• Albert Einstein

    The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.

  • G K Chesterton

    Before the time of Shakespeare men had grown used to the Ptolemaic astronomy, and since the time of Shakespeare men have grown used to the Copernican astronomy. But poets have never grown used to the stars; and it is their business to prevent anybody else ever growing used to them. And any man who reads for the first time the words, “Night’s candles are burnt out”, catches his breath.

  • Wendy Cope

    Two Cures for Love
    1) Don’t see him. Don’t phone or write a letter.
    2) The easy way: get to know him better.

  • Sophie Hannah

    commissioned by O2 as a romantic txt poem.

    Blank spaces count as characters. It’s true.
    I wasn’t sure. And then I thought of you.

  • C S Lewis

    Disobedience to conscience is voluntary; bad poetry, on the other hand, is usually not made on purpose.

  • Ogden Nash

    One rule which woe betides the banker who fails to heed it …
    Never lend any money to anybody unless they don’t need it.

  • T E Lawrence

    Lady on a hot day in Cairo: “Ninety-two this morning, Colonel Lawrence! Ninety-two. What do you say to that?”

    T E Lawrence: “Many happy returns of the day”

  • W B Yeats

    Sailing to Byzantium

    That is no country for old men. The young
    In one another’s arms, birds in the trees
    – Those dying generations – at their song,
    The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
    Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
    Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
    Caught in that sensual music all neglect
    Monuments of unageing intellect.

    An aged man is but a paltry thing,
    A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
    Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
    For every tatter in its mortal dress,
    Nor is there singing school but studying
    Monuments of its own magnificence;
    And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
    To the holy city of Byzantium.

    O sages standing in God’s holy fire
    As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
    Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
    And be the singing-masters of my soul.
    Consume my heart away; sick with desire
    And fastened to a dying animal
    It knows not what it is; and gather me
    Into the artifice of eternity.

    Once out of nature I shall never take
    My bodily form from any natural thing,
    But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
    Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
    To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
    Or set upon a golden bough to sing
    To lords and ladies of Byzantium
    Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

  • Frank Sidgwick

    The Aeronaut to his Lady

    I
    Through
    Blue
    Sky
    Fly
    To
    You.
    Why ?

    Sweet
    Love,
    Feet
    Move
    So
    Slow !

    a sonnet with only 14 words

    original post incorrectly attributed to Frank’s brother Hugh

  • Henrik Ibsen

    You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and liberty.

  • Stephen Fry

    It is a cliche that most cliches are true, but then, like most cliches, that cliche is untrue

  • Arthur Symons

    You Remain

    As a perfume doth remain
    In the folds where it hath lain,
    So the thought of you, remaining
    Deeply folded in my brain,
    Will not leave me; all things leave me;
    You remain.

    Other thoughts may come and go
    Other moments I may know,
    That shall waft me, in their going
    As a breath blown to and fro;
    Fragrant memories, fragrant memories
    Come and Go.

    Only thoughts of you remain
    In my heart where they have lain-
    Perfumed thoughts of you, remaining
    A hid sweetness, in my brain.
    Others leave me; all things leave me;
    You remain.

  • Shelley Berman

    A hotel correspondence.

    Dear Maid,

    Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.

    Thank you,

    S. Berman
    —–

    Dear Room 635,

    I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily.

    I hope this is satisfactory.

    Kathy, Relief Maid
    —–

    Dear Maid (I hope you are my regular maid),

    Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Dial so I won’t need those 6 little Camays which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc.

    Please remove them.

    S. Berman
    —–

    Dear Mr. Berman,

    My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience.

    I didn’t remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can of further assistance.

    Your regular maid,

    Dotty
    —–

    Dear Mr. Berman,

    The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this A.M. that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM. Thank you.

    Elaine Carmen,
    Housekeeper
    —–

    Dear Miss Carmen,

    It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 745 AM and don’t get back before 530 or 6PM. That’s the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?

    S. Berman
    —–

    Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM. Thank you,
    Elaine Carmen,

    Housekeeper
    —–

    Dear Mr. Kensedder,

    My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.
    S. Berman
    —–

    Dear Mr. Berman,

    I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.

    Martin L. Kensedder
    Assistant Manager
    —–

    Dear Mrs. Carmen,

    Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don’t want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Dial. Do you realize I have 54 bars of soap in here. All I want is my bath size Dial.

    Please give me back my bath-size Dial.

    S. Berman
    —–

    Dear Mr. Berman,

    You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed. Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily (sic). I don’t know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays.

    I don’t know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Dial. I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory which I left in your room.

    Elaine Carmen
    Housekeeper
    —–

    Dear Mrs. Carmen,

    Just a short note to bring you up to date on my latest soap inventory. As of today I possess:
    – On shelf under medicine cabinet – 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.
    – On Kleenex dispenser – 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.
    – On bedroom dresser – 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet, 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4.
    – Inside medicine cabinet – 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.
    – In shower soap dish – 6 Camay, very moist.
    – On northeast corner of tub – 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.
    – On northwest corner of tub – 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.
    Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries. One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further misunderstandings.

    S. Berman