Letters Of Marque

 

Letters Of Marque

That is 'privateers'

In other words

Pirates

Sanctioned by

Governments to

Raid and capture, or

Sink enemy

Commercial entities 

Ships, stores, and such

Their frequent symbol

The Jolly Roger

Crossed bones with

A grinning skull atop

Even though letters of marque

Officially faded away 

In the mid nineteenth century 

Modern 'privateers'

That is pirates

Still ply their trade

But they are now called

Hedge fund managers

I'm waiting for them

To use the traditional symbol 

With the skull grinnning

Back at you...

--LE - 7/28/25

Stock internet photo...

Tui Shou

Tui Shou

When practicing push hands

I let my hand textures morph

Through soft and 'sticky' to limp to

Letting my hand-blades spring out

Like claws from

Cat's paws for the 

Decisive bloodless cut

My center and blades

Flowing and dominating

The swirling currents

Of my body's space/time

Embrace

--LE - 7/26

Mesquite-dreams

 

ancient Mesquites lean dangerously 

over the path as if whispering to

younger ones on the other side

some copses remind me

of groups of people lounging

under bushy ramadas

gossiping in low tones

‘look at those untethered ones’

‘they don't seem to know that

everything comes to those who wait

those rooted in place’

some remind me of leggy

spindly visions of

broccoli florets 

–LE - 7/26

Mesquite-dreams - Ink'n brush and watercolor pencils in watercolor sketchbook - 8x5"

Save Our VA Tucson Protest 7/10/26

Three of us anchored the picket line at the Tucson VA's Ajo gate from 6:30-8:15am for the morning shift change.

Responses were similar to last few weeks, 75-85%. Only one obvious negative today... the guy with flicked middle finger... We just laughed and waved... probably just made him angrier... oh well...

The morning was cloudy, which is novel... at least this week. So what sunshine beat down on us was 'hazy'... But it was still hot, and I was sweating by the time we headed home.

Early July Morning Ride

 Rode out under a cloudless sky

Again 

Forecast is for blazing heat

Again (yet?)

Long shadows across the path

Strobelighting as we pass

Quiet morning 

But light traffic sounds in the distance

And on the path

No resistance 

Only a couple of leisure riders

And walkers encountered this trip

A skink and a single Roadrunner 

Dithered as we passed

Back home after

An hour and a half

Catrike ‘stabled’

Until the next time

–LE - 7/9/26

Save Our VA Tucson Protest - 6/26/26

(Wow, a 'full house', twos and sixes)

Only two of us anchored the picket line at the Ajo entrance to the VA for the morning shift change. We were there from 6:30-8:15am.

Responses were similar to previous weeks, 75-85%, with only one undeniable negative, a steady thumb down.

We are entering ‘high summer’ in Tucson. Temperatures are approaching ‘blastfurnace’ intensity, even in our post-sunrise protesting… thus, my frequent standing in the shade of that signature saguaro outside the gate.

–LE -  6/26/26

Late June Tuesday Morning Ride

cloudless 

electric blue 

dome overhead

long shadows

east to west

large skinks

sunning themselves

on the path

crickets

fiddling their

mating songs

in the shade

riverside brush

and trees

mountains

north, east, and south

just suggestions 

in the blue haze

of distance

while those

in the west

seem more like

carnivore fangs

bright

sharp

gleaming 

only a couple of

walkers

and

bikies

out

in the 

early morning sun

an hour and a half

fifteen miles

behind us

when 

at last

home

–LE - 6/23/26