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Please take the time to read and enjoy my poetry! It is my ongoing project and I am looking forward to translating my poems into Turkish, Portuguese, and French. JFB
Permanence and Small Change: A Meditation
Prologue: With assistance from our friend Maliha Imami, we learned that this coin was minted in Calcutta/Kolkata in the 37th Year of the...
hcdjfb
Feb 20, 20232 min read
The Critics Were (Somewhat) Right. Thank Your Critics For Making You Think
The critics were (somewhat) right, And (now) so am I. When I take who I was And see who I am, I think back to how affronted or hurt I was...
JF Bierlein
Feb 16, 20232 min read
Beautify Your Day: Breathe, relax and listen: The Butterfly Lovers Erhu Concerto 《梁祝》
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5XohUR3Pg Skip the adds.The whole piece takes about 27 minutes, but even 5 minutes of it is beautiful,...
JF Bierlein
Feb 16, 20231 min read
The Coin of Kindness II
I published "The Coin of Kindness" at the beginning of this year. The events of the year have led me to revisit it, add to it, and...
JF Bierlein
Feb 16, 20231 min read
A New Season: The Spring in my Step.
I wrote a version of this some time ago, but with the coming of spring, I wanted to revise it. I also read a poem by the Turkish poet...
JF Bierlein
Feb 15, 20232 min read
Affection: Happy Valentine's Day!
An oldie but a goodie. What is love and what is affection? It is amazing! If you take a genuine interest in someone else’s life They...
hcdjfb
Feb 14, 20231 min read
Beautify Your Day: "Song to the Moon" from the opera Rusalka by Antonin Dvorak
Take a minute to relax, breathe, close your eyes and listen to this exceptional piece of music. (You may click to skip the advertisements...
hcdjfb
Feb 13, 20231 min read
What does it matter to me?
“If you feel pain, you are alive. If you feel another’s pain, you are human.” Leo Tolstoy What does it matter to me when there is a war...
JF Bierlein
Feb 11, 20232 min read
Moving. Still. Still Moving.
The earth moves around the sun at 30 kilometers per second. That’s 67,000 miles per hour. The earth rotates on its axis at 1600...
JF Bierlein
Feb 9, 20231 min read
Dormant
I planted some grapes and was warned That they look dead but are merely dormant. Sure enough, beneath that appearance, I nicked a vine...
JF Bierlein
Feb 7, 20231 min read
Weaving A Life
The weaving of threads intrigues me. I was mesmerized watching carpets go from silk pods To intricate geometries in a workshop in Turkey....
JF Bierlein
Feb 6, 20232 min read
What you do is you.
I was reflecting on legalism, Mysticism, and humanity Religion and irreligion And what is sacred In the secular context, Tiptoeing around...
JF Bierlein
Feb 5, 20231 min read
Umami Mushroom Sauce Recipe-International Umami Day (my personal invented holiday).
Umami Mushroom Sauce --Thank you Dr. Ikeda. It is said that there are five basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami, which is...
hcdjfb
Feb 2, 20232 min read
The Light Under the Door: A Bilingual Turkish and English Piece/Kapının Altındaki Işık -- İki Dilli
I wrote this in both English and Turkish and had a good day. Seda, my Turkish "daughter" had to fix only two of my Turkish lines :) Bunu...
JF Bierlein
Feb 1, 20231 min read
The Learning Curve
I believe that if you were to plot the trajectory of one’s life, Particularly of a good and blessed life, such as the one with which I...
JF Bierlein
Jan 31, 20231 min read
Time, Peace, Timepiece Part Two.
Ironic concept—I never have enough time to work on my timepieces. They keep time, but I can’t keep time in my hand. I have been working...
hcdjfb
Jan 29, 20232 min read
Relax and breathe. Music for a quiet, rainy Sunday: Eric Satie's Gymnopedies
It is Sunday, gray and rainy. I have some hot tea. My wife and the cat are napping. It is a beautiful moment to stop and breathe. The...
hcdjfb
Jan 29, 20231 min read
Another Recipe: Long Island "It Tastes Good on Everything" Sauce.
A friend of mine from Long Island, NY claimed that this sauce was good on everything, and served me a steak basted with it, shrimp basted...
JF Bierlein
Jan 28, 20231 min read
My Lobster/Shrimp Cheese Souffle Recipe: A Decadent Cholesterol Fiesta! (And a Gluten-Free Version)
This is an old family recipe, only because I am old and have a family. As I have pointed out, souffles and their cooking teach us life...
JF Bierlein
Jan 28, 20235 min read
My Favorite Smile This Week.
The Institute for Incomplete Statistics says that two out of three.
hcdjfb
Jan 27, 20231 min read
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