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Travelling with a friend
in my young buck twenties
we came upon a cafe
known for its Tango dancing
One of the dancers caught my attention.
Graciela.

Long ebony hair that cascaded
in curls over her body to her waist
dressed in gypsy attire
she danced the Tango
like a feline on the prowl

my attention to her
among the many present that night
was probably obvious.
Suddenly, she stood before me
with her hand outstreched.....
placing her fingertips under mine
she brought me to my feet
as if by magic
the next moment we
were on the dance floor.

Into our third Tango
her face came closer to mine
I have sipped no wine the way I drank in
her beautiful face
Her eyelashes brushed my cheek
her breath lifted my hair
and her lips parted as to welcome mine.

But our lips didn't touch
we continued to Tango
she continued to tease
and I
I had no choice
but to continue to submit to this torture
her lips passed lightly over my eyelids
then decended ever so slowly
to my mouth
but still did not touch my lips...

modesty prevents me saying what happend later.
...................

So please understand bee
that dancing naked
in front of the window
wearing a gorilla mask
with those tassles
swinging on your nipples
just won't 'do it'
for me.


Vincent.

Vince ~

I loved this poem as much this time, as the first [and several more] time[s] I read it. With this and your most recent one here, about the dance and scuffed shoes, it's clear that tenderness and subtlety are important.

~ Lizzy

<places a kiss on Lizzy's hand>

Vince, no fan of pornography here, dearest. Save it for your lonely hours of fantasies, what would do for you, or would not. You got to figure out fo'yoself. too much info. yak

Dearest bee,
I know that's just your way
of saying that
my manly charisma
overwhelms you at this time.

Swoon away my little fanlet
swoon away.

Bee, according to you the list of my friends here is as long as the Memberlist above. I know I'm born naive and stay like this very late in life, but being in touch with reality more an more as time passes and time finished to cure me lately. In clear it means that the "title" "friend" is not so lightly used in my secret life. How I enjoy co-leonard-cohen-fans-forumers virtual company thought! This is different.

Vince, tchuckle is b-u-s-y (geEeeez how many times do I have to come here to tell you? So excuse my... silence. OK? But I read you) please write something about how to answer a seducer that you think you noticed nothing at all. Gulp. Help. I wanna see you dance again? (You two guys are doing a good show - well, most of the time).

I finally found the "Science Friday" segment I've been looking for. It comes under the program "Talk of the Nation" and this one was on September 9. It's very informative and illuminating regarding, "Why would anyone build a city below sea level?" I hope people will listen to this, as it answers many questions.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=4839128

The blurb for it says:

September 9, 2005 · Environmental writer Mike Tidwell discusses the natural history of New Orleans and its environs.

Mike Tidwell, author of Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast

Vince and Bee are not on the dance floor. Well. Not this one, at least.

Lz, yesterday Bush acknowledged having done a mistake. This time he made a favourable impression on me. Not that I am so naive not to know he has to do this so save his (HONK!!) but because "democracy is coming to the U.S.A. Even if it is "for fun", what you are doing for fun soon is an habit.

This is not erasing the war in Irak thing, but as I always said, I prefer 10 GWB to one Bin Laden. A woman was battered and killed again because she did not veiled her face, she was reading the news on television. Twenty-four years old, all her life in front of her. I have no word to express what I feel about that. It is something no one should experiment in a democratic world. So I prefer soooo much our "democracy" even if it rolls on square tires most of the time.

That is so tragic, Tchoc, about the 24-year-old woman. I hadn't heard anything of it. That's horrible. Compared to that, yes, democracy most often runs on square tires. Please don't think that I think allowing people to suffer for days, without food and water, in the hot sun or trapped heat, until some died, is better, though. The last couple days, I've kept hearing about the most deadly day in Iraq in two years, with 160 people killed. It's all sickening.

As for Bush, I'm surprized that no one seems to be highlighting the non sequitur that he leads with ~ "To the extent that the Federal government is responsible, I take responsibility for ...." ~ that leaves a very large loophole for saying, "But the Federal government was only responsible for 5% of the 95% of f..kup that occurred." Yes, it's nothing more than whitewash, his impressive follow-up.

From [my original quoting was incomplete] the woman saying he needed to fire Brown, and him asking, "Why would I do that?" She said, "For everything that went wrong, and for all that didn't go right," and he answered, "What didn't go right?" ~ to ~ "You're doing a good [great?]job, Brownie" ~ to ~ "This is not the time to place blame" [when the Feds were getting blamed] ~ to ~ "The problem was with the State and local governments" [as soon as the verbiage for the blame-game had been 'properly' constructed, it suddenly became okay and 'time'] ~ to ~ "Brown is being reassigned to Washington, to handle other national disasters that may occur" [Democrats and some knowing Republicans saying, "Yeah, right , he's needed elsewhere.....this is the beginning of his being ousted"] ~ to ~ two days later, "Brown has resigned [those same people continuing with their, "Yeah, right , he's 'resigned'. Uh-huh." ~ to ~ Bush saying, "For the extent that the Federal government is responsible ... " ~ to ~ [Whatever it is he's saying now .....].

There comes a time when you cut your losses, which is the only thing that he's doing. Public relations. Attempting to get his lowest popularity rating since being President to go a few points back up. I was fooled for a tiny bit when he came on the TV and appeared to be sincere after he made his fly-by. Now, after telling the Louisiana people that they were going to be the ones to 'benefit' in the rebuilding process [i.e. get the pay to help in doing it], major corporations from states from California to Colorado and others have already signed major contracts in Washington. Fifteen [or 18?] truckers, I believe from Biloxi [but definitely from the affected area], who were out of a home, and desperately needing work showed up to where they were supposed to be able to get some and found that all the work had already been contracted out to some of these major corps. Can anyone spell Halliburton? The segment should be available online tomorrow, and I'll try to find the transcript [unless it was 'just' the news].

Okay. Enough for now. I'm so sorry about the young, so young, woman .

~ Lizzy

"Please don't think that I think allowing people to suffer for days, without food and water, in the hot sun or trapped heat, until some died, is better, though."

This works for me too.

I knew it would be a nightmare on the first day when U.S. did stay arm crossed instead of sending the army in emergency. How this could be true? This is still a nightmare. I read a report of what happened in a hospital while mothers where given birth during this time. Unbelievable story. So many tragedies will occure because of this flooding that could have been prevent - not the hurricane, but the flooding at this extend, yes - that I have difficulties to breath just to think about it. Nobody, or few people - you did Lz - think for now about the environmental catastrophe this flooding is. Well. Too much urgent human matters to deal with right now. Watch the bill. How many times higher than it would have been if they have delivered the money in time when it was time? It is always the same old story : to save a few bucks... When only money rules, anything goes. When will they learn?

For this yound woman, the tragic fate of one is not less tragic than the tragic fate of many. Many, after all are ones and this is for this one, these every ones, that we care, not for "a crowd" which is nobody at all.

This is without counting all the tragedies that go unoticed because they don't happen in "fashionable" countries or part of a country.

At least the pressure of the majority of people's opinions in U.S. does not permit those kinds of behaviour toward women. We came a long way, we are not arrived yet, I would not like to go back in time like this when.

G'day everyone,

I've been reading of the current political landscape in the US and I must admit it is troubling. In Australia we have looked up to the States since WW11 (before this Britain was our main military allegiance). I wasn't old enough for the furore over the Nixon resignation and associated difficulties. Since the early '80's I have never witnessed so much disgruntlement by Americans over their president; or vice-president for that matter. Recently someone on another site told me 'the system is a farce'!

Hints that socio-economic status of victims had a bearing on rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina can only be described as repugnant. To know your country is at war in other parts of the world and to be left in hell for days in your own country must have made the people of the Gulf Coast mad. Enough said of this sham.

One more thing quickly; these stories of Halliburton scoring lucrative contracts with the government of the US in Iraq and now even on the Gulf Coast only show how bent and twisted politicians and big business of all lands are. They work hand in glove with their smiles, their fucked up smiles. Don't believe a word of it!

Hi Boss ~

I was coming back to add in something I left out, and your post makes it even more important ~ so now it's a 'bit of' a 'correction,' as well. When I mentioned Halliburton, it was not because they were included on the list ~ but to simply draw a likeness to it. They were not mentioned on the list. However, what I forgot to include was that those on the list were large contributors to Bush's political campaign[s]. Big business, twisted politicians, and another lie to these needy people, those many who have nothing left but their ability to labour, to do a job.

Yes, there is a lot of disgruntlement. It's also been asked would it have gone the way it did if this had happened in Silicon Valley; Austin, Texas; etc. The question is a rhetorical one. Repugnant is right.


Tchoc ~ Exactly, the fate of one alone is every bit as important as the fates of ones in a group. I compare us in the way of those abominable acts and I wonder are we really trying in vain to compare apples and oranges; or, are they actually different varieties of apples, different varieties of oranges. None of it is acceptable.

What I've heard now is that for the fourth year in a row, the U.S. is not contributing to some kind of 'World Family Fund' [not the correct name] for funding of birth control because [reportedly] China [who is part of it] forces women to have abortions. When the purpose of the fund is to alleviate the need for abortions, it seems we [the U.S.] just so often lose the plot. Congress approved some huge-amount-impossible-to-relate-to-anyway like $34 million, but this time gave Bush the right to veto, which he did.

This is without counting all the tragedies that go unoticed because they don't happen in "fashionable" countries or part of a country.

Exactly, and presumably "fashionable" includes "oil-rich." If I can find the exact wording on these two pieces of news, I'll bring them here.

I know how reading or hearing about that young woman takes your mind straight into her living room, and what you see is impossible to believe. How wrong can wrong get?

~ Lizzy

Vince, that was truly stunning. You have my utmost admiration. Lovely.

Linda.

Dear Lizzy,

It wouldn't have mattered if Halliburton didn't get a contract on the Gulf Coast. They are a powerful multi-national and many such organisations oppress those they assume they're 'liberating'. Who pays for all of Levis' jeans? The petrol from Exxon? The Pepsi Cola we all drink? Who pays? We do! These bastards smile so innocently, so politely to a blinded world. And have you ever wondered where these profits go? To the company high-rollers who build their fortunes, their private jets and their predictable lives. This is all very basic stuff but I think oft forgotten.

In peace

Boss

Oh, Boss, please don't think that because I didn't spell out what you just have that I'm not aware of it . You're definitely right that greed, power, and control are the driving forces at 'the people' 's expense . I just didn't want to call names wrongly. Halliburton has for many become the symbol for what I was saying, and what you spelled out. I just needed to correct that it wasn't actually on the list. Shell Oil Company was, however. Fine that oil can deal with oil in repairing fineries, etc. But, when local truckers go to find work and learn that the jobs have already been given out to Bush-supporting California [etc. other states] companies and corporations, that's a problem. Particularly, immediately following a photo-/speech-op on TV filled with promises to the locals, those without homes and jobs.

~ Lizzy