Sappho of Lesbos was regarded as one of Greece's greatest lyric poets. She is an unusual figure in a world dominated by men. Below is one of her more famous poems - "To Anaktoria" is about the Trojan War. It is a striking contrast to Homer's "Iliad".

Sappho, "To Anaktoria, Now a Soldier's Wife in Lydia"



"Some say cavalry and some would claim
infantry or a fleet of long oars
is the supreme sight on the black earth.
I say it is

the girl you love. And easily proved.
Did not Helen, who was queen of mortal
beauty, choose as first among mankind
the very scourge

of Trojan honor? Haunted by Love
she forgot kinsmen, her own dear child
and wandered off to a remote country.
O weak and fitful

woman bending before any man:
so Anaktoria, although you are
far, do not forget your loving friends.
And I for one

would rather listen to your soft step
and see your radiant face - than watch
all the dazzling horsemen and armored
hoplites of Lydia."

"To Atthis"



So I shall never see Atthis again,
and really I long to be dead,
although she too cried bitterly

when she left and she said to me,
"Ah, what a nightmare we've suffered.
Sappho, I swear I go unwillingly."

And I answered, "Go, and be happy.
But remember me, for surely you
know how I worshiped you. If not,

then I want you to remember all
the exquisite days we too shared;
how when near me you would adorn

your hanging locks with violets and
tiny roses and your sapling throat
with necklets of a hundred blossoms;

how your young flesh was rich with kingly
myrrh as you leaned near my breasts on
the soft couch where delicate girls

served us all an Ionian could desire;
how we went to every hill, brook,
and holy place, and when early spring

filled the woods with noises of birds
and a choir of nightingales - we two
in solitude were wandering there."



Personally, I think Sappho needs more recognition. It seems that to most of the world, her works have been forgotten.

I'm in a strange mood this weekend. A lot of things are going on right now and I'm trying to figure out what direction everything is taking in my life.

It was with great trepidation that I dragged myself to the dentist this morning for my bi-annual cleaning. I always catch myself anticipating my dentist sneezing at a most inopportune time.

We have a dog park in Raleigh that I frequent. It's two acres fenced in and there are usually around twenty dogs there. It's great exercise for mine and conveniently close. Unfortunately, the people that attend are among the more terrifying members of society.

Too Much Detail Woman: I was stuck in an hour long conversation with a woman that, in wanton detail, self diagnosed her dog with "overactive anal glands".

Breed Mongers: These are much more common personages than the Too Much Detail Woman. The Breed Mongers will discuss the merits of each breed, critique other people's dogs and ask you (with a sniff): "So, which one is yours?"

Unlicensed Vets: These are, by far, the worst of the bunch. They will give you unwanted medical advice for your dog ranging from vitamins to exercise routines while thumbing their nose. "He looks kind of skinny. Do you feed him enough?"

No, no I do not feed my dog. I have taught him to suck the nutrients from the very air. I have the world's first aeroponic dog.

POPTARTS!

Poptarts are now the weapon of choice for alien invasion weaponry. If you see one hovering in a town near you, duck! Peking Duck.

...and he keeps stealing my socks.

Dream Time

I had the weirdest dream last night.

I was in the vast dark reaches of space on a (gasp) space station. Except it was like a normal indoor mall (aside from the stars and planets rotating directly beyond the bay windows). A wide variety of aliens were everywhere.

Finally, starving and a little homesick, I found a kickass diner stocked with good, unhealthy, human food. It didn't even have a menu. You just said what you wanted and they brought it out.

I ordered Mexican food.

I ordered Mexican food from Bruce Willis.

A Bruce Willis with long stringy blonde hair, a dirty white apron and yellow teeth.

Apparently, he owned the resturant. He had fled the Earth and hidden away on the station after marrying this strangely obese and greasy alien chick. Eh?

In Regards to Reality

Commercials on television are created to oppose the ugly truths about reality in such a manner as to convince you to buy the product on display.

On commercials:

1.) Pee is blue.

[First off, if my urine ever turns a dark shade of blue, I'm going to stop putting Smurfs in my blender with a slice of lemon. Mmmm. Oh, and then I'll see the doctor]

2.) Cotten clad women are lithe and agile.

[The last time I attempted any type of interpretive dance or gymnastics while wearing only my Hanes underwear, I ended up with a bag of ice and carpet burn]

3.) Men are ruggedly handsome while shaving.

[In my personal experience, all men must make an alarming array of seemingly inhuman and horrifying facial contortions while shaving. I'm more likely to douse them with holy water than to snuggle]

4.) Women awaken refreshed, perfectly coiffed and beautiful.

[Dawn of the Dead. Need I say more?]

5.) When you smile and dance happily to your iPod in public, the world smiles with you.

[No. No it does not. The world glares at you with such hate that your clothing smolders]