The Loveliest Sad Poem Ever!

                                                                                               Gustav Klimt- The Kiss

"For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation."                                                                                  -Rainer Maria Rilke

Veinte poemas de amor y una
canción desesperada 

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.

Escribir, por ejemplo: "La noche está estrellada,
y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos".

El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta.

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso.

En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos.
La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.

Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería.
Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos.

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido.

Oir la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella.
Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.

Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla.
La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo.

Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos.
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.

Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca.
Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo.

La misma noche que hace blanquear los mismos árboles.
Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos.

Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise.
Mi voz buscaba el viento para tocar su oído.

De otro. Será de otro. Como antes de mis besos.
Su voz, su cuerpo claro. Sus ojos infinitos.

Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez la quiero.
Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.

Porque en noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos,
mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.

Aunque éste sea el último dolor que ella me causa,
y éstos sean los últimos versos que yo le escribo. 

(English Translation)

Twenty Love Poems and a
Song of Despair

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.

Write for example, 'The night is shattered
and the blue stars shiver in the distance.'

The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.

Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.

Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.

To hear immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to a pasture.

What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.

This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.

The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.

Another's. She will be another's. Like my kisses before.
Her voice. Her bright body. Her infinite eyes.

I no longer love her, that's certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is short, forgetting is so long.

Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.

Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.

   

Anniversary Tribute

                      

“Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.”                    ~Denis Diderot

 

 

He came from a humble beginning. He was born and raised in the blue-collar city of Flint, Michigan. His father was a General Motors worker and his mother, a stay home mom. He had an older brother and an older sister. He was the youngest of the brood. They lived in a subdivision in a cookie cutter bungalow of the 1960’s.

 

 He remembers a lot of the good times he had as a child. Halloween is his favorite holiday. He often reminisces about the days when he would trick or treat in his neighborhood and his family went all out decorating the home like a haunted house. He smiles when he thinks about the summer days he spent swimming in the creek at his grandparents’ property in Tawas, Michigan and swimming in their above ground pool in their backyard. He has that amazing glow when he recounts stories about his youthful adventures with his childhood friends.   

 

He also remembers the time when his parents divorced when he was twelve. How his world came  crashing down when he came home from school and his mother was not there. He searched for his mother and found her at an Aunt’s home and was told to go home to his father because his mother did not have the resources to raise him. His heart still breaks when he recalls the humiliation and anger he felt when he saw intact families going about their business in their neighborhood when his was torn apart.

 

He recollects his high school days. These days were blurry and full of angst. He did not want to be there. He just wanted to get it over and done with so he can take a factory job. He did not think he was a college material. He was resigned to living a blue-collar existence.  Men in his city were proud and hardworking: they made decent amount of money to buy homes and keep their families fed. That was all he aspired for.

 

Fast forward to what he had accomplished and who he became. He traveled all over the world. He got a college degree. He wears suit to work.  He loves what he does for a living. He has an intact family of his own. He has been married for twenty something years. He sends his children to the best schools he could afford and dreams of seeing them lead happy and productive lives in the future. He plans on taking courses to get a graduate degree.  He is dreaming of retiring in style on acreages with a creek and a cottage like his grandparents had. 

 

He does everything with enthusiasm or not at all.  His passion sets him on fire to achieve.  He attributes much of his success to his wife. Truth to be known, his glory is all his. He is who he is because he is a passionate man.     

Funny Stuff

  What do elementary age children say about Moms?  

Why did God make mothers?
 1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
 2. Mostly to clean the house.
 3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

 How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

  What ingredients are mothers made of?
 1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in
 the world and one dab of mean.
 2. They had to get their start from men's bones.Then they mostly use string, I think.

 Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.    

What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chore?

Why did your Mom marry your Dad?
1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.  

 Who's the boss at your house ?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

  What's the difference between Moms and Dads?
1. Moms work at work & work at home. Dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

 What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

 What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

 If you could change one thing about your Mom, what
 would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
 2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
 3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back.

Look, our swimming pool is not a water-filled-truck-bed!!!

The house deal seems to be going too slow. Our new closing date is April 14th. The appraiser is yet to come because the seller has not replaced the pool liner and cleaned the hot tub as promised. The loan officer suggested that the pool and hot tub be put in working condition before the appraiser's visit to maximize the home's value. Hopefully, the seller will take care of  it this week. 

                                   

My son's band played at the local cafe last Friday. It was their first show. A week before the show, the drummer and the bassist decided to resign. My son and the remaining member found two guys to replace them but they did not have time to get together to practice. They mostly teleconferenced for a couple of days before the show. The night of the show, they were all nervous, one of the guys' instrument was not tuned,  the rhythm guitarist had to play drums, one of their amp was reverberating, and some of those in the audience want hardcore music. Poor kids! The first three songs were not so good but they did a decent job toward the end. My son was embarassed but we told him that there will be another time for him to redeem himself as a good musician. He was surprised because the manager of the cafe paid them. They were not expecting to be paid. They were doing it to gain stage experience and learn the intricacies of live shows. He said the manager said that they had enough paying audience in the show that he had the money to pay them. We told him to keep the money and frame it. It's his first earnings as a musician!  The cafe manager also invited them to come back for another show so they are  practicing with two new members to get ready for their next live performance.      

My heart goes to some of our fellow bloggers. Some had been having health/personal problems and others have lost loved ones. I want to respect their privacy so I will not drop names but I want to ask everybody to please say aprayer ( light a candle or do whatever you are comfortable with) to alleviate their pains and sufferings.   

 

The Humble Abode

This is the pic of the house that we are buying. It is not ours yet   but we're almost there. It needs landscaping and some remodeling but it has a great layout and a very quiet location.   

Happy V-Day!

                                       Happy V-Day to Everyone!

 

Hubby is in Key West. I am suppose to fly there this weekend to spend some time with him. Well, I begged off because of  the homebuying decisions and errands. Hubby just called and he is flying home tomorrow! Nothing and nobody can make me hate V-Day now! He said he is handcarrying my gift. Of course it's no surprise what I get because I get them every year. Look at the pic in this entry and take a wild guess.  Listen to me brag like a teenage girl! Yes, you can hate me but I'll still laugh and skip around like a maniac.

On the homebuying front: We applied for the mortgage funding and we were told that the pre-approval should be ready by tomorrow. The appraiser should have her report for the mortgage/value ratio by the end of the week. We have the inspection appointment and all the mortgage insurance research done. Everything seems to fall in place so we should be able to close within the target date.

My son got a part in the production of Huckleberry Finn. He is George Mathers. He was told he was not right for the Huck or Tom part because he looks mature and he's too tall. He's a 15 year old who towers over everyone in our family. He'll have rehearsals for two months and two weeks of shows. He is also part of a band, Last Runner Up. He plays guitar, bass and keyboard and sings. His band is playing at a local cafe on February 17th.

I swear I'm getting rid of the all the bragging in my system in this entry. Next time, I'll be more decent. 

Lastly, I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! May the loves of your  life show you how much they love and appreciate you not only tomorrow but everyday.   

I owe, I owe

The offer-counter offer phase is over. Our counter offer had been accepted and the provisions for repairs had been ironed out. We are on our way to being homeowners again!

 

The next move is to hire an inspector, get the mortgage funded, and shop for insurance. I called our bank this morning and a mortgage loan officer will be sitting with me tomorrow so he can explain the differences in the three mortgage programs they currently have. I have a list of local inspectors and mortgage insurance agents I can call tomorrow after the mortgage-funding meeting.  I am getting so good at this!  Maybe I can parlay these skills into a paying job. LOL. 

 

I was doing our taxes this morning and when I got the news, I abandoned the exciting world of hunting for deductions and embarked on a new and fascinating adventure in the homeownership realm. This might not sound exciting to a lot of people but it does not take a lot to excite me. Anything that requires using my brain cells tickles me pink. Throw in some numbers and negotiations in the mix and I am putty in your hands.

 

One thing I learned from all of this is: if you are buying a home, hire a buyer’s agent.  We did not do this with our first home. We found a home, talked to the seller’s agent who had the listing and negotiated through her. Only in retrospect that we realized that she was the seller’s advocate and so she did everything to get as much from us and she did not have to split her commission with anyone. Hiring a buyer’s agent does not cost you money because the seller has to compensate him/her for her services through the funding proceeds. The way it works is if the agent sold you her listing, she’ll get the whole 6% commission but she only gets 3% if you have your own agent.

 

Hubby and I ticked off the seller’s agent because we hired a buyer’s agent after we asked her to view the house. I made it clear to her that we are going to do that during the showing but it did not really matter. She was ticked because she has to split her commission so I was told, “That was not nice of you to hire a buyer’s agent after I went out of my way to show you the house.” Duh! She’s the seller’s agent she has to show the home to any interested buyer. All I said was, “We are entitled to be represented by someone who does not owe her loyalty to the seller. We just felt that we can negotiate better if we hire someone to look primarily after our best interests.” 

 

At first, we thought the negotiations would not go well because the seller’s agent might dissuade the seller from selling to us or play hardball with the home price. I guess that worry is over now and there are other dragons to slay.

 

Bye for now. I need some time to do a happy dance!!!

New Home?

Just want to blab a bit because I am giddy. Giddy, yes, giddy. I've just signed on the dotted line for the biggest purchase I've made in my life. As most of you know, I've been living in an apartment because I sold our old home. For the longest, I've been waiting for the new construction contractor to sit with me and hubby to finalize the sale of a home in a new subdivision. The contractor had been stalling and I am under the impression that he is waiting for the lot and the home to appreciate since there had been a runaway appreciation of real estate property in our hometown since the Ivan and Dennis double whammy.

I got the deposit back from the new construction contractor because the APR is on the rise and the properties are appreciating.  We're missing the real estate property appreciation train because we can not lock the APR and the price of the new home. Pretty much, from what we see in the listings, the homes in that neighborhood doubled in price so we're concerned that by the time the contractor sits with us, we will not be able to afford the asking price.

To make this long story short, I put an offer on a pre-existing home today. Hubby and I found it a week ago and we came back this weekend to view it again. I hired a buyer's agent yesterday and he seems to be on the ball since he talked to me at length about the property then did the necessary research so we can come up with a contingency offer price. He met with me today to tour the property and discuss the pros/cons of putting in an offer. We then decided to make an offer.    

It's just an offer. It could be rejected. Nonetheless, I am happy at the prospect of having enough room for all our accumulated junk.      

Young Atlas

               

 

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark. In the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."

 Ayn Rand (1905-1982), Atlas Shrugged 

 

 

Poetry by Dee

                                   Young Atlas

 Independence is a yoke

A burden that has to be carried

Heave, my child, heave

For your dreams

For your wants

For your needs

 

They are not easy to achieve

But nothing is beyond your reach

 

Spin your world

Watch it revolve and evolve

With different sets of looking glass

Absorb all you can

Discover how you can

Learn what you can

 

 It is not easy to accomplish

But you have all the needed means

 

Suspend your fears

Fly high with your young wings!

 

 

*** Sorry guys! I can't seem to get the lay-out for this entry right so I had to edit it a few times. I apologize for the gazillion alerts generated by this entry.***