BORROWED TIME

BORROWED TIME

IN CLASSICAL ROMAN

AND GRECIAN TIMES

THEY BELIEVED

IN THREE GODS NAMED

THE FATES

A TRIO OF SISTERS

WHO WERE CHARGED

WITH THE THREAD OF LIFE

ONE

CLOTHO WAS THE SPINNER OF THE THREAD

ONE

LACHESIS WAS THE MEASURER OF THE THREAD

ONE

ATROPOS CUTS THE THREAD TO AN APPOINTED LENGTH

THERE WAS NO APPEAL

IN JAPAN

THE CHARACTER FOR THE WORDS THE END

AS FOUND IN MOVIES AND BOOKS

IS MADE UP OF TWO CHARACTERS

ONE IS A HOUSE IN WINTER

WITH ICICLES ON THE ROOF

ONE IS AN EMPTY THREAD SPOOL

TOGETHER

IN POETIC EASTERN IMAGERY

IT MEANS

THE WINTER OF THE THREAD

THE END

IT IS FINISHED

YOU’RE LIVING ON BORROWEED TIME

THE DOCTOR SAID

YOU’RE LIVING ON BORROWED TIME

THE MEDICINE IS KEEPING YOU ALIVE

ODD SAYING

IS THERE A BANK

WHERE HE CAN BORROW TIME

PERHAPS FROM RELATIVES WHO DIED UNTIMELY

OR VICTIMS OF WAR RIPPED UNTIMELY

OR FROM CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN

NEVER TO LAUGH BUT DIE EARLY

THE SAYING DOESN’T HOLD UP

TIME NOT USED IS TIME GONE

IN ANCIENT EGYPT

ENTRANCE INTO PARADISE

WAS BASED ON WHETHER YOUR HEART

PLACED ON A SCALE AGAINST A FEATHER

WEIGHED LESS THAN THE FEATHER

BEFORE THE WEIGHING

THE SUPPLICANT

JUSTIFIED HIMSELF

WITH THESE WORDS

1.    I have not done iniquity.

2.    I have not robbed with violence.

3.    I have not stolen.

4.    I have done no murder; I have done no harm.

5.    I have not defrauded offerings.

6.    I have not diminished obligations.

7.    I have not plundered the neteru (gods).

8.    I have not spoken lies.

9.    I have not uttered evil words.

10.I have not caused pain.

11.I have not committed fornication.

12.I have not caused shedding of tears.

13.I have not dealt deceitfully.

14.I have not transgressed.

15.I have not acted guilefully.

16.I have not laid waste the ploughed land.

17.I have not been an eavesdropper.

18.I have not set my lips in motion (against any man).

19.I have not been angry and wrathful except for a just cause.

20.I have not defiled the wife of any man.

21.I have not been a man of anger.

22.I have not polluted myself.

23.I have not caused terror.

24.I have not burned with rage.

25.I have not stopped my ears against the words of Right and Truth. (Ma-at)

26.I have not worked grief.

27.I have not acted with insolence.

28.I have not stirred up strife.

29.I have not judged hastily.

30.I have not sought for distinctions.

31.I have not multiplied words exceedingly.

32.I have not done neither harm nor ill.

33.I have not cursed the King. (i.e. violation of laws)

34.I have not fouled the water.

35.I have not spoken scornfully.

36.I have never cursed the neteru (gods).

37.I have not stolen.

38.I have not defrauded the offerings of the neteru (gods).

39.I have not plundered the offerings of the blessed dead.

40.I have not filched the food of the infant.

41.I have not sinned against the neter (god) of my native town.

42.I have not slaughtered with evil intent the cattle of the neter (god).

SURPRISINGLY LIKE A CHRISTIAN PRAYER

IS HIS HEART LIGHTER THAN A FEATHER

WITH FORGIVENESS FROM GOD

HE KNOWS IT IS

BUT LOOKING BACK

HE KNOWS THAT MANY OF HIS DAYS

WERE NOT ADMIRABLE

BUT THEY ARE FROZEN IN TIME

IMMUTABLE

BUT FORGIVENESS HAS A PRICE

CHANGE

MAKE THE REST OF HIS DAYS BE BETTER

THAN WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE

GOD WILL SMILE AT HIS EFFORTS

AND HIS HEART WILL SOAR

FRANK A VOLLMER

MY GARDEN

WINTER HAS TOUCHED MY GARDEN

SOME HAVE DIED

SOME ARE DYING

THOSE THAT LIKE WINTER THRIVE

LIKE TRUTHS THAT NEVER CHANGE

WHILE SOME HAVE MANY RESURRECTIONS

OTHER HAVE A BUTTERFLIES FLIGHT

AND DIE

MOST OF US ARE LIKE THE MIDDLE CHILD

LIKE PAUL WE KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO

BUT DON’T DO IT

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

POOR PERFORMANCE

BUT I WAS TALKING ABOUT MY GARDEN

IT’S GOOD TO GIVE IT A SABBATH REST

IT IS GOOD TO KEEP THE SABBATH HOLY

IT IS BETTER TO HAVE IT THE CLIMAX OF A HOLY WEEK

HOW MANY FACES OF FLOWERS

IN MY GARDEN

EACH ONE A UNIQUE CREATION

HOW MANY FACES OF PEOPLE

IN GOD’S GARDEN

EACH A UNIQUE CREATION

SOON SNOW WILL FALL

MY GARDEN WILL SLEEP UNDER A BLANKET

PEACEFUL

GOD GIVE PEACE TO YOUR GARDEN

BUT AS YOUR ASSISTANT

I MUST TEND THE GARDEN

SUMMER AND WINTER

SO THAT IN SPRING

WHEN THE WARMING

GENTLE BREEZE BLOWS

MY GARDEN MAY GROW

MAY THE PERFUME OF THE GARDEN

RISE

LIKE INCENSE BEFORE YOU

MAY MEN SEE THE BEAUTY OF THE GARDEN

AND LIVE ACCORDINGLY

FRANK A VOLLMER

BABI YAR

THEY RAN TO THE RAVINE

TO STAND AMONG THE DEAD

WHICH THEY SOON JOINED

IF THEY LOOKED UP

THEY ONLY SAW HATEFUL FACES

IF THEY COULD HEAR

ABOVE THE WAILING

THEY HEARD CHRIST KILLERS

AND OTHER NON CHURCH LIKE SAYINGS

THEY HAD BEEN TAUGHT

THAT JEWS WERE CHRIST KILLERS

THEY LIVED OUT THEIR FAITH

THEY FELT JUSTIFIED

SO THAT GROUP AFTER GROUP

OF CHRISTS WERE SLAUGHTERED

YOUNG

OLD

MALE

FEMALE

IT DIDN’T MATTER

THEY FELT LIKE

 THEY WERE EXTERMINATING

 BUGS

SO THEY KILLED BOTH LARVA

AND MATURE INSECTS

THEY FELT LIKE

THEY WERE EXTERMINATING

THINGS

 THAT HAD NO RIGHT TO EXIST

THEN THEY SAT IN CHURCH

HEARING THE SERMON

LITTLE CHILDREN

LOVE ON ANOTHER

I WONDER

IF THEY CALLED TO MIND

A MISQUOTE OF JEREMIAH

IF ONLY

THEY HAD KILLED ME

 WHILE I WAS IN THE WOMB

THEN MY MOTHER

WOULD HAVE BEEN MY GRAVE

SHE WOULD ALWAYS

HAVE BEEN WITH CHILD

WE ARE ALL GUILTY OF IT

JUDGING PEOPLE LESS THAN WE ARE

BE IT WEALTH

KNOWLEDGE

RACE

FAITH

ANYTHING WHICH MAKES THEM DIFFERENT FROM US

BUT CHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE OTHER

WE ARE ALL SUBSERVIENT TO HIM

HIS WORDS ARE

CLOSE UP BABI YAR

LET THE GRASS GROW

NEVER DO IT AGAIN

FRANK A VOLLMER

OY VEY

I THINK I READ IT SOMEWHERE

BUT I CAN’T REMEMBER WHERE

I’VE CHECKED THE RESEARCH BOOKS

AND CANNOT FIND IT

THE THOUGHT THAT ASPERGES

AND ASPARAGUS

ARE LINKED

OY VEY

ASPERGES

AS IN ASPERGES ME

THE NAME OF A BLESSING RITE

WHERE THE FAITHFUL ARE SPRINKLED    

WITH WATER

AS A SIGN OF THEIR BAPTISM

WHILE THE WORDS FROM PSALM 50:9

OR PSALM 51:7

ARE SAID

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

 AND I SHALL BE CLEAN

 WASH ME

AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW

THE JEWS AND THE CATHOLICS

HAVE PSALM 50

PROTESTANTS HAVE PSALM 51

OY VEY

THE HISTORY OF THE WORD ASPARAGUS

GOES FROM MIDDLE LATIN

TO GREEK

TO PERSIAN

WITH THE BASIC MEANING

OF SHOOT OR STEM

DESCRIBING ITS GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS

BUT IT’S ITS MEDICINAL QUALITIES

THAT INTEREST US

IT IS BOTH A DIURETIC

BLOOD CLEANSER

LAXATIVE

IT CLEANSED THE BODY OF IMPURITIES

HYSSOP MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE

WAS A CLEANSING AGENT

USED TO CLEANSE THE TEMPLE

AND HOMES

IT WAS ALSO USED AS A PURGATIVE

IN THE MIGRATION OF WORDS

FROM CULTURE TO CULTURE

A NAME OFTEN CARRIES WITH IT

NO ONLY A NAME OF A THING

BUT ALSO ITS ACTIONS

SO WHEN THE AUTHOR OF PS 50(51)

CRIES OUT IN REMORSE

HE USES CONCEPTS

CURRENT IN HIS TIME

HE ASKS FOR A DIURETIC

BLOOD CLEANSER

LAXATIVE

THIS IS NOT A GOD TEA PARTY EXPERIENCE

BUT A GUT WRENCHING CRY OF SORROW

HE SAYS IN THE KJV

WHICH THE JEWS FIND CLOSER TO THE HEBREW BIBLE

HE SAYS

⁶BEHOLD

 THOU DESIREST TRUTH

 IN THE INWARD PARTS

AND IN THE HIDDEN PART

 THOU SHALT MAKE ME

TO KNOW WISDOM.

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

AND I SHALL BE CLEAN:

WASH ME,

AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW

THE WORD FOR WASHING

IS THE SAME AS USED FOR CLOTHING

WHICH WERE CLEANED USING STONES

THE SINNER WANTS THE EXTERIOR MAN

PUNISHED FOR HIS SINS

HE ALSO WANTS THE INTERIOR MAN PURGED

SO WHEN JEROME

TRANSLATED THE BIBLE

INTO COMMON LATIN

NOT THE LANGUAGE OF SCHOLARS

BUT THE PLEBIAN CLASS

HE USED COMMON IMAGERY

SO WHEN HE SAID

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

HE ENCOMPASSED ALL I’VE MENTIONED ABOVE

SO HE TRANSLATED THE PSALM

AS SUCH

Asparges me hysopo et mundabor lavabis me et super nivem dealbabor

PURGE ME WITH HYSSOP

 AND I SHALL BE CLEAN

 WASH ME

AND I SHALL BE WHITER THAN SNOW

FRANK A VOLLMER