Tree Apparel by Sheila Benedis-- Art and Poem

Art, photo, and poem by Sheila Benedis

Tree Apparel

 

I write Trees Apparel poem

I relate tree’s apparel

Its leaves

To tree’s true feelings

In all four seasons

 

The tree feels power and glory

In winter’s nakedness

Proudly shows off its structure

 

As spring descends

Radiant flower blooming

Still content

Minimal covering of authentic life

 

Descends into summer darkness

With full leaf cover

Lost its life force

 

Revives in the fall

After a brilliant show of color

Happily sheds its leaves

Brings armature back to life

 

 underground network of roots

for sharing and communication

trees social beings

positive effect on our emotions

 

The armature of the tree in winter

is the bones of my sculpture

I’m trying to capture the

Tree’s true essence in my art

The tree has a powerful voice

a symbol of my identity as an artist

my inner voice speaks

it celebrates my life’s work

Courtroom Humor from Simone Thornber

These are from a book called "Disorder in Court" and are things people actually said, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the responsibility of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
______________________________
 
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________
   
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget?  Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
______________________________

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20, very close to your IQ.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I need a different attorney.  Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant  to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________
  
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you  performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: ALL of your responses MUST be oral, OK?  What school did you attend?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
______________________________
    
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you
began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar..
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law. 

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Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.