dennis scharnberg

bird and bee

A is for the long-lost awls,

B for fools of the busy old kind.

C is for chins on porcelain dolls,

D for diaries left unsigned.

E is for effort and resultant pay,

F for fortune with no delay

and for the fiddle (may its droning stay).

Patrick Malmsey, Collected Poems.

telling porkie pies

It is not possible to prove that “external reality” exists. It is also not possible to prove that there is any need to prove it.

Godfrey Tooke, Collected Aphorisms.

inside the box

And, of course, don’t forget that you might be dreaming!

Godfrey Tooke, Collected Aphorisms.

up and scoot

“You either see it or you don’t, Wilkins. Reasoning about the matter will get you nowhere.”

Stoke Twombly, The Tragedians.

new board games

The material world is a void, not a plenum.

Godfrey Tooke, Collected Aphorisms.

it appears that

“I am the satisfied owner of not one but two detached sheds,” admitted Jackson. “And that’s all I really care about. Well, that and ale, and the occasional plate of bread and cheese.”

Adrian Caliban, The Magnificent Egglestons.

whirling twirling swirling

“Who is blowing on that duck call?” wondered Miss Hawkins. “Certainly not Jack Gilbert. That is a wonderful young man.”

Stacie Knotts, Crazy Days.

delivering old ends

“I will make that call. And not only soon, but very soon.” Trevor believed that even the most paltry TV ad deserved a direct oral response from the viewer.

Anselm Bligh, A Collection of Miniatures.

gold coins untold

He was once believed to have been a member (in absentia) of the Boondoggle Brotherhood, also known as the Hoppity Hoopers. Not to mention his years as Hogenmeister of the Great Swogglers of the Horn, in the 1920s.

Will Southey, Government Cheese, the Novel.

going insane faster

Supporting the Caws

Andrew Tertullian, Pandora’s Ponderous Puns.