Saturday, March 8, 2014

Everybody Talks About Daylight Savings Time, but Nobody Ever Does Anything About It



With apologies to Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that short night.
Our age should burn and rave this lessened day;
Rage, rage against this ludicrous Spring rite.

Though we are pow'rless over wing'd time's flight,
Our Time Lords shun the rule of old Sol's ray;
Do not go gentle into that short night.

Aurora wonders at sad mortals' plight,
What dawns on men who think to hold time sway?
Rage, rage against this ludicrous Spring rite.

And Helios in his chariot laughs outright.
Shouts Sol Invictus who bids longer day,
“Do not go gentle into that short night.”

What fools those men who think that they have might
To quicken pace of time or it belay.
Rage, rage against this ludicrous Spring rite.

And you who slumber sound, your given right,
When you are 'wakened when you still would lay,
Do not go gentle into that short night,
Rage, rage against this ludicrous Spring rite.

                                                 Janet Cupo
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The clock pictured above belonged to my father, and hangs over the mantel of my resurrected living room. If you look carefully, you will see that it does not show the same time as the anniversary clock on the mantel, which was given to us when we married 42 years ago. At this point, both of the clocks are correct twice a day. The anniversary clock stopped shortly after our first anniversary, but that, fortunately, was not prophetic. (Well, after all, it is an anniversary clock and not an anniversaries clock.) The big clock works, but it makes a loud sound. My husband likes this. It makes me crazy.

I wish you could see the marquetry on the clock better. If you click on the picture, you can see it a bit better.

AMDG

6 comments:

  1. I have to ask: did that take a long time to piece together, or did it emerge in a sudden rush of inspiration?

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  2. I thought about it at work yesterday, but didn't really get a chance to do anything until this morning. It took a couple of hours all told. Thomas did most of the work.

    AMDG

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  3. That is wonderful, Janet. Well done! I'm going to chant this as I fall asleep tonight.

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    1. Thanks, Craig. Do you think I could get Arvo Pärt to write a melody for it?

      AMDG

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  4. Janet, please send this to your state rep. In TN there is a bill in the house (HB1909) which exempts TN from DST. If we could get all the surrounding states to also consider it, the bill would have a better chance of passage. One of the arguments against it is that it would be confusing for businesses dealing with interstate commerce.

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  5. Sorry, I don't live in Tennessee.

    AMDG

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