My visit to the soothsayer

My visit to the soothsayer by Rob Hood©5-27-08

I had many troubles

and each one

seemed to have doubles.

So I needed advice

from a sage

at a low price.

I needed someone local

whose answers would be vocal.

A friend advised me today

to see a soothsayer right away.

I always remember today

recalling what the

soothsayer did say.

He listened to me for a while

and moments later began to smile.

"May all your children be born naked",

said he

I'm filled with doubts how

these words apply to me.

I said, "What does this mean?

What is your inference?"

He answered "One hundred

years from now it won't

make any difference!"

I have now come to see

the best intuition

should come from me.

United we stand

United we stand by Rob Hood©5-23-08

I don't care if you're gay or straight.

Your life on earth should

just be great!

All in the world should celebrate!

We should enjoy our lives

and forget to hate!

We should all find ways

to get along!

If we are united

we will be strong!

If anyone goes after

our weakest link

we should stand up

for justice

and never shrink!

If anyone tries to destroy us whole

we should beat them badly.

Let that be our goal!

Any time we are attacked

we should retaliate double.

Following such a dictum

will keep us well

out of trouble!

The world can be our oyster

if we are one.

If we unite

we can't be undone!

All others will respect

or fear.

We will keep our friends close

and our enemies near.

The craftsman

The craftsman by Rob Hood©5-21-08

The tenant of the room

wove yarn upon his loom.

He was well studied

in his craft

He worked hard

but never laughed.

He worked both night and day

to get things right

sleep might give way.

He weaved several

intricate designs

all collector's pieces

were the critics opines.

His work was sought out

by many collectors.

Once he had your eye

there were no defectors.

His work was great!

He was the best!

When we purchased his art

we felt well blessed!

The space object

The space object by Rob Hood©5-20-08

The meteor flew through space

encrusted with minerals

throughout its base.

It made a colossal hole

at the very end of

its galaxial stroll.

Scientists unearthed it later

and they came up with theories

to make themselves look greater.

Was this the start of global warming?

The earth had been covered in ice

and long winters were storming.

Or was this meteor

a piece of the moon?

To believe these theories

one need be a buffoon.

Scientists need to hatch

such schemes.

It's publish or perish

so they go to extremes!

Life in the boonies

Life in the boonies by Rob Hood©5-19-08

It was Saturday morning

and I felt good

I was out in the suburbs

away from the hood.

I could stay in my crib

if that's what I wanted

away from the gangs

where I was taunted!

I can choose any name

alias or ID.

I'm away from my homies

and I am free!

The raspberry ant plague

The raspberry ant plague

I am covered all over with ants

They are in my computer

And even in my pants.

I look all over.

I just take a glance.

They are headed

For my neighbor

So I was not

hit by chance.

I tried to sweep them away

But I couldn't stop their advance

They are moving all over

They seem involved in a dance

They are attracted to electrical equipment

That seems so dumb!

I'd like to send their shipment

To kingdom come!

They have ruined pumps at

sewage pumping stations

moving all over

in their migrations.

.They have caused fire alarms to malfunction

They move quickly without compunction.

They are very difficult to kill

They seem to know how to survive

With superior skill.
In what sounds like a really low-budget horror film, voracious swarming ants that apparently arrived in Texas aboard a cargo ship are invading homes and yards across the Houston area, shorting out electrical boxes and messing up computers.

The hairy, reddish-brown creatures are known as "crazy rasberry ants"—crazy, because they wander erratically instead of marching in regimented lines, and "rasberry" after Tom Rasberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on.

"They're itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they're just running everywhere," said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful. "There's just thousands and thousands of them. If you've seen a car racing, that's how they are. They're going fast, fast, fast. They're crazy."

The ants—formally known as "paratrenicha species near pubens"—have spread to five Houston-area counties since they were first spotted in Texas in 2002.

The newly recognized species is believed to have arrived in a cargo shipment through the port of Houston. Scientists are not sure exactly where the ants came from, but their cousins, commonly called crazy ants, are found in the Southeast and the Caribbean.

"At this point, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate the ant because it is so widely dispersed," said Roger Gold, a Texas A&M University entomologist.

The good news? They eat fire ants, the stinging red terrors of Texas summers.

But the ants also like to suck the sweet juices from plants, feed on such beneficial insects as ladybugs, and eat the hatchlings of a small, endangered type of grouse known as the Attwater prairie chicken.

They also bite humans, though not with a stinger like fire ants.

Worse, they, like some other species of ants, are attracted to electrical equipment, for reasons that are not well understood by scientists.

They have ruined pumps at sewage pumping stations, fouled computers and at least one homeowner's gas meter, and caused fire alarms to malfunction. They have been spotted at NASA's Johnson Space Center and close to Hobby Airport, though they haven't caused any major problems there yet.

Exterminators say calls from frustrated homeowners and businesses are increasing because the ants—which are starting to emerge by the billions with the onset of the warm, humid season—appear to be resistant to over-the-counter ant killers.

"The population built up so high that typical ant controls simply did no good," said Jason Meyers, an A&M doctoral student who is writing his dissertation on the one-eighth-inch-long ant.

It's not enough just to kill the queen. Experts say each colony has multiple queens that have to be taken out.

At the same time, the ants aren't taking the bait usually left out in traps, according to exterminators, who want the Environmental Protection Agency to loosen restrictions on the use of more powerful pesticides.

And when you do kill these ants, the survivors turn it to their advantage: They pile up the dead, sometimes using them as a bridge to cross safely over surfaces treated with pesticide.

"It looked like someone had come along and poured coffee granules all around the perimeter of the rooms," said Lisa Calhoun, who paid exterminators $1,200 to treat an infestation of her parents' home in the Houston suburb of Pearland.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is working with A&M researchers and the EPA on how to stop the ants.

"This one seems to be like lava flowing and filling an entire area, getting bigger and bigger," said Ron Harrison, director of training for the big pest-control company Orkin Inc.

Life with my twin

Life with my twin
Category: Writing and Poetry

This poem is inspired by a current news story. I will post both the poem and the news story.

Life with my twin by Rob Hood©5-15-08

I always heard a voice talking to me

but I could not see who was speaking.

The voice babbled to a degree

I thought someone was critiquing

That someone was actually my twin

Who was with me through thick and thin.

It's a shame she isn't alive

I'm sad at birth she didn't survive

The doctors thought she was a tumor

I view this sadly with ill humor.

9-year-old girl's twin is found inside her stomach

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - A 9-year-old girl who went to hospital in central Greece suffering from stomach pains was found to be carrying her embryonic twin, doctors said Thursday.

Doctors at Larissa General Hospital examined the girl and surgically removed a growth they later discovered was an embryo more than two inches long.

"They could see on the right side that her belly was swollen, but they couldn't suspect that this tumor would hide an embryo," hospital director Iakovos Brouskelis said.

The girl has made a full recovery, he said.

Andreas Markou, head of the hospital's pediatric department, said the embryo was a formed fetus with a head, hair and eyes, but no brain or umbilical cord.

Markou said cases where one of a set of twins absorbs the other in the womb occurs in one of 500,000 live births.

The girl's family did not want to be identified, hospital officials said.

The life of weeds

The life of weeds by Rob Hood©5-13-08

The lot was filled with weeds.

Grass didn't have the right nutrients

to meet it's needs.

But weeds have the knack

to exploit every crack.

They fill nearly every crevice

from Iceland to St. Kitts & Nevis.

They disperse themselves with seeds

blown by the wind

at various speeds.

They need very little space

because their roots

underneath unterlace.

They live their lives

wild and free

amid the mud and

the debris.

Life on the farm

Life on the farm by Rob Hood©5-8-08

Spring is time to plant my crops

I need to sow the earth

when winter stops.

Planting seeds and bulbs

is tedious work

but I'd rather

work the earth than be a sales clerk.

Growing plants is lots of fun

and you are often rewarded

with abundance when

your job is done!

One year we grow corn

next year we grow clover

whose nutrients enrich the soil

and start the whole cycle over.

We raise some ducks, cattle and chicken

and get regular visits from the vet

so they won't sicken.

Early to bed, early to rise.

If you don't follow the rules

you might have a sad surprise.

Every day, there are chores to be done

and then we do the major work

out in the sun.

We recycle manure to feed the crops

We use nearly everything

and it never stops!

We grow clover and grasses to feed the cows.

We fill up as many silos as our money allows.

We eat pretty good throughout the year.

In summer we eat fresh vegtables

and even a steer,

In the fall we can and pickle the food

and when it's ready to eat

it sure is good!

We sell fresh veggies in the farmer's market

We load onto the truck

Then drive it and park it.

But our major crops are taken

to the city.

We pray our prices don't drop

because it would be a pity!

Our farm has been in our family

for over one hundred years.

I'm trying to keep it going

staying out of arrears!

The tree

The tree by Rob Hood©5-8-08

The tree gathered all it's nutrients

from the soil beneath it's feet.

It's leaves were bright green

and it's flowers smelled quite sweet.

It's shade brought great comfort

to those who sat in it's embrace.

They sat within it's shade

of which there was a trace.

Dance like no one's watching by Rob Hood©5-8-08

Dance like no one's watching by Rob Hood©5-8-08

I danced with all my vigor!

I danced with all my might!

The music was my trigger

and I felt out of sight!

I danced many dances

where I didn't know

the moves.

I dance them as

gracefully as if

I had a horse's hooves.

Later that evening

a friend said to me,

"I didn't know you

could tango.

You did it to a tee!"

The crippled man

The crippled man by Rob Hood©5-8-08

The crippled man staggered

down the street

His movements were forced

which caused him to feel beat.

But every night as he took his seat

he felt very blessed that he had feet.

Paying the price

Paying the price by Rob Hood©5-8-08

The rain fell in rivulets on that

wet and blustery day.

They hung him from a tree

because he had lost his way.

He was raised a farmers son

who knew the Bible well

but he befriended evil doers

and now he's

on his way to hell.

They held up a bank

and killed two customers

in their effort to get away.

A few policemen were

next door at a doughnut shop

and into the battle

they did stray.

The fight did not last long.

Most of the bad guys were slain,

but the farmer's boy was caught

and his verdict was quite plain.

"Hang him from the nearest tree"

was the judge's refrain.

"Too bad you messed up

young man.

Now your life is

down the drain."

Communing with nature

Communing with nature by Rob Hood©5-6-08

I love the lilac bushes that bloom

as I hike down the path.

I love the pretty fish that swim

in the stream where I take my bath.

I love to commune with nature

so real and pristine

as I while away the hours

far away from the city scene.

My vacation

My vacation by Rob Hood©5-5-08

As I lay in the shade in a hammock

a strong wind came and

I began to rock.

Around me is a scene

of indescribable beauty.

To take it all in

I feel, is my duty.

The sky is azure blue

It is all part

of a wonderous view!

Flora and fauna

are all around.

A beautiful variety

does abound!

I wish I could

remain here forever!

I'll need to save much

to attain that endeavour.

The rules

The rules by Rob Hood©5-5-08

I followed her directions

but, I got lost!

I listened to her

but I got bossed!

Then I threw up my hands!

I could no longer

listen to her commands!

The world will keep on turning

whether or not her temper

is a'burning!

I don't wish to offend

but, I won't be penned!

The pitcher

The pitcher by Rob Hood©5-5-08

My left arm is my prize possession!

I'm a guy with a baseball obsession.

I pitch every five days

and the baseball writers

issue me praise!

It's a great way to relieve my aggression!

The hive

The hive by Rob Hood©5-5-08

Stay away from there

if you want to be alive!

It's a dangerous place!

It;s a living beehive!

There must be 10,000

bees in there

They'll sting you to death

That's a sad affair!

It seems quite funny

that farmers make money

collecting their honey.

They have devised a way

to collect the honey

on any given day.

They immerse the hive in smoke

and while the bees are sleeping

they go for broke.

Thoughts

Thoughts by Rob Hood©5-5-08

Time is passing on my clock.

I hear the ocean's roaring

near my dock.

Life feels better

when I quantify.

I feel better measuring time

than wondering why

things are as they are.

I can't go very far

in understanding G-d's plan.

I am just a man.

I do what I can

and in the end

it matters little.

I'm glad that I'm alive

even though

I don't get the riddle.

My dog and I

My dog and I by Rob Hood©5-1-08

My dog loves to play with me!

We've been together since I was 23.

He likes to play really rough

catching balls and lots of stuff.

And afterwards he relaxes with me

by laying his head upon my knee.

The cardinal

The cardinal by Rob Hood©5-1-08

I saw a redbird yesterday.

It was a male cardinal

I'd certainly say.

In the world of creatures

males are blessed

with the prettiest features.

It's a shame, I have to say

that women are rarely attracted

to men in that way.

Weeping willows

Weeping willows by Rob Hood©5-1-08

The weeping willows were moved

by the wind's sway.

It appeared as if some apparition

caused them to pray

that they would not

have to break

as the wind

caused them

violently to shake

and their lives would

continue another day.

The tree stump

The tree stump by Rob Hood©5-1-08

I see before me a lonely tree stump.

It's been shortened to just a clump.

It used to stand so tall

and now it's very small.

Once a mighty oak

and now a bump!

Today's weather

Today's weather by Rob Hood©5-1-08

The sun's sheen

painted the trees green.

The sky's hue

was true blue.

The world is so nice

I don't have to think twice.

It;s a beautiful day!

It's the first of May!

Childhood

Childhood by Rob Hood©5-1-08

See the children running and jumping

having some fun!

I wish childhood was forever!

My joy would never be done!

I'm lost

I'm lost by Rob Hood©5-1-08

I'm a child lost

in a strange land.

I have strayed

from my tribal band.

I try to be of service

but I'm very nervous

because I'm in a dessert

surrounded by shifting sand!

There's a storm coming

There's a storm coming by Rob Hood©5-1-08

I can feel it in the air

and I see dark clouds

approaching from everywhere!

We're gonna have a storm

because it's been too warm

and the climate will be

rain, not fair.

A lazy day

A lazy day by Rob Hood©5-1-08

Old houses line the street

filled with people for me to greet!

It's nice to get out on this land

and there's no need to hurry

because I have nothing planned.

My identity crisis

My identity crisis by Rob Hood©5-1-08

I want to get into my car

and drive away

really far

away from the world

that I know

because I'm sad and

full of woe!

Im trapped by

my family name

I want to get past it

and it's shame.

I'll settle in another place.

I'll change my ID

and have my own space!