It has been whispered that David Ritchie didn't locate the Islamic Allah in his bar for fear of a fatwa issued by the mullah of the Portland Mosque. Surely not, I whispered back. Everyone knows Allah doesn't drink. Lawrence _____ From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John McCreery Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 3:15 AM To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Sunday Poem (including geary) Very nice. Except that is for the assertion that Shinto deities don't drink. Sake (rice wine) is a usual offering, and Shinto festivals usually involve imbibing a lot of it. John On 1/14/07, David Ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: god, having heard so much poetry recently, i popped down a pub last tuesday and in the snug there was the usual clot of greek geeks muttering about hubris and something the romans were scheduled for an away match darts i think but the public bar was stuffed to the rafters with gods the old testament fellow had his usual seat a pint of mild and a chaser full of wrath planning plagues no doubt working on his handicap it's hard to tell with him he's so quiet till he wants to set the shrubs on fire buddha was swallowing water keeping his incarnations reasonably in check geary's personal god was busy working out some kind of deal with a cartel of nuns and that very severe-looking chap from chapel was obnoxious as ever until someone put the rugby on the tele diana was looking very fetching in her new hunting scrubs which is more than i can say of dinonysis, with fifteen pints lined up and a carry-out in every crisis the shinto fellow was well into a bar game raking sand in a little dish i think he, of course, doesn't drink the god of all fishes was sitting beside him compensating i can't think where the druidic spirits went maybe away playing hurley and late in which meant the wiccans hogged all the prime seats beside the fire and the newt-eye appetiser of aboriginal dreams there was but little trace ochre on the floor and lizards by the door the easter island guys morose about their loss sang slow songs between bowls of cava a few vikings were in tremendous mood, which can be fun but suddenly when one said he needed my seat and a bloody mary or if they were still serving sacrificial blood a half a glass of that i was done in slipping out the door exiting near the loo David Ritchie, Portland, Oregon ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html -- John McCreery The Word Works, Ltd., Yokohama, JAPAN Tel. +81-45-314-9324 http://www.wordworks.jp/