These 267 poems and 23 short stories and satires deal with subjects such as God, love, faith, nature, life, corruption (politics,) global warming, depression, marriage, adultery (no adultery was committed during the making of this book,) temptations, prayer, virtue, violence, computers, censoring, the soul, idolatry, paganism, substance abuse, vanity, food, fidelity, fame, family, piracy, stupidity, pollution, oil, Darwinism, the quagmire of our war in Iraq, religious tolerance, racism, and such. Then, there are several stories written purely for entertainment, often with twisted endings.
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http://www.amazon.com/Dementia-Iyan-Igma-Condensed-Abridged/dp/1442102721/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246644285&sr=1-3
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The Dementia Of Iyan Igma
1.
2. The Dementia
of
Iyan Igma
Condensed and Abridged Version
3. Copyright 2007 by Iyan Igma
Condensed and Abridged: 2nd Edition, Hardback
ISBN: 1442102721
Published by Iyan Igma via CreateSpace.com in Scotts Valley,
CA.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution
NoncommercialNo Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/byncnd/3.0/us/
or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite
300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
In a nutshell, you are allowed to make copies and distribute it
as long as it is not altered or done for commercial use, and as
long as you give me credit. Consult the license for further details.
Please Note that this is a work of fiction. Any similarities to
actual events or people is coincidental, unless otherwise noted.
Iyan Igma can be contacted through one of the following ways:
●http://stores.lulu.com/iyanigma
●www.iyanigma.com
●http://www.createspace.com
4. Dedicated to sleep deprivation, depression, stress, and Grace
Buck—the four muses.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank God that this is finally through; my mom and sisters, who have
managed to be supportive of me, even after all those diapers so many years ago; my
grandmother for feeding me liver for a month; my granny, since I can't love anyone because
they can't cook like she did; my exwife who inspired me to work so hard just to spite her
for telling me that I'd never finish this; naval lint; Pat and Eugene, friends who have a
high enough pain threshold to have been able to read my writings for years (and actually
like a couple of things here and there); super glue; Coby, for bringing back the moptop,
destroying my selfesteem, and being willing to proofread this (though I wouldn't wish
that kind of torture on anyone); the Watts for their patience with me; 3H Lead; Mrs.
Buck for four years of encouraging me in English (in four different levels of classes, not
the same one over and over); Chris for not just being a teacher but a friend when I needed
one most, despite my foibles and sarcasm; Dihydrogen Monoxide; Katrine for not just
saving my life, but also for temporarily thinking that it was a life worth saving; Mildred
Barlow for being young at heart and full of love; out houses; my unfortunate victims in
Troop 400 for their examples, despite Kevin's prank which cries from the ground
demanding vengeance still; Linux Torvalds, et al, Ubuntu, Openoffice.org, Google Docs,
Gmail, Google Reader, Firefox, and the FSF for making this possible without destroying
too many trees; anosmia; Wikipedia for being allknowing like me; the thousands of books
that I have read in my life time, along with their authors; my hypothalamus; public
libraries; Cake, the late great George Harrison, the Beatles, Weird Al, and Rachmaninoff
for making life worthwhile; the EFF for sticking it to the man; the letter Z, as well as
ӁӴИЯѤ; Peyton, for putting me up to wearing mismatched socks for five years; Will,
well, he knows why; the many other people who have helped me throughout the years for
some ungodly reason; paranoid schizophrenia (and androids) and nearlife experiences;
you, for at least making it to page three against your better judgment; and last, but not
least, my patron saint, Travis King, who is one of the most Christlike people that I have
ever known, despite his protests to the contrary.
5. A Note To Any Who Should Be So Unfortunate As To Read
This Tome Of Depravity.
You will find that there is something for everybody and nothing for somebody here. The
audience for this work was the author and a few friends and family members. Not even all
of those friends and family members will like everything that is written. The reason?
There's a decent spectrum of materials, little of which is enjoyable. It begins with God and
religion, then touches on subjects such as meditations on life, government and politics,
general depression, sordid stories touching on magic and death, railings and rantings,
heartache and love (the same thing, right?), and senselessness. That's just in the poems. The
stories begin where the poems end. It begins with senseless fables and stories and drifts
somewhere out into a sea of dark, somber tales.
One of the intents of this book is to make it a candidate for being banned centuries from
now when it is discovered in the ruins of an ancient Persian library and finally has its
first reader. Ergo, the inclusion of some of the selections is explained. Having a book
banned is one of the great literary honors. By the way, if you happen to be one of those
who would ban it, just know that you fell for my ploy hook, line, and sinker.
Note: Some of these poems and stories are meant to be macabre. Really. I warned you.
PS: If you can't understand and appreciate sarcasm and satire, put this book down
immediately and back away slowly.
PPS: Consult your doctor before reading this book if you have health conditions that
prevent you from reading in two column format.
There are 267 poems, 63 of which are Haemophilic, 23 works of prose, and 138,774 words,
give or take one or two.
This condensed and abridged edition has fixed some minor errors, has changed the
typesetting to twocolumn format for the poetry section, has reduced the font size
considerably, has put Haemophilia in its own depressing section, has edited the about the
author that was once on page 666, and has made sure that one poem was edited, mainly
because the filler threw off the meter and sound.
6. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Assorted Dementia
Poetry........................................................................................................................14
Doloroso Espino.........................................................................................................................15
A Pile of Stones..........................................................................................................................17
Desalentado................................................................................................................................19
Collect.........................................................................................................................................21
Fidel Ossification.......................................................................................................................23
The Divine View.........................................................................................................................24
Thevoid.......................................................................................................................................25
Pieces of the Puzzle....................................................................................................................26
Clinging to Service......................................................................................................................28
The Sandbox of Eternities..........................................................................................................29
What gifts I should bring...........................................................................................................30
Soft Rebuke................................................................................................................................31
Linux the Divine........................................................................................................................33
Cliff Diving from Heaven...........................................................................................................34
President Hinckley......................................................................................................................36
Heavenly Mothers......................................................................................................................37
Chiasma......................................................................................................................................39
Quase Soneto Para a Amorenada................................................................................................40
Penelopean..................................................................................................................................41
Love's Autumnal Dimension......................................................................................................42
A Stranded Perpetuity................................................................................................................44
Aversion......................................................................................................................................45
Blossom of Divinity....................................................................................................................46
There Is a Peaceful River............................................................................................................47
Acción de Gracias.......................................................................................................................48
The Bonds That Make Us Free..................................................................................................49
Young Love's Mettle...................................................................................................................52
Helios..........................................................................................................................................53
Arco Iris......................................................................................................................................55
Thy Physiognomy........................................................................................................................56
Miniocrity...................................................................................................................................57
Cazándote...................................................................................................................................58
Metamorphosis...........................................................................................................................59
J'ai Faim.....................................................................................................................................60
Sentimental Ring........................................................................................................................61
A Customizable Love..................................................................................................................62
6
7. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
An Overview...............................................................................................................................63
Drizzly Birdbath........................................................................................................................65
Georgia on an Overcast Day.......................................................................................................66
No Echinoderms.........................................................................................................................68
Weeding Out My Life................................................................................................................70
Black Topsoil..............................................................................................................................71
Tortugas......................................................................................................................................72
Healthy Dosage of Paranoia.......................................................................................................73
Reverse Psychology.....................................................................................................................74
Timber.........................................................................................................................................75
Eyak...........................................................................................................................................76
Matryoshkas...............................................................................................................................78
An Obscure Dirt Road................................................................................................................79
Tierra Reseca...............................................................................................................................81
Local Warming...........................................................................................................................82
On the Bahamas.........................................................................................................................85
Little Tree...................................................................................................................................87
Our Plague..................................................................................................................................89
i Ospedali....................................................................................................................................90
Carcinogens.................................................................................................................................92
Crummy Old Pulmonary Disorder...............................................................................................93
Miss Nomer................................................................................................................................94
Seeping Warmth.........................................................................................................................96
Descortés Sin Pensar...................................................................................................................98
Die Radikal................................................................................................................................99
In Moments Negated................................................................................................................101
Subconsciously Suicidal............................................................................................................102
Any Awning.............................................................................................................................103
Tommy......................................................................................................................................105
Tan Orgulloso...........................................................................................................................106
Que Mueras En Tus Pecados....................................................................................................107
An IQ........................................................................................................................................108
Gosling Dander.........................................................................................................................109
On My Honor...........................................................................................................................110
Personnel Sacrifice....................................................................................................................111
Adverb 'tis munts......................................................................................................................113
On Pasternak's Zhivago...........................................................................................................115
127.0.0.1...................................................................................................................................116
Politicos....................................................................................................................................117
Strangling the FOIA................................................................................................................119
Biznicracia................................................................................................................................120
7
8. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Financial AIDS........................................................................................................................121
A Failed Putin..........................................................................................................................123
To Isakson and Chambliss........................................................................................................125
State Senator Sennacherib........................................................................................................127
Amero and Nohejl.....................................................................................................................131
On Chris Dodd..........................................................................................................................133
The Allure.................................................................................................................................138
¡No Me Digas!..........................................................................................................................140
Kosovo......................................................................................................................................141
On Dangerous Genetic Ground.................................................................................................143
Stalinist Act.............................................................................................................................145
Traspasando..............................................................................................................................148
Hemicracia................................................................................................................................149
Yellow Iraqi Ribbons................................................................................................................151
Final Responsibility..................................................................................................................153
Monroe Doctrine......................................................................................................................154
66..............................................................................................................................................155
It's the Human..........................................................................................................................157
In the Shadow of the Noose.....................................................................................................159
Castes and Races.......................................................................................................................164
Dorolatry..................................................................................................................................166
Thought Suppressant................................................................................................................169
Hey, Crusaders..........................................................................................................................171
Benchlukewarming...................................................................................................................174
Seditious Supplication..............................................................................................................176
Endorsements............................................................................................................................177
Lingua Franca..........................................................................................................................178
A Bad Tradition.......................................................................................................................179
Planning for Old Timer's...........................................................................................................180
Acetylcholine Overdose.............................................................................................................182
& 1 2 Grow On.........................................................................................................................183
Infantile Emulation.................................................................................................................185
Tending the Demon Child.........................................................................................................186
Serotonin Eternities..................................................................................................................187
Similar Phonemes......................................................................................................................188
Like Picking up Jordan.............................................................................................................189
Bambi Is Shure Good Eatin'.....................................................................................................190
Slap Yore Mamma Good...........................................................................................................192
Yore Vittles...............................................................................................................................193
Dairy Air..................................................................................................................................194
Public Sensitivity......................................................................................................................195
8
9. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Complex Braits.........................................................................................................................196
Embrace of Brotherhood...........................................................................................................197
The Food Cycle..........................................................................................................................198
Accounting Text.......................................................................................................................204
As The Paper Swirls Around....................................................................................................206
Deciphering Hieroglyphics........................................................................................................208
Sine Imperium...........................................................................................................................209
Pestered in Ruralia...................................................................................................................210
Terror Del Demora....................................................................................................................211
Wondering My Destruction.....................................................................................................212
Mocked by Flies........................................................................................................................213
Sublimation...............................................................................................................................215
Cauterized.................................................................................................................................216
Imanes......................................................................................................................................217
Which Part of Me Is Me?........................................................................................................218
Porquería...................................................................................................................................219
Death Like April Rain.............................................................................................................220
La Grande Rue.........................................................................................................................221
Avoidance.................................................................................................................................222
To My Mentor..........................................................................................................................223
Manna Alone............................................................................................................................225
NearLife Experience................................................................................................................226
Blue Boy...................................................................................................................................228
Dam Plans................................................................................................................................229
Since..........................................................................................................................................230
Touch........................................................................................................................................233
Good Intentions........................................................................................................................234
And Where Is Zelicah?.............................................................................................................236
Existence...................................................................................................................................241
La Mascara...............................................................................................................................243
Duma Distança........................................................................................................................244
A Quarter Century....................................................................................................................246
Opiniões....................................................................................................................................248
PostSecondary.........................................................................................................................249
Ma Queue.................................................................................................................................250
A Strange Thing Twice.............................................................................................................251
Falta de Gratitud.....................................................................................................................252
Too Verbose...............................................................................................................................253
Cognizant.................................................................................................................................255
The Green Zone.........................................................................................................................257
Room and Board.......................................................................................................................259
9
10. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Ametheus..................................................................................................................................263
Discovering Atlantis.................................................................................................................265
Like Dust on the Shores of Antiquity......................................................................................267
Frozen Climes...........................................................................................................................268
White Mammoth......................................................................................................................270
Where Lies?..............................................................................................................................275
And There's a Lady in the Lake................................................................................................280
Vetala.......................................................................................................................................285
The Katydid Sighed..................................................................................................................288
We've Been Waiting.................................................................................................................293
The Narcissist's Fate................................................................................................................303
Lilith Strigoi.............................................................................................................................311
Who Is This Lady in the Mask?...............................................................................................319
El Afluente Joven.....................................................................................................................323
Stradivarius..............................................................................................................................331
San Valentín.............................................................................................................................335
The Joust...................................................................................................................................340
The Rock of Gibberish Altar.....................................................................................................349
De Plenum................................................................................................................................354
Soujihearts................................................................................................................................355
Minervosa.................................................................................................................................359
From a Forb..............................................................................................................................362
Yaerick......................................................................................................................................364
Incarnate Loveliness.................................................................................................................365
Just Like a Woman!.................................................................................................................366
Eglantine..................................................................................................................................367
Juglandaceae.............................................................................................................................368
Sullying Names.........................................................................................................................369
Nod to Eden.............................................................................................................................370
Crossed?....................................................................................................................................371
To a Coy Madame.....................................................................................................................372
Poor Equestrian........................................................................................................................374
Woman's Work.........................................................................................................................375
Silicon Papillon.........................................................................................................................376
Upside Down...........................................................................................................................377
Life with Nephi........................................................................................................................378
Death Taxes..............................................................................................................................379
And Uncreate...........................................................................................................................382
Posthumous Circumnavigation.................................................................................................383
Loki Loves Me..........................................................................................................................384
Spending Winter.......................................................................................................................386
10
11. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Gaseous.....................................................................................................................................387
The Senselessness of Raphael....................................................................................................388
Haemophilia............................................................................................................389
The Monotony of Love.............................................................................................................390
Goodly Wife..............................................................................................................................392
Filial Solitude...........................................................................................................................394
Ultramatums............................................................................................................................395
Lying Here................................................................................................................................396
Defying Grave and Gravity......................................................................................................397
Atypical Lass............................................................................................................................399
Despair in Christ.......................................................................................................................401
just a pile of lint.......................................................................................................................405
Carne Afresh.............................................................................................................................406
Oubliette Affectueuse...............................................................................................................407
A Once......................................................................................................................................408
Passing a Stranded Dinghy......................................................................................................411
Me Profanaste..........................................................................................................................414
Abruised....................................................................................................................................415
Florus Matrimonialus...............................................................................................................416
Mi Alma...................................................................................................................................418
In Jubilee..................................................................................................................................419
Vendiéndomela..........................................................................................................................420
A Living Lie.............................................................................................................................421
Saturation.................................................................................................................................422
Fecal Orchid..............................................................................................................................423
Poor Substitute for Oxytocin....................................................................................................424
Yoked Folk................................................................................................................................428
Latrodectus mactans.................................................................................................................429
To Have Loved Erroneously.....................................................................................................430
Treason......................................................................................................................................431
Philanthropy.............................................................................................................................433
Nuclear Waste..........................................................................................................................434
The First Time..........................................................................................................................435
Vapid Spice...............................................................................................................................436
Fit for an Ode...........................................................................................................................437
A New Tin Roof.......................................................................................................................438
El Anillo de Hera......................................................................................................................439
Reminders.................................................................................................................................440
No Atonement..........................................................................................................................441
Viral Munity............................................................................................................................444
In Need of Antibodies..............................................................................................................445
11
12. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Indian Giver.............................................................................................................................446
Like Verdun..............................................................................................................................447
Dear Mom,................................................................................................................................448
Besieged by Myself...................................................................................................................450
Dizzying My Dreary Brains....................................................................................................451
Angelic Pity..............................................................................................................................452
Pair of Docks............................................................................................................................454
Will You Clip My Wings Also?................................................................................................455
Love Still Reigns Supreme........................................................................................................456
Barbary Corsair.........................................................................................................................457
Sweet Delilah...........................................................................................................................458
& Euphrates.............................................................................................................................459
Hierodule..................................................................................................................................460
Disembodied Clothes.................................................................................................................461
Tactile Memories.......................................................................................................................462
0°K Turkey...............................................................................................................................463
Water Temperature...................................................................................................................465
Hadrian's Wall.........................................................................................................................466
Semitism....................................................................................................................................468
The Solstice Has Passed............................................................................................................470
By the Kite's String..................................................................................................................471
We Parted.................................................................................................................................472
Quechua Bruins........................................................................................................................473
Yet I'm Sardonic.......................................................................................................................474
Faerie Tales...............................................................................................................................475
Fables......................................................................................................................476
Donkey......................................................................................................................................477
Wildebeest................................................................................................................................478
Antelope....................................................................................................................................480
Naked Mole Rats......................................................................................................................481
Bullfrog.....................................................................................................................................482
Slug...........................................................................................................................................483
Boar..........................................................................................................................................484
Roaches.....................................................................................................................................486
Hippo........................................................................................................................................487
Dasypeltis.................................................................................................................................488
Vulture.....................................................................................................................................489
Short Stories............................................................................................................491
Swappin' Spit...........................................................................................................................492
A Teenage Girl in the Garden of Eden.....................................................................................506
The Happenstance God.............................................................................................................513
12
13. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Ignance, or Pessimismo.............................................................................................................521
Quality Care..............................................................................................................................533
Lucasta.....................................................................................................................................541
A Unity of Faith......................................................................................................................547
Advancement............................................................................................................................559
The Story of a Girl....................................................................................................................568
The Interrogation......................................................................................................................571
Captive......................................................................................................................................578
The Rites of Elzenakhim..........................................................................................................583
Author's Notes........................................................................................................588
Translation...............................................................................................................................600
Doloroso Espino (Painful Thorn)........................................................................................600
Desalentado (Discouraged ).................................................................................................602
Quase Soneto Para a Amorenada (QuasiSonnet for the Bronzed One)..............................604
Cazándote (Hunting you)....................................................................................................605
Further Reference.....................................................................................................................606
About the Author.....................................................................................................................608
Thefin........................................................................................................................................609
A Bit of Sanity .......................................................................................................................610
13
15. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Doloroso Espino 1
Agradecido sí estoy
Por el amor que voy
A siempre tener por toda
La eternidad y vida
5 Que me queda en la tierra.
Cuando problemas cual sierra
Mi vista obscurecen,
Y cuando se florecen
Como flores tribulaciones,
10 Y estoy rodeado por abominaciones,
Cuando mi orgullo se lastima
Por ser de una prueba la víctima,
Cuando todo lo que poseo
Se destruye y me mareo
15 En el horno de aflicción,
Enfrento la tentación
De darme por vencido.
Pues, me es parecido
A un doloroso espino
20 Que perecerá en el divino
Fuego que es el amor.
Aunque me causa gran dolor,
Se sanará este herido,
Y me vuelve más convencido
25 Del valor del amor.
¿Qué existe en la más allá?
¿Qué es lo que se llevará?
¿El carro que deja de servir?
¿La música que no puedes oír?
30 ¿El celular o el trabajo?
¿El dinero o algún lujo?
Los cuentos, facturas, y impuestos
No vuelven a los muertos molestos.
Todo cuidado o preocupación
35 Solamente es una condición.
Así que cuanto me hace agradecer
Mi amor cuando me toca padecer!
Mi amor tiene existencia,
1This is in Spanish. Refer to “Translation” in the Author's Notes.
15
16. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Valorarlo muestra inteligencia,
40 Puesto que todo va a pudrir
Menos el amor que he de nutrir.
Por eso díme cada vez
Que problemas oprimen con altivez,
"¡Cuántas gracias debes de dar
45 Por algo que no se puede quebrar!"
Aunque duele un momento
Es un sabio pimiento
Que me hace valorar
Que amar no es errar.
50 ¡Cuan gran valor tiene el amor!
16
17. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
2
A Pile of Stones
A pile of stones sits idly by
And bemuses why passersby
Stop not to praise the One on High.
The old stones in their tedious stack
5 Wonder what it may be they lack.
'Perhaps,' they sigh, 'The world's off track.'
But sighing doesn't change the fact
That they no worshipers attract
To adore per the ancient pact.
10 But, lo, a stranger comes this way.
"This altar's surely seen its day;
Its purpose like time's passed away."
"Sir, what villainous lies you tell.
Though old, we still serve just as well
15 To save mankind from sin and hell."
"Is that why you're covered in moss
And are esteemed like you were dross?
Know ye not the cause of your loss?"
"It seems the world no longer cares
20 About spiritual affairs.
They have put on false, vaunted airs."
"'Tis true that some are wrapped in pride,
But others worship now inside
Because the Savior came and died.
25 Just as the ox and turtle dove
Were sacrificed, the Lord above
Made atonement in perfect love.
Now that the temple's veil's been rent
2A Pile of Stones is the conversation of an ancient Jewish altar with a Christian. Keep in mind that by the law, one of the
only permissible altar forms was a rough pile of stones.
17
18. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
And the Mediator's been sent
30 To intercede, the knees have bent
And no one's had to veil their head
Or approach the Holy One in dread,
For the Law of Moses is dead.
A new pact was forged in His pains,
35 And now the sacrifice remains
To rid oneself of worldly stains,
Offering up a broken heart
And contrite spirit as we start
To see the pains we did impart."
18
19. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Desalentado 3
Busco en vano el remedio,
Pero a pesar de me talento
De buscar en vano, lo hallo.
Se ve que Dios me ama
5 Porque no me abandona,
Sino que me apoya.
Y esto me hace preguntar
¿Por qué me quiere ayudar
Cuando solo puedo fracasar?
10 Pero algo viene a mi mente
Que me susurra sinceramente,
"Te voy a amar eternamente.
No dejaste tú de ser
Mijo. Pues, ¿no puedes ver
15 Que va a compadecer
El Padre por el temor,
Ansiedad, y terror
De su hijo por amor?
Sé poner las curitas.
20 Sé lo que necesitas.
Quiero que te esfuerces.
Cuando tu mejor intento
Falla, en este momento
Sostengo y aliento.
25 Conozco a los pajaritos;
Sé por qué caen de los nidos.
Sufres por sabios propósitos.
Tus cachetes tienen humedad
3This is in Spanish. Refer to “Translation” in the Author's Notes.
19
20. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Para que obtengas la humildad
30 Y dependas de mi potestad.
Ni modo lo que debes de aguantar,
Con mi poder tú puedes soportar
Las pruebas que te voy a mandar.
No has de creer que eres mejor
35 Que tu bondadoso Salvador
Que padeció por divino amor.
Ni podrías comprender
Lo que le hizo padecer
Para que pudiera socorrer
40 En tus momentos de aflicción,
Cuando culpa es tribulación,
Y te rodea la tentación.
Acá no te puedo consentir,
O mi voz dejarás de oír."
45 El Espíritu puedo sentir.
Mi condición ha mejorado,
Y aunque estoy alentado,
Sé que estaré desconsolado
En el futuro por pesar,
50 Y luego voy a buscar
En vano. Debo de quebrar
El habito y meditar
Que en Dios puedo confiar.
El me va a consolar.
55 ¡Que fácil es a Dios amar!
20
21. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Collect
I often get so depressed and
Slash or frustrated with my life
That I can't expect a mortal
To comprehend my sorrowed strife.
5 I cannot tell them the how and
The why of the way that I feel.
Communicating my weakness
Seems like it would be too surreal4.
Worse, at least it seems to me, is
10 No one would e'en bother to care.
I would only be patronized
For having voiced my deep despair,
Or perchance I would be ignored,
Since I might be perceived to whine.
15 And so my troubles I keep in;
To my weary heart I resign.
This is the loneliest feeling—
Knowing that nothing will improve
The internal situation
20 Resembling a demolished Louvre5,
And realizing that despite the
Quantity of problems others
Invest in you continually,
You've no recourse6. Pain smothers.
25 Then, I remember to pick up
The phone, and I call God collect.
He covers the bill and listens
As I vent and plead and reflect.
4surreal: unbelievable, dreamlike
5Louvre: Famous art museum in France
6recourse: help
21
22. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
He knows the things that I have felt,
30 And what I feel now in my heart.
He can relate as none else can;
I should have called Him from the start.
22
23. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Fidel Ossification
Faith calcifies as it becomes
Knowledge, replacing cartilage
That's flexible and unsteady
And subject to crafty ambage7.
5 Slowly it hardens into bone
As the certainty that's hoped for8
Finds evidence throughout life, and
Then you need not hope anymore.
Indeed, you've found firm footing with
10 A leg strong enough to stand on.
This is through ossification9,
Which is how your body makes bone
By hardening faith from the inside.
Though the marrow stays soft throughout;
15 Calcium fills the tissue, and
Now you can be firm and devout.
Faith is based on a simple core
Of doctrines that we must practice,
Or it won't be firm as a bone
20 But a hollow and parched cactus.
7ambage: subject to being interpreted in various ways
8certainty. . . for: see Hebrews 11:1
9ossification: the process in which the body turns cartilage and such tissue into bone, making layers of calcium and miner
als that grow from the inside out.
23
24. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
The Divine View
It may not seem like I'm doing much,
Or that anything has changed,
But endless alterations have
Chanced as I have rearranged
5 The world and lives of men so that
The results of my equation
Will answer your prayer as well as
Every future supplication10.
You think your prayers are unanswered,
10 Because you are too blind to see
That I use the simplest of men
And means11 to be my appointees
To see if you will recognize
My replies and give credit for
15 My meticulous12 responses,
Instead of praising something more13.
The worst is when you say that you've
Answered it by your wit and flair.
I work invisibly, even
20 If people think I've ceased to care.
10supplication: prayer, request
11simplest. . . means: see Alma 37:6
12meticulous: carefully crafted
13more: else
24
25. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Thevoid
There's a void within we can feel,
And we can't have happiness or real
Love or appreciation until
We find a way the void to fill.
5 We can give it wealth or treasure,
Alc'hol and drugs for good measure,
But we can't sate it with pleasure,
Nor according to our leisure.
What can calm the chaos within
10 If it cannot be done through sin?
You must seek to attain faith's zen14.
Then, the miracles will begin.
14zen: State of focus and oneness
25
26. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Pieces of the Puzzle
People are like mists that rise
From the surface of a lake,
Hindering the view as they
Are relatively opaque15
5 In this world. Thus, one cannot
Perceive the details beyond
The shrouds of obscurity16,
Of whose bonds the soul is fond.
It seeks to be a myst'ry
10 To the humans here on earth,
Concealing all the answers
When one is received in birth.
They walk around lost in the
Sense that they can never find
15 All of the puzzle's pieces
Which would enlighten their minds
As to who they really are.
They grow daily as they learn
A little bit more about
20 Their true selves. One can discern17
Only pieces of who one
Is. See them walking around
With pieces in various
Places here and there. They've found
25 A few more pieces with age's
Introspection18 and wisdom.
Nevertheless, at any age
15opaque: unable to be seen through
16obscurity: darkness
17discern: come to see or understand; decipher; make out
18introspection: selfexamination; looking inside one's own soul
26
27. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
The soul's still a conundrum19.
Albeit one must learn for
30 Oneself, one must e'er apply
What's gleaned from the examples
Of others. For if one's sly,
One would see how new pieces
On others are manifest
35 When they learn key teachings. The
Fragments subtly coalesce20.
No one has all the pieces,
Because others could then cheat.
The reason for the puzzle'd
40 Then have to admit defeat.
No one sees the whole picture.
When they nearly have success
In puzzling out the pieces,
Then, they suddenly vanish.
19conundrum: mystery
20coalesce: come together, materialize
27
28. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Clinging to Service
Service is my escape into
Realms far from my problems removed,
Where I can forget myself and
My misery. Life has improved
5 Because I found a chance to have
Love and peace momentarily
When smiles and gratitude ingrained21
Into their faces I can see.
With all that went wrong in His life,
10 It's no small wonder that He served
Here during His whole existence.
His strength was therefore welldeserved.
For surely the enabling strength
He had came from simple acts of
15 Service. He bore the greatest pains
Unknown22 because of serving love.
21ingrained: blended deep into
22He bore. . . unknown: No one knows how much He suffered.
28
29. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
The Sandbox of Eternities
Nothing we accomplish here
Matters but the love we make
In friendships and in family.
For that alone will we take
5 With us on our journey as
We bid this planet adieu23
That selfsame moment that we
Find that our life here is through.
This earth is but a sandbox
10 Where the idle creations
That we form will, with time, pass
Away, as will all nations.
Others will come and destroy
The vain labours of our hands.
15 Time, wind, and rain will erode
Whatever managed to stand.
Why do we build and create?
Why were we this chance given?
Know ye not that it's practice
20 For what we'll do in heaven?
23adieu: goodbye, farewell, sayonara, dasvidanya, auf wiedersehen, au revoir
29
30. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
What gifts I should bring
I wonder what gifts I should bring
If I were to approach my King
While He were lying in the manger
Where disease would be a danger?
5 Could I offer unto Him my life,
My body, and soul in sacrifice?
The riches I shall ne'er possess?
Would He accept any old price?
No, these things I do not own;
10 Already to Him they do belong.
Yea, the only gift that seems fit—
Because it's mine, every bit—
Would be the gift of my free will,
Trusting my all to his great skill.
15 This is the gift He most desires,
And the offering He most admires.
That's a gift fit for eternity,
And not just the nativity.
It's a present that He will use,
20 But He can't use it, lest I choose.
It's one that I should make today,
Before my chances slip away.
30
31. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Soft Rebuke
If only you could worship me
Just like you do your Christmas tree
And Halloween decorations
And such pagan celebrations24.
5 If only I could have the sorts
Of devotion25 you give to sports.
If only you could learn to serve
Others as much as they deserve,
Which frankly is as much as you
10 Do serve yourself the whole year through.
If only you would long see
The scriptures as much as TV.
If only you would try to pray
Like you instant message each day.
15 If only you had such passion
For me as you do for fashion
And vanity's sundry dumb norms,
Instead of being so lukewarm.
If only you would take your cross,
20 Not making it an albatross26
Or the hypocritical sign
Adorning necks but not the mind.
If only you knew my commands
24if only. . . celebrations: Christmas trees come from the preChristian Germanic/Norse worship of their gods such as
Odin. The trees were just another thing adopted into Christian practices in an attempt to convert the pagans.
25devotion: worship
26making. . . albatross: This alludes to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” where after he kills an
albatross, he is cursed. It becomes an albatross about his neck at the end of the second part.
31
32. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Like the fell27 lyrics sung by bands.
25 If only faith were as hardy
As your senseless drive to party.
If only you could hunt for truth
Like the Easter eggs of your youth.
If only your example could
30 Dominate the view like Mt. Hood28,
Not being salt without savor
Trampled for not being braver29.
27fell: bad, evil
28Mt. Hood: one of the highest mountains in Oregon, and therefore the lower fortyeight states.
29salt. . . braver: Matthew 5:13
32
33. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Linux the Divine
I'm certain God uses Linux30;
Ubuntu's the distribution31.
It's easy to use, stable, and
Free from commercial pollution.
5 “The love of money's the root of
All evil32.” Isn't that closed source?
He wants the best for us, that's why
He made the GPL33, of course.
God has always fought for freedom—
10 He won't take your free will away.
He won't force you to be like Him,
Although He shows a better way.
Linux is dependable; lest
You proprietary fans34 frown,
15 Have you heard of God rebooting
Or heard that His servers went down?
30Linux: a widely used open source operating system. (My favorite)
31Ubuntu. . . distribution: Ubuntu is a version of GNU/Linux produced by a company named Canonical. I love it.
32the love. . . evil: see 1 Timothy 6:10
33GPL: GNU Public License governs the majority of open source software, including the Linux kernel. It allows free usage
and distribution of its software, as long as the source code is made available. Modifications have to be noted, too. This way
the whole community benefits from everyone else's work.
34proprietary fans: people who like software built on bugs and secrecy
33
34. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Cliff Diving from Heaven
Is birth just like falling off
A cliffside out of heaven?
Do some of us stand idly,
While others count to seven
5 And take a leap ne'er looking
At where on earth they will land?
Do we cheer or cringe at their
Splash? Does someone take our hand
And vow they'll jump if we will,
10 Though they've no intentions to
Jump with us since they wanted
To see if we'd follow through
With our pledge, and laugh to see
Our startled little faces
15 Disappearing through the mists
To unangelic places?
Were there those who double dared
Each other into flying
Off carelessly? Is birth here
20 Equated there to dying?
Were there those who did not know
Any better when they fell?
Were there some who wanted to
Get o'er with it? Do you yell?
25 Perhaps there were some anxious
Souls afraid of the cliff's height.
Did Heavenly Father push
Them o'er, much to His delight?
Were there sleep walkers who took
30 The plunge by accident? You
Would recognize them, for they
Are clueless in this life, too.
34
35. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Does your attitude before
Shape what it will be like here?
35 Do we have parachutes? Is
The landing very severe?
35
36. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
President Hinckley
You joked of green bananas35 and
Rusty signs on barbed wire fences36,
But we ne'er expected you to
Go. You brought us to our senses.
5 It seems your humble hopes have
Finally been granted at last,
And you can be with Marjorie
After almost four years have passed.
What warm welcomes will you receive
10 By your Saviour and family?
Will your busy pace pick up in
The twilight of eternity?
To those of us who struggled to
Be worthy of the Lord's priesthood,
15 You were an inspiration. If
You thought you could improve, we should
Redouble our efforts. Thank you
For the leadership you did give
For fifty years, notably the
20 First six Mormon years I did live.
35joked. . . bananas: He quoted Milton Berle's remark, “When you get to my age you don't buy green bananas.”
36rusty. . . fences: from a talk titled “Opening Remarks” from the April 2005 General Conference where he mentioned “a
sign that hung by a rusty staple to a rundown barbedwire fence in Texas. It read: 'Burned out by drought, Drowned out by
flud waters, Et out by jackrabbits, Sold out by sheriff, Still here!'"
36
37. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Heavenly Mothers
I owe a store of gratitude
To both my Heavenly Mothers,
Who both decided to have me,
Though they could have had their druthers37.
5 One of these ma'ams is mortal,
Although I count her heavenly,
Since she gave her life to have me38
And has tried to live worthily.
She answered all my three year old
10 Questions, which always began, "Why?"
She taught me to love to read good
Books. She taught me to multiply.
She sacrificed so very much
As a widow and single mom
15 To care for my sisters and I.
She e'en helped me prepare for prom—
Well, as best as one can prepare.
I'm her product genetically.
But I had a mother before,
20 Who begot me spiritually.39
We hear so little about her,
And I remember nothing of
What she was like and taught to me.
But sometimes I can feel her love.
25 There's a bond that children share with
Their mothers that will never die.
I'll see her anew when my life
Ends in the twinkling of an eye.
37had. . . druthers: their own wishes or way
38gave. . . me: She died during delivery, but was thankfully revived.
39mother. . . spiritually: just consider briefly, you can't be a father without a mother. If we have a Heavenly Father, then
that means. . .
37
38. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
I'm sure she'll tell my mother "Thank
30 You," and, "Now you know how it feels.
He deserved many more spankings.
How'd you manage to stay off pills?"
38
39. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Chiasma
When mortality is over and the Savior beckons me,
You are one of the first ones I would like to see.
It's not because of your hairdo or pleasant smile,
Or because you have hugged me, or made me feel worthwhile,
5 Or due to any words which I have heard you say,
Nevertheless you bring sunshine to my day.
It is especially for your strength to keep hanging on,
Even though Satan's buffetings continually have grown.
Do not despair for truly happiness ye shall find,
10 For I have had the same sorrows of your kind;
In similar paths of troubles have I before trod.
You are an inspiration, O thou child of God,
For in similar paths of troubles have I once trod.
Yea, I have had the sorrows of your kind;
15 Do not despair for joy ye shall find.
Even though Satan's buffetings continually have grown,
You strengthen me because you keep hanging on.
Truly you bring sunshine and motivation to my day,
But not due to any words which I have heard you say,
20 Or because you have hugged me or made me feel worthwhile.
It's not because of your hairdo or your pleasing smile.
You are one of the first ones I wish to greet me there
When the Saviour ends mortality, gathered in the air.
39
40. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Quase Soneto Para a Amorenada
Que venhas comigo, minha bela,
E de certo te posso consolar
Em momentos de grande fraqueza
E também do mais amargo pesar.
5 Eu somente quero que estejas
Muito feliz e apaixonada
Comigo. Eu sempre desejava
Tua figura amorenada.
Amote. Possote fazer sentir
10 O grande prazer do doce amor.
Quando estejamos juntos eu te
Juro que tu te vás sentir calor.
Oxalá me desculpes se fale
Com demais paixão, força, e candor.40
40This is in Portuguese. Refer to “Translation” in the Author's Notes.
40
41. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Penelopean
Wilt thou my Penelope be
As I wander across the sea?
Wilt thou still be my cherished queen,
Wonderful after all I've seen41?
5 Wilt thy faithfulness persevere
As Sirens I seek not to hear?
Wilt thou be dressed in loyalty,
Despite the tempting royalty?
Wilt thy cunning42 eschew thy grief
10 When there seems to be no relief?
Wilt thou be free of any guilt
Upon the bed that I have built43?
Wilt thou be undaunted by death
Long after my last ragged breath?
15 Wilt thou remain mine forever,
Though great should be this endeavour?
41all I've seen: We'll just forget he saw Circe for a few years there. It ruins the poem.
42cunning: Penelope held off a horde of suitors for years through various schemes.
43bed. . . built: A final test that Penelope used to verify Odysseus's identity involved ordering their bed to be moved. He
was flabbergasted, since he had built it and knew that part of it was a living tree.
41
42. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Love's Autumnal Dimension
Dancing in the autumn cool
'Neath the multicoloured grove,
Where fallen leaves are rustling
Softly, and windborne leaves rove44.
5 There's a shower of whirling
Colours floating gracefully around.
They seem quite mesmerized that
True love they chanced to have found.
Floating, they join us in dance,
10 Falling like we are in love.
High branches, like my heart, are
Pouring more out from above.
We are separated from
The world by our pure passion.
15 Likewise, the leaves from the trees
Part in similar fashion.
Is it odd that this moment
Put us in love's dimension,
Where we are free from our cares
20 And mundane apprehension45?
Your suave skin entices, and
Your toboggan46 I remove
So that the wind might deal with
Your hair as it should behoove47.
25 It streams out long behind you
Like love through eternity.
I swear as your beauty shines,
44rove: wander; roam
45mundane apprehension: worldly cares
46toboggan: a knit cap used in winter
47behoove: be fit, proper, or right
42
43. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
I hear a sylvan48 melody.
It comes softly on the breeze,
30 Just as love comes silently,
Announcing its sweet presence
Quite clairaudiently49.
The mind perceives its coming
Long after the heart has known.
35 Oh, why can't every moment
Be an autumn day alone?
48sylvan: woodland
49clairaudiently: hearing the inaudible, without being schizophrenic
43
44. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
A Stranded Perpetuity
I'd love to be stranded with you
And lie with you on the sea shore.
We'd frolic in the lagoon blue;
Your lips would be mine ever more.
5 We'd warm the tropical weather
And have slow dances in the rain.
Our feet would think the sand heather.
Love would be no legerdemain50,
Although it would seem magical,
10 This perpetual honeymoon
Where nothing'd be more tragical
Than having a kiss end too soon.
With nothing to distract us, love
Would become51 our true native tongue.
15 The old stars looking from above
Would long to be in love and young.
And on those same stars I would wish
To continue sedated bliss,
Living off coconut and fish
20 And your revitalizing kiss.
50legerdemain: trick; sleight of hand
51become: in addition to the standard definition, it could also mean “behoove”
44
45. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Aversion
Truly, you must be a goddess,
Because whenever I'm near you,
My eyes find themselves averted52,
Despite what they might want to do.
5 What divine voluptuousness53
Makes my eyes fear the luscious view.
They don't want to seem perverted;
Though thy form they long to pursue.
All Aphrodite's54 loveliness,
10 Ceres' 55fertility, and two
Siren's56 couldn't be converted
Into one powerful as you.
52averted: turned away; looking elsewhere out of respect
53voluptuousness: a shape suggestive of pleasure
54Aphrodite: the Greek goddess of love; known as Venus to the Romans
55Ceres: the Roman name for Demeter, the goddess of fertility, including land. She was uberpowerful, and almost destroyed
the earth when Persephone was kidnapped.
56Sirens: the nymphs who helped Hades kidnap Persephone, Demeter's daughter. They were subsequently cursed, put on a
rock, and told to sing lullabies to sailors to make them crash. Their songs were irresistible.
45
46. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Blossom of Divinity
Worth more to me than finest gold;
The greatest treasure to behold.
Reflecting innocence as a mirror—
There never was a damsel dearer.
5 She lives and walks in quiet grace;
Her very words are silk and lace.
Her eyes are moons of radiant light;
Her skin a smooth and creamy white;
Her lips an Eden's paradise
10 Worth any pain or sacrifice;
Her hair cascades in nocturnal tresses.
She is the very proof that God blesses.
She is a maiden virtuous and kind
In heart and soul, body, thought, and mind;
15 Endowed with a charm and elegance
To match her faith and intelligence.
A precious jewel for all to see—
My blossom of divinity.
46
47. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
There Is a Peaceful River
There is a peaceful river
With banks wide and clean
And a crystal flow of water
That few eyes have seen.
5 For many with an idle peep
Have ne'er beheld
That still waters run deep,
Or how this current's “swelled.”
It meanders freely,
10 As bank to bank it goes
Smoothly through the solace
It maintains through all woes.
Its strength cannot be measured,
For like volume it ever grows,
15 As steadily into the watershed
Of time it onward flows.
From whence came this beauty,
From the earth or the sky?
Is it the product of the rain
20 And the wind that blows it by?
Should its spring be discovered,
One would be amazed
That such a seeming trickle
Has so much water displaced.
47
48. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Acción de Gracias
Your touch is like snowflakes falling
On my exposed skin, sending chills,
Making me crave the warmth that you
Release to make the snow. It feels
5 Warmer now, though it should feel cold57.
Your youthful vibrance is the spring,
Full of activity and love.
It's enjoyed because it's green58.
Your kiss warms like the summer's sun;
10 I'm sure my blood begins to burn,
Since I neither find nor want shade.
For more Vitamin D I yearn59.
Holding you tight is but autumn;
I'm harvesting plenteous fields.
15 I can't help but give Thanksgiving
For the bounty that your love yields.
57warmth. . . cold: When it snows the air becomes slightly warmer than before.
58green: young and inexperienced
59Vitamin. . . yearn: Our main source of Vitamin D is the sun
48
49. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
The Bonds That Make Us Free
Do not cry; you have not lost me.
Don't bathe your face in useless regret.
I am leaving for a short time,
But we are eternal. Dost thou forget?
5 Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh60,
We are one, Siamese61, and beating
With one shared heart. Your pains are mine;
Everything you suffer is repeating
Like an echo to my mind. We
10 Bear these burdens together. Our strength
Is united faith in what we
Know will extend well beyond time's length,
As we measure it by this earth.
It is foolish to believe that we
15 Can only be together and
In love here, ignoring eternity.
If silly to think our love ends
With the commencement exercises
Of death, then sillier 'tis to
20 Think love fades when distance ostracizes62
Two as united as we are.
We are not until death doth us part,
But time and all eternity.
Love has no end nor point where it does start.
25 So, maintain the dignity of
The promises and vows we have made.
If I should venture many years
Or miles away, then do not be afraid.
60bone. . . flesh: see Genesis 2:23
61Siamese: Siamese (conjoined) twins
62ostracize: separates us; keeps us from speaking
49
50. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
The law of conservation of
30 Love states that love can't be created
Or destroyed, it can only be
Converted into a more elated63
Form, which form you've proven to be.
You're all that matters in life to me.
35 It doesn't seem like heaven could be
Heaven, unless I had you endlessly.
Our love's not ruled by gravity,
For distance does not diminish our
Pull64. Indeed, if at opposite
40 Poles, our attraction'd but grow in power.
Though I were trapped where no sound could
Carry the vibrations65, "I love you,"
Surely our love could still travel,
For it needs no medium to pass through66,
45 And having found each other safely,
It would deliver its message, for
Love can travel through space and time
To find a warm greeting at our soul's door.
Within a crucible67 we're sealed,
50 Where we are able to melt into
Each other, becoming a much
Stronger alloy68 than ere this pasdedeux69
Of devotion we danced and thus
Ceased to solitary strangers be.
55 We're insep'rable. We are held
63elated: joyful
64gravity. . . pull: gravity weakens as two objects get farther apart or smaller
65vibrations: all sound is but vibration
66needs. . . through: sound has to have a medium (matter) to pass through, which is why it doesn't travel in space.
67crucible: container used to melt materials at high temperatures
68alloy: combination of metals to form a new one with distinct properties
69pasdedeux: intimate dance for two people
50
51. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Together by the bonds that make us free.
51
52. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Young Love's Mettle
Whatever could these struggles do,
But make me so much more love you?
That's the blessing of marrying
Young, before the heart's despairing
5 Because it never found a mate,
Since its pride made it wait too late.
It is well we wed ere70 we were
Established like ancient Ashur71,
For by so doing we may prove
10 Our constancy and profound love
By riding out together the
Fierce, buffeting waves of life's sea
And temptation's gusts, so that we'll
Be able to more deeply feel
15 Appreciation and respect,
Since we were able to direct
Ourselves worthy of a medal
For our battle proven mettle72.
Otherwise we might easily
20 Cave in at the first sign of the
Problems that all marriages will
Face, being made of tin not steel.
Our matrimony's strengthened in
The furnace of youth's affliction.
70ere: before
71Ashur: The city that gave rise to the Assyrian Empire. It shares its name with its possible founder, of one of the sons of
Shem, which makes him Noah's grandson.
72mettle: courage
52
53. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Helios
What misery is the night
Where demons and mem'ries thrive,
Thinking to haunt me as one
Who has scarcely gone to shrive73!
5 I am awake and alive,
But there's naught74 to light my eyes.
I look unto the dark mist
And search hopefully the skies.
Sad Helios75 elsewhere flies!
10 Oh, how dark must be the light
Trapped somewhere within my soul,
Since sight and soul mirrored night76!
Would I e'er escape this blight?
Would the darkness go away?
15 But soft, dear Helios comes,
Bringing light and warmth my way
With the magic of a fay77.
Oh, dear one, where would I be
Without you to light my world
20 As you do beauteously?
Ave! Laud!78 All Glory
Be to your wondrous being
Since your very presence here
Sends obscurity79 fleeing.
25 To me heaven is seeing
Your radiant light each day,
Since it warms my heart and soul
And e'er makes me yearn to say,
"Helios, be mine alway."
30 How I wish that you would stay
So that my life'd have purpose,
73shrive: make confession
74naught: nothing
75Helios: the sun
76how dark. . . night: see Matthew 6:2223
77fay: fairy
78Ave! Laud!: terms of praise
79obscurity: darkness
53
54. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
And I'd have no more dismay80.
May you never from me stray.
80dismay: sadness; discouragement
54
55. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Arco Iris
The rainbow is still in the clouds81,
And earths' been spared of destruction,
And you are the only reason, love.
You're life's the one saving perfection82.
5 And what is this that I hear?
Has your wisdom grown another year?
May I witness many more with you,
Birthdays joyous and free from fear.
Truly I have no present,
10 For what is worthy of thee?
Each day that I've spent with you
Is a celestial eternity.
I can only give you love and praise—
Sincere and without guile.
15 But only after your beauty stops
Tying my tongue after a while.
81rainbow. . . clouds: see Genesis 9:1117
82one saving perfection: in many cases, the wicked are not destroyed because of the righteous who live among them. See
Helaman 13:1314
55
56. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Thy Physiognomy
Your physiognomy83 bleeds through
To your clothes. Why do you wear blue
On Valentine's Day, when some red
Should grace your sweet pleasures instead?
5 Is it because you know that I
Would have a most euphoric84 eye
Upon seeing you in that hue
That most serves to scintillate you85?
It's like coating my eyes with glue,
10 They're ecstatic'ly stuck, 'tis true,
On you, my rapture86 so well clad.
But, should it chance that you feel sad,
I'd delight to make you cozy.
How I could make your cheeks rosy87
15 And fulfill your hedonism88!
Your face shows your optimism,
Fleshy for wont of affection89.
How I love your dark complexion,
Your brooding and passionate way90
20 As evinced91 by your shirt today.
Let's change the shirt for something less
Sad, for I'll give you happiness.
83physiognomy: a person's traits and feelings are reflected by their countenance
84euphoric: happy
85scintillate you: make you sparkle and sizzle; become you
86rapture: heavenly pleasure
87rosy: rosy cheeks were a sign that someone is hedonistic
88hedonism: love of pleasure
89face. . . affection: a fleshy face means a person is optimistic and affectionate
90dark. . . way: a dark complexion means a person is brooding and passionate
91evinced: shown
56
57. The Dementia of Iyan Igma
Miniocrity
I'm here to support your miniocrity92
Just as you support my minutia93.
It's as if we were hexagonal snowflakes94
Sprinkled amidst a cold Aleutia95.
5 There's nothing to distinguish us
From any other pathetic wretch.
We're nothing but gray carbon specks
In an unimportant charcoal sketch.
Only one thing makes us special:
10 Tender love's reciprocation96.
Love fills us, making us more than we
Are without our adoration.
92miniocrity: as far as I can tell, a made up word to describe a condition less than even mediocrity. It is living in extreme
insignificance.
93minutia: extremely small details
94hexagonal snowflakes: all snowflakes have six sides
95Aleutia: the long string of islands stretching from Alaska into the middle of nowhere
96love's reciprocation: mutual or shared love
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