bush’s White House has White Elephants galore; ....

useless things, nick-knacks, odd junk, and more. ....

 ....

That's right! Bush & friends are disposing their mess....

preparing to leave the Washington address. ....

.. ..

Let's go see what is being offered ....

before George Bush moves back to Crawford. ....

 ....

Oh, here’s a sack of hanging chads from 2000 ....

when Supreme Court had our Presidential Selection. ....

 ....

Why does this box have a bunch of computer keys? ....

They’re all double-yous, what a mystery! ....

.. ..

Speaking of letters, here’s a box of unopened ....

envelopes addressed from Ms Cindy Sheehan. ....

 ....

Who would want to buy a War on Terror? ....

Especially since we have seen its error? ....

 ....

What about some Weapons of Mass Destruction ....

which are as real as a hallucination?....

 ....

Here’s the grenade a Russian threw at our president. ....

Lucky it was a dud; the bomb, I meant.  ....

 ....

What’s this? Dick Cheney’s shotgun, 28-Gage? ....

And here’s the Constitution, just a little damage. ....

  ....

Here’s a Bully Pulpit; needs refurbishment. ....

And here’s a barely used Fifth Amendment. ....

 ....

Here is some Liberty – it is quite rare. ....

But we have hundreds of Alibis over there.  ....

 ....

Here is what’s left of our International Prestige.....

And FEMA’s reputation with some water damage.....

 ....

Fresh from Baghdad, some new Iraqi Shoes -....

They hardly look like they were even used. ....

.. ..

Wonder what this billion-dollar check is about?....

Oh, it’s probably for some CEO Bail Out!....

 ....

Here is Habeas Corpus, but it’s been rebutted. ....

And the Endangered Species Act, completely gutted. ....

 ....

Who wants nine Pink Slips for Federal Prosecutors? ....

Who wants a bunch of Abu Ghraib Torturers? ....

 ....

Buy this Flight Suit and you get for free....

a Manual for Enhanced Interrogation Techniques.....

 ....

Here's a case of dishonesty and a box of malice. ....

And a certificate for a free home loan in Dallas. ....

 ....

What’s this? A wanted poster of Osama Bin Laden?....

Who is that man? I must have forgotten! ....

 ....

Want a housing bubble with a slight perforation? ....

Or some General Motors Stock hit by inflation?....

 ....

Here’s a dictionary, a great paperweight;....

Hardly ever used by the Head of State.....

.. ..

How about some Wall Street stock with devaluation ....

or front row tickets to the inauguration?

 ....

Now we leave the estate sale of W’s reign.....

Don’t touch that Jell-O, it may be Bush’s brain!....

 ....

Dionysus Don....

January 2009   ....