The Lament of Ma Cheng

"Any Tom, Dick or Harry" refers to an unspecified person. The equivalent in China is "some Zhang, some Li".

At last count, there are 92 million Wangs, followed by 91 million Li's and 86 million Zhangs in China.

The grandfather of our protagonist, Ma Cheng, found a rare character for her name - so rare that once people see it, they remember her and her name.

However, the Chinese government says "Name not on our list, Change it" ( see New York Times article here)

I was inspired to write an original limerick. Hence,

THE LAMENT OF MA CHENG

In a vast land, where millions are called the same
An original solution, this problem overcame
I stood out as a character special
But it irks the system judicial
To be listed as someone, I need to change my name!

Steel and Ink

Steel and ink
Just feel, don't think
The line will turn
The blood will run
A heart rise, an impression sink.

Ink and steel
Just think, don't feel
The line will turn
The blood will run
A mind open, the skin seal.

For Matt S, of Analog.

The Year of The Ox

Hurry, get the firecrackers out of the box
Get dressed, don't forget the red socks.
With hard work we won't falter,
Let's hope this year to prosper
Come, let's welcome the Year of The Ox.

Happy Chinese New Year.

Oil: Black or Red?

Rising gas pump prices have consumers seeing red.

How about the human cost of oil? It has me seeing red - in a different way.


The petrol I pour in my car looks red
From a war that claims its weekly dead,
Will our appetite for the oil
That springs from blood-soaked soil
Forever curse an innocent mother's head?

Jason Bourne: "Run as job one"

This week I am writing a limerick for an actor in one of my three favorite film trilogies. Matt Damon became the unexpected success in the Bourne franchise and redefined the action genre with his portrayal of Jason Bourne - an intelligent, vulnerable and kinetic action hero on the run. The hunter and the hunted.

If you have not, I fully recommend seeing all 3 movies. Or see them again. The latest one won 2 Oscars in 2008.

Here's one for Matt Damon.

The Bourne trilogy has achieved a feat uncommon
Made a star-celebrity of 'baby-face' Matt Damon,
No longer chained is the action-hero
To cracking skulls at climes sub-zero
Appearing vulnerable is an emotion, he too can summon.

Ben Shalom Bernanke: "He's Nobleman Banker"

(March Madness or Work Insanity. March was a wash due to a heavy workload. Or was it writer's block? Catching up now.)

With the bleak economy on the front page, "Doctor" Bernanke has his work 'cut out for him.'


His brows furrowed, his mind sharp for action
A troubled outlook, he readies for a contraction.
"Should I utter the "R" word,
While falling on my sword?
And move quickly for a chop-chop C-section."

Angst About French Cinema

I watched a French movie called La Moustache recently. The entire movie dwells on a man and his (missing) moustache.

Now mind you, the critics have loved it. Here is the limerick it inspired...


In French movies, the practice is widespread
To examine characters while not much is said,
They angst about the mundane
And dwell over the inane,
The abrupt endings leave me scratching my head.