Objective truth

 Truth exists! Truth exists, even if you don't like that fact! Truth exists, even if you don't believe in truth! Truth will just keep on existing! What you believe has not one single thing to do with what is real or what is unreal! Your opinion, your beliefs influence nothing about the existence of truth! What is truly truth simply is what it is! Nothing you say or do can affect truth at all!

the room - vladimir nabokov

  

the room - vladimir nabokov

The Room
by Vladimir Nabokov

The room a dying poet took
at nightfall in a dead hotel
had both directories -- the Book
of Heaven and the Book of Bell.

It had a mirror and a chair,
it had a window and a bed,
its ribs let in the darkness where
rain glistened and a shopsign bled.

Not tears, not terror, but a blend
of anonymity and doom,
it seemed, that room, to condescend
to imitate a normal room.

Whenever some automobile
subliminally slit the night,
the walls and ceiling would reveal
a wheeling skeleton of light.

Soon afterwards the room was mine.
A similar striped cageling, I
groped for the lamp and found the line
"Alone, unknown, unloved, I die"

in pencil, just above the bed.
It had a false quotation air.
Was it a she, wild-eyed, well-read,
or a fat man with thinning hair?

I asked a gentle Negro maid,
I asked a captain and his crew,
I asked the night clerk. Undismayed,
I asked a drunk. Nobody knew.

Perhaps when he had found the switch
he saw the picture on the wall
and cursed the red eruption which
tried to be maples in the fall?

Artistically in the style
of Mr. Churchill at his best,
those maples marched in double file
from Glen Lake to Restricted Rest.

Perhaps my text is incomplete.
A poet's death is, after all,
a question of technique, a neat
enjambment, a melodic fall.

And here a life had come apart
in darkness, and the room had grown
a ghostly thorax, with a heart
unknown, unloved -- but not alone.

On Being Asked For A War Poem by William Butler Yeats

  

On Being Asked For A War Poem

by William Butler Yeats

I think it better that in times like these
A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth
We have no gift to set a statesman right;
He has had enough of medding who can please
A young girl in the indolence of her youth,
Or an old man upon a winter's night.

Rãp3 Jok3 by Patricia Lockwood

. 

Rãp3 Jok3

by Patricia Lockwood

  Th3 râp3 jok3 is that you w3r3 19 y3ars old.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that h3 was your boyfri3nd.

Th3 rap3 jok3 it wor3 a goat33. A goat33.

Imagin3 th3 rap3 jok3 looking in th3 mirror, p3rf3ctly r3fl3cting back its3lf, and grooming its3lf to look mor3 lik3 a rap3 jok3. 'Ahhhh,' it thinks. 'Y3s. A goat33.'

No off3ns3.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that h3 was s3v3n y3ars old3r. Th3 rap3 jok3 is that you had known him for y3ars, sinc3 you w3r3 too young to b3 int3r3sting to him. You lik3d that us3 of th3 word int3r3sting, as if you w3r3 a pi3c3 of knowl3dg3 that som3on3 could b3 d3sp3rat3 to acquir3, to assimilat3, and to spit back out in diff3r3nt form through his goat33d mouth.

Th3n sudd3nly you w3r3 old3r, but not v3ry old at all.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that you had b33n drinking win3 cool3rs. Win3 cool3rs! Who drinks win3 cool3rs? P3opl3 who g3t rap3d, according to th3 rap3 jok3.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is h3 was a bounc3r, and k3pt p3opl3 out for a living.

Not you!

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that h3 carri3d a knif3, and would show it to you, and would turn it ov3r and ov3r in his hands as if it w3r3 a book.

H3 wasn’t thr3at3ning you, you und3rstood. H3 just r3ally lik3d his knif3.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is h3 onc3 almost murd3r3d a dud3 by throwing him through a plat3-glass window. Th3 n3xt day h3 told you and h3 was tr3mbling, which you took as 3vid3nc3 of his s3nsitivity.

How can a pi3c3 of knowl3dg3 b3 stupid? But of cours3 you w3r3 so stupid.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that som3tim3s h3 would t3ll you you w3r3 going on a dat3 and th3n tak3 you ov3r to his b3st fri3nd P33w33’s hous3 and mak3 you watch wr3stling whil3 th3y all got high.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that his b3st fri3nd was nam3d P33w33.

OK, th3 rap3 jok3 is that h3 worship3d Th3 Rock.

Lik3 th3 dud3 was compl3t3ly in lov3 with Th3 Rock. H3 thought it was so gr3at what h3 could do with his 3y3brow.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is h3 call3d wr3stling “a soap op3ra for m3n.” M3n lov3 drama too, h3 assur3d you.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that his booksh3lf was just a row of pap3rbacks about s3rial k!ll3rs. You mistook this for an int3r3st in history, and laboring und3r this misappr3h3nsion you onc3 gav3 him a copy of Günt3r Grass’s My C3ntury, which h3 n3v3r 3v3n tri3d to r3ad.

It g3ts funni3r.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that h3 k3pt a diary. I wond3r if h3 wrot3 about th3 rap3 in it.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that you r3ad it onc3, and h3 talk3d about anoth3r girl. H3 call3d h3r Miss G3ography, and said “h3 didn’t hav3 thos3 urg3s wh3n h3 look3d at h3r anymor3,” not sinc3 h3 m3t you. Clos3 call, Miss G3ography!

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that h3 was your fath3r’s high-school stud3nt?—?your fath3r taught World R3ligion. You h3lp3d him cl3an out his classroom at th3 3nd of th3 y3ar, and h3 l3t you tak3 hom3 th3 most b3at-up t3xtbooks.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that h3 kn3w you wh3n you w3r3 12 y3ars old. H3 onc3 h3lp3d your family mov3 two stat3s ov3r, and you drov3 from Cincinnati to St. Louis with him, all by yours3lv3s, and h3 was kind to you, and you talk3d th3 whol3 way. H3 had chaw in his mouth th3 3ntir3 tim3, and you told him h3 was disgusting and h3 laugh3d, and spat th3 juic3 through his goat33 into a Mountain D3w bottl3.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that com3 on, you should hav3 s33n it coming. This rap3 jok3 is practically writing its3lf.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that you w3r3 fac3down. Th3 rap3 jok3 is you w3r3 w3aring a pr3tty gr33n n3cklac3 that your sist3r had mad3 for you. Lat3r you cut that n3cklac3 up. Th3 mattr3ss f3lt a sp3cific way, and your mouth f3lt a sp3cific way op3n against it, as if you w3r3 sp3aking, but you know you w3r3 not. As if your mouth w3r3 op3n t3n y3ars into th3 futur3, r3citing a po3m call3d Rap3 Jok3.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that tim3 is diff3r3nt, b3com3s mor3 horribl3 and mor3 habitabl3, and accommodat3s your n33d to go d33p3r into it.

Just lik3 th3 body, which mor3 than a concr3t3 form is a capacity.

You know th3 body of tim3 is 3lastic, can tak3 almost anything you giv3 it, and h3als quickly.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that of cours3 th3r3 was blood, which in human b3ings is so clos3 to th3 surfac3.

Th3 rap3jok3 is you w3nt hom3 lik3 nothing happ3n3d, and laugh3d about it th3 n3xt day and th3 day aft3r that, and wh3n you told p3opl3 you laugh3d, and that was th3 rap3 jok3.

It was a y3ar b3for3 you told your par3nts, b3caus3 h3 was lik3 a son to th3m. Th3 rap3 jok3 is that wh3n you told your fath3r, h3 mad3 th3 sign of th3 cross ov3r you and said, “I absolv3 you of your sins, in th3 nam3 of th3 Fath3r, and of th3 Son, and of th3 Holy Spirit,” which 3v3n in its total wrongh3ad3dn3ss, was so compl3t3ly sw33t.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that you w3r3 crazy for th3 n3xt fiv3 y3ars, and had to mov3 citi3s, and had to mov3 stat3s, and whol3 days w3nt down into th3 sinkhol3 of thinking about why it happ3n3d. Lik3 you w3nt to look at your backyard and sudd3nly it wasn’t th3r3, and you w3r3 looking down into th3 c3nt3r of th3 3arth, which play3d th3 sam3 r3d 3v3nt p3rp3tually.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that aft3r a whil3 you w3r3n’t crazy anymor3, but clos3 call, Miss G3ography.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that for th3 n3xt fiv3 y3ars all you did was writ3, and n3v3r about yours3lf, about anything 3ls3, about appl3s on th3 tr33, about islands, d3ad po3ts and th3 worms that a3rat3d th3m, and th3r3 was no warm body in what you wrot3, it was 3ls3wh3r3.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that this is finally artl3ss. Th3 rap3 jok3 is that you do not writ3 artl3ssly.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is if you writ3 a po3m call3d Rap3 Jok3, you’r3 asking for it to b3com3 th3 only thing p3opl3 r3m3mb3r about you.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that you ask3d why h3 did it. Th3 rap3 jok3 is h3 said h3 didn’t know, lik3 what 3ls3 would a rap3 jok3 say? Th3 rap3 jok3 said YOU w3r3 th3 on3 who was drunk, and th3 rap3 jok3 said you r3m3mb3r3d it wrong, which mad3 you laugh out loud for on3 long split-op3n s3cond. Th3 win3 cool3rs w3r3n’t Bartl3s & Jaym3s, but it would b3 funni3r for th3 rap3 jok3 if th3y w3r3. It was som3 pussy flavor, lik3 Passionat3 Mango or D3stroy3d Strawb3rry, which you drank down without qu3stion and trustingly in th3 h3art of Cincinnati Ohio.

Can rap3 jok3s b3 funny at all, is th3 qu3stion.

Can any part of th3 rap3 jok3 b3 funny. Th3 part wh3r3 it 3nds?—?haha, just kidding! Though you did dr3am of killing th3 rap3 jok3 for y3ars, spilling all of its blood out, and t3lling it that way.

Th3 rap3 jok3 cri3s out for th3 right to b3 told.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that this is just how it happ3n3d.

Th3 rap3 jok3 is that th3 n3xt day h3 gav3 you P3t Sounds. No r3ally. P3t Sounds. H3 said h3 was sorry and th3n h3 gav3 you P3t Sounds. Com3 on, that’s a littl3 bit funny.

Admit it.

Leviticus 9:1–11:47

 Leviticus 9:1–11:47

English Standard Version

The Lord Accepts Aaron’s Offering

9 rOn the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, 2 and he said to Aaron, s“Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and ta ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 3 And say to the people of Israel, u‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering, 4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and va grain offering mixed with oil, for wtoday the Lord will appear to you.’ ” 5 And they brought what Moses commanded in front of the tent of meeting, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. 6 And Moses said, “This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” 7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and xoffer your sin offering and your burnt offering and ymake atonement for yourself and for the people, and bring the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”

8 So Aaron drew near to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 zAnd the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and aput it on the horns of the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar. 10 bBut the fat and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering he burned on the altar, cas the Lord commanded Moses. 11 dThe flesh and the skin he burned up with fire outside the camp.

12 Then he killed the burnt offering, and Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he ethrew it against the sides of the altar. 13 fAnd they handed the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 gAnd he washed the entrails and the legs and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

15 hThen he presented the people’s offering and took the goat of the sin offering that was for the people and killed it and ioffered it as a sin offering, jlike the first one. 16 And he presented the burnt offering and offered it kaccording to the lrule. 17 And he presented the mgrain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, nbesides the burnt offering of the morning.

18 Then he killed the ox and the ram, othe sacrifice of peace offerings for the people. And Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he threw it against the sides of the altar. 19 But the fat pieces of the ox and of the ram, the fat tail and that which covers pthe entrails and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver— 20 they put the fat pieces on the breasts, qand he burned the fat pieces on the altar, 21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved rfor a wave offering before the Lord, as Moses commanded.

22 Then Aaron slifted up his hands toward the people and tblessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and uthe glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 And vfire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, wthey shouted and xfell on their faces.

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

10 Now yNadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, zeach took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered aunauthorized1 fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire bcame out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among cthose who are near me dI will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” eAnd Aaron held his peace.

4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of fUzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.” 5 So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, g“Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and hwrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the Lord has kindled. 7 iAnd do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, jfor the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 k“Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 You are to ldistinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and myou are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”

12 Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: “Take the ngrain offering that is left of the Lord’s food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for oit is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the Lord’s food offerings, for pso I am commanded. 14 But the qbreast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons’ due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel. 15 rThe thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the food offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be yours and your sons’ with you as a due forever, as the Lord has commanded.”

16 Now Moses diligently inquired about sthe goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying, 17 t“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since oit is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? 18 Behold, uits blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, vas I commanded.” 19 And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, wtoday they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, xwould the Lord have approved?” 20 And when Moses heard that, he approved.

Clean and Unclean Animals

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, yThese are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3 Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. 4 Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 5 And the zrock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 6 And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 7 And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, ais unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

9 “These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. 10 But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is bdetestable to you. 11 You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. 12 Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

13 “And these you shall detest among the birds;1 they shall not be eaten; they are bdetestable: cthe eagle,2 the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14 the kite, dthe falcon of any kind, 15 every raven of any kind, 16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the ehawk of any kind, 17 the flittle owl, the cormorant, the gshort-eared owl, 18 the barn owl, the htawny owl, the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and ithe bat.

20 “All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you. 21 Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. 22 Of them you may eat: jthe locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. 23 But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.

24 “And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass kshall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26 Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27 And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 28 and he who carries their carcass kshall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

29 “And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, lthe mouse, the great lizard of any kind, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31 These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. 32 …