Gaia Community: Donan's Blog

The Second Day of Spring

http://donan.gaia.com — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:17:07 GMT

I did not realize
how heavily the clouds
did weigh upon my heart
until rain fell--

Loudly it pounded
all night
amid thunder's song
and lightning's flash.

This morning i woke
to the sound of birds,
the smell of orange blossom
wafting on wet air,
pink cherry,
dogwood,
the beauty of a world
in balance,
and, for the first time
in a long while,
with my eyes open enough
to see it

Tags: Spring, Balance, Energy, Trust, Beauty, Nature, Blossoms, Awake, Poetry, Poem

Home

http://donan.gaia.com — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:10:21 GMT

It is winter
The cold rain has driven
All colour from the trees
Iced branches snap
Crash to the ground
Jagged stubbs remain

The darkening sky
Cries warning
All is vanquished
Bleak, forgotten

Those broken branches
Crackling heat of yesterdays growth
Were never so much tragedy
As might have seemed
A soft fire glows in my hearth

I am warm
I am contented
I am home

Tags: winter, hope, life, warmth, family, healing, rain, poem, poetry

Economic Recovery Solutions

http://donan.gaia.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:42:20 GMT

As you well know, our economy is in serious trouble. I just dropped the following off to my congressman's office along with a personal note; if you agree with me, please send this to your representative or direct your congressman or senator here-make sure you put your contact info on it in case your representative wants to speak with you about your opinion (it happens) :

Dear Congressman/Senator...

Agreeing that something must be done, i suggest that the bailout most beneficial to all Americans and to our economy would be a bailout for troubled homeowners rather than a blind bailout for financial institutions. This will stabilize the markets faster than the proposed $700 billion blank check. Rarely has government ever used funds wisely, particularly when there is no definite plan for usage--we should not expect that to change when times are dire. We need to institute a real solution. I believe we can, but only with your help and the strong leadership we sought when you were elected.

This first notion will be nothing new to you, but it strikes me as tragic that the plan passed a few months ago, The HOPE for Homeowners Act of 2008*, which, with $300 billion in funding, encouraged banks to mitigate their exposure in difficult mortgage instruments with minimal write-down has not been adopted by the very financial institutions now requiring bailout.

The market for Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) is dead because no one actually knows what is inside some of those MBS's and no institution wants to buy a 21st century junk bond...In a moral failure, institutions would rather have the government buy the MBS's blindly than reveal what they actually are and write down the losses...it is lower corporate risk for the boards to hold out for a free-ticket bailout without actually figuring out what is inside these devalued securities. The MBS market will not turn until the MBS model has been purged of its inflated valuations.

The rules and rationale which a lender's Loss Mitigation Departments use are designed to try and keep as much as possible for the banks and thereby prop up MBS values--this is shortsighted and self-defeating. Institutions must look at the packages they have securitized and determine which loans in the package are in difficulty. Those loans should be cleaned and written down as dictated by a modified, mandatory version of the FHA backed HOPE plan. This will impact stock prices, no doubt, and it will not be as instant as a blind governmental buyout, but it will be much fairer to the taxpayer and it will restore liquidity to the market while telling business that government will not reward poor practice.

A swift law which forces the immediate reevaluation of notes prior to foreclosure, within the confines of that plan (or expanded as I will explain below), rather than leaving the write-downs an option to the institutions, in order that/before they might obtain any favorable governmental purchase of those instruments, should be written. With this law in place these same instruments, which have low value due to increased risk, can be made less risky by repackaging, even if the write-downs are roughly 30% of value.

Rationale: If 10 to 20% of all mortgages are in trouble and those mortgages are 30% over home value by today's market standards, a 12 trillion homes market size at 15% in foreclosure or danger of the same is $1.8 trillion. If the average property value has declined 30%, that decline amounts to $360 billion or roughly half what is being requested for the bailout.

If we recognize that there are many homes in the nation whose owners are in trouble but who have thus far managed to remain current we could potentially increase the jeopardy to the $700 billion mark. This should amount to a total bailout of the banking system.

[Aside: The U.S. stock market still has roughly the same absolute value it had a month ago when it was trading substantially up from where it is today. The price, or perceived value, has markedly shifted. This is a temporary thing and like all markets, will correct appropriately once the current panic has subsided. We must recognize that the goal of any plan should not be to preserve market value for the financial institutions or, regrettably, even the retirement incomes of those who have seen such amazing returns for the last 15 years--throughout most of this bubble--now eroded. Record reported profits on buried risk has inflated institutional stock prices and brought excessively large bonuses to individuals who were unscrupulous in their efforts: this activity must not be rewarded--the boards and even the unfortunate stockholders of these institutions should not have their portfolios buoyed at the expense of our children's future spending potential (higher taxes=less disposable income).]

Now, if we take the above troubled institutions and force them to utilize their loss mitigation departments to swiftly restructure securitized debt according to the 90% market appraisal plan guaranteed FHA offer we find that the bailout is accomplished at an overall lower cost to taxpayers, mind you, without the happy swift “here's a bunch of cash for your bad loans” for which the boards have been holding out, BUT it solves several major problems...

1) The continued and rapid erosion of the housing market due to increased short sales and foreclosure sales is abbreviated.

2) Liquidity of troubled financial institutions is bolstered with the FHA guaranteed loans and the assurance of promised cash into the system. Forcing the institutions which hold notes to clean up their portfolio packages will create a real market for government-backed securities. Cleaned securities will have proper valuation with known risks. This does not preserve institutional profits but it does preserve the institutions themselves--their perceived value will bounce back as they return to profitability via sound fiscal policies. A side benefit is that without a semi-"free ticket" bailout, such future activities will be highly curtailed by the institutions themselves whether or not legislation such as Greenspan has suggested since the early 90's forces policies which minimize risk and conserve depositor's trust (FHFA will do much good here as well).

3) Troubled homeowners are bailed out rather than the institutions which gave them risky loans. This seems perhaps still a bit unfair to the average taxpayer who is not losing their home, but with another depressed value home kept off of the market when it would have been rendered vacant with foreclosure, Item No. 1 comes into play and benefits all homeowners with increased market valuation (as opposed with another below market sale). This creates a self-mitigating bailout which not only benefits troubled mortgagees but the owners of all homes as the market recovers.

4) By repackaging the loans via a modified HOPE plan, the value of mortgages will actually increase because a large part of the value of the loan is the risk factor calculated as a function of the likelihood of default. Making an unaffordable mortgage affordable reduces the note’s inherent risk of default to a traditionally low level thereby decreasing the risk multiplier for the security.

5) The profit share for the FHA in the existing plan greatly minimizes the people's risk of loss.

6) Public fear that the banking system will collapse can be alleviated by the clear statement of a plausible government-backed, government-mandated solution which preserves the institutions’ stability/liquidity while reducing long term risks to the taxpayers. Add the opinion of someone with credibility such as Greenspan, should he agree with this, and the fear and uncertainty in the market could be somewhat allayed as well.

7) Expansion of the existing plan to include secondary residences will further cut market loss and though it would seemingly add a level of unfairness as perception is that only the wealthy own second homes, it should be realized that a second home is not necessarily an indication of wealth and often is not.

Why should the plan be expanded?

Real-World Example No. 1: A couple who have been transferred to another city. She is a state director for a non-profit agency. He works for Unum and has been allowed to continue his employment in Ohio where they rent while they wait to sell their existing home. Their vacant home has been on the market for 8 months. They are making payments on their vacant house, are never late, and are finding themselves deeper and deeper in debt. The for sale sign notes that the house is also for lease. They cannot sell the house for less than the listed price because they simply do not have the money to pay the bank if they sell it for less than what is owed--the market absolutely won't support this and if something does not happen soon, the house could go into foreclosure and the bank will take a loss and this good family’s credit will be ruined.

Real-World Example No. 2: A single mother who works as a secretary. She has exceptional credit. No late payments ever on her mortgage...an identical house across the street just sold short for $35,000 less than what she owes. In the divorce trial earlier this year ending her 20 year marriage, she asked the judge not to award her the marital residence. The judge awarded her the house anyway and left her a budget shortfall of more than $500 a month. She has cut her expenses massively, selling her newer car and purchasing an older car which gets lower mileage, and making any other budget cut she can muster. Even with this, she still must put $200-300 every month on a credit card which is quickly filling up—additionally, the father of the children is in arrears on child support and alimony. To date she has never been late on a payment--consequently the bank will not talk to her. Proactively mitigating the chance that her children would be homeless, this single mother purchased a smaller house which needed considerable repair knowing that she would soon lose her existing home if she did not rent it for at least her payment. Downsizing and renting out the family home seemed the only way to save her credit and keep a roof over head. With the initial leasing plans fallen through she has had an offer to rent for $200 less per month than the interest-only loan payment and cannot make up the difference. A realtor friend is trying to help but the house has not yet rented.

Neither of these situations is solved with the existing plan, nor is the problem of true second homes owned by middle class people who placed their retirement funds into real estate. Admittedly those retirement funds were paid to the tier up the pyramid who actually sold before pricing plummeted, but those homes do not necessarily need to go on the market, and those people could have the opportunity to recover half of their retirement nest-egg when the market recovers. If they lose the homes, the markets will continue to erode and the almost bankrupt Social Security system will be their only social safety net.

Please take these ideas into serious consideration as you work on the Economic Recovery Package currently in Congress. To keep struggling homeowners off the streets and to save the United States taxpayers’ hard earned dollars, I ask that you weigh in directly with the above suggestions and demand that the best workable solution is attained. A strict “bailout” is a short term, short-sighted answer, but a true Economic Recovery Solution will protect the American people and bolster the economy. Please speak out as my representative to forge a working solution for working Americans everywhere.

Sincerely Yours,

Tags: HOPE, Economy, Recovery, Mortgage, Action, Active, Participation, Crash. Banking

Choices

http://donan.gaia.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:10:20 GMT

I am not so certain that any choice we make really matters all that much, unless that choice is one of conscience. If the choice is one of conscience and we go against that which we know to be right we upset the balance of our psyche and feed the dark and broken parts until they consume our identity, energy and spirit. But if the choice is mundane-- what shall i eat for breakfast? What should i do with my life? In the large scheme of things, does it make that much difference?

Most people will see breakfast versus major life decisions as being vastly separate, but i am not so sure there is any major upset in the world because one decides to be a bar tender, a truck driver or a physician. This of course assumes that each profession does not compromise the conscience of the chooser. If i wake up and wear blue, it may change the world on this day, but had i worn red would not someone else have worn blue?

Balances and imbalances will exist despite our efforts one way or the other. This is not to say we should not strive; striving is the path of life. However, when one struggles with choices which are irrelevant as if they are life or death, all that is accomplished is a focus on minutia which rob us of true choices, balance, our happiness, the moment, and if we are not careful, life.

If we turn towards self when faced with choice of conscious, ignoring higher truths around us, we will not live in peace for we will have not sought to make the right choice, only the right choice for ourselves. Were truth mutable by perception this would not be such a bad thing, but though we may influence our perception of reality and thus popularly participate in its creation, we are only participating in the creation of our perception of what is out there and not in the creation of what actually is out there.

Tags: choices, minutia, conscious, life, enlightenment, mutable, perception

Early morning tragedy

http://donan.gaia.com — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:37:07 GMT

I laid in bed last night as the diesel rumbled and the remembered sound of crunching metal mixed with flashing red and blue and occasional shouts for this or that. Flashlights frantically searched the nearby yards for any sign of survivors. It was a bad night for all. Worse for others and the day still found workmen cleaning up the aftermath.

I heard it happen and went out to see what could be done. i did not notice the missing signs. i did not find the car nor the bodies which mysteriously hid from me. I wasn't even sure that it was a crash. There was no breaking glass in that horrifically loud crunch. No squeal of tire. It was 3:54. I was outside and still needed to get dressed. The night was silent and nothing seemed out of place. Must have been somewhere else, I thought almost out loud. I went back inside.

The fire department is just a few blocks down the road. They must have heard it too and rolled a fire engine. I don't know why i did not find it first. I think there was nothing to be done. A paramedic called out for a bag and i crawled back to bed.

Tags: tragedy, crash, distance, insulated, unchosen, shock

a problem caused by ego

http://donan.gaia.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:02:01 GMT

I was talking to my father tonight about a problem he is trying to solve in a group of psychologists. It seems that they have some wrong ideas about healing people and are causing a bit of harm along the way. They cannot see it and are offended that he would suggest their methods are off base…they feel judged.

The problem is one of Ego getting in the way of correction. It is “wounding” to hear that they are not correct in their methods—he should not judge their techniques—after all they have signed on to a very popular program…the problem is, none of them have the ability to discern that their perspective is warped by their desire to be right. Whenever ego gets in the way of being corrected it is an indicator that the ego does not really know who it is—this is to say that if you must be right, you are placing your sense of self-worth in your knowledge and accomplishment and not in your intrinsic self.

In a recent discussion of Christianity where I was postulating that there is such a thing as a true Christian--someone who actually believes and acts as they espouse (the same could be said of any religion-where the actions lived match the stated conviction)--the response came back, “yes, but they are actually Buddhists”. I think this is probably true if you get right down to it. In all cases the ego is not in the way. Self has not been deprecated but has been identified as separate from ones circumstance and ability, be it spiritual or otherwise, and therefore has not been improperly raised to a hidden and unrealized glorification of self.

The correctable self is the stronger self. Correction is learning, not weakness.

The true value of self is not found in what is known or not known; it is not found in what is believed or not believed; it is not found in ability nor in talent. The true value of a being is found in full participation in, and of, life. Beyond the turning to that which is divine and the participation of spirit and soul, and perhaps even mind, in a greater collective it boils down to this: survival of self versus survival of all. The weaker of us strive for the former, but the true self recognizes that survival of self values more, even requires, the latter.

Tags: Ego, correction, pop, psychology, self, Buddism, Christianity, truth, judgement, learning, community

song of the season

http://donan.gaia.com — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:12:27 GMT

she's called the summer rain
in beauty she does rage
till come on autumn's wind
lays ice on branch to cold assuage

dormant lies the bud and bloom
soon enough their spring will rise
radiant sun sweet life exhume
pour your gold and winter lyse

now bring me summer's heat
with deep'ning green erstwhile
herein my cool retreat
returns my heart from hard exile

Tags: poem, poetry, spring, life, summer, rain

Can you see it?

http://donan.gaia.com — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:50:47 GMT

I walk barefoot through the field
Feeling the grass between my toes
As I walk alongside the gentle stream
I want to skip with you by my side
Listening, together, to the sound
Of eternity, this rippling brook,
And of birds.

Were all time laid out before me
I wonder if I might recognize
The things which,
When taken alone,
Seemed not so important
Or so very important,
To be but blades
which bend in the breeze;
And might the tiny moments
(I took them for mere buds while racing along)
Have been the sprouting of acorns
Now forests grown and shelter
For song, bird,
Or perhaps, even,
A silver flower?

Might the minutes gone be reclaimed?
Some beautiful flicker of light?
A glint off the eye of God
Giving meaning to my loss?
And the coin, which I carelessly spent, comes again?
Here do I rejoice
Not as a pauper, not as a vagabond,
But as a wanderer, once lost, finally home.

Tags: time, year, eternity, reflecting, poem, poetry, prose

Midnight

http://donan.gaia.com — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:23:50 GMT

It is midnight, that moment between yesterday and today and i sit here with a choice to make: Do i ponder yesterday, find some musing about where i have been, or do i consider tomorrow and think about where i am going?

Initially i find that i am left floating in between because i ponder something other than this moment. Remembering and planning has a time and when it is to be, it is best done firmly in the now. Should i reconsider yesterday, i must do it from this moment--not dwell in some lost opportunity wearing heavy regret nor recalling some great triumph in which to rest--no, the considering must be the action of the moment...and if i plan tomorrow, perhaps even try to figure out the way events will unfold and line contingencies for each variable, it must again be the action of this moment and not some living in tomorrow which i carelessly (and all too easily) exchange for living in the now. This moment. This midnight.

Peace
Donan

Tags: midnight, moment, pondering, past, future

all is as it should be

http://donan.gaia.com — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:01:48 GMT

It is a simple thing to say "All will be well." It is quite another thing to hear it. And yet another entirely to stand when the sky is falling, to persist, sustain, survive.

And then, eventually, comes a time to collapse--to let the stars shatter the ground as dust chokes the eye and blots out the sun, if only for a short while. My prayer is that when the world changes and all that once made sense is obscured, you land in the arms of someone who cares and, there, find comfort.

Tags: loss, comfort, strength, friendship, life, peace

it could be spring for all i know

http://donan.gaia.com — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:17:44 GMT

it could be spring for all i know
were i to let my memory pass
and take this day
without those which have gone before it.
or perhaps it's a cool summer day--
the leaves are certainly green enough
and the light is beautiful today
but here, the sun is a bit low:
this must be the fall in that time
before the trees have figured it out
and turned their leaves
to yellow and crimson
presenting themselves as authors
of their new dreamworld
and they, children, with bright crayons
and free imaginations
not ready to drop their foliage
nor surrender to the harsh winter.
it could be spring for all i know

Tags: spring, fall, light, beauty, moment, peace, crayons, prose

Ramblings on a Noisy Day

http://donan.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:02:39 GMT

I am not sure what forever is--perhaps some construct we have modeled in our linear minds to describe something about which we, trapped in this moment, know nothing. Yet we almost all believe we can extrapolate the future from what we perceive to be our past with the understanding that time moves along this narrow defined line.

It is a circular definition that we use to measure time. We define the speed of light (or any other force by which we could measure time) a constant, and quanitfy time, not by the force itself, but by something which we believe to occur at a fixed rate--but does it really? Or is it simply illumined by this force which we barely touch and, though we have named it, cannot hold, observe or even define. Sure, you can watch the atomic clock, but can you actually watch an instant? What is a moment?

But it is not so simple as this if all time exists, particularly, if time is not linear at all. Perhaps we live tomorrow separate from this line, infinite turnings on some continuum most of which this little line in my head will never touch. Can we ever fully know tomorrow if we do not even stop and know today?

To quantify a basal unit of time could be the next really big discovery in the realm of physics. I am not certain that such a unit exists, but there are enough clues in things in the known physical universe (such as intertwined particles which, inexplicably, alter simultaneously independent of distance between them), which indicate that there are other forces at work than those explained via yesterdays simple forces to suggest to me that such might exist, that something more must exist. It may be, for instance, that the reason gravity is so weak compared to other forces is that it is, like time, a ubiquitous force and we only sense a small portion of it. Were we to look at gravity in light of time, we might see it as the monumental force that logic tells us that it should be. Perhaps time itself is unmeasured because we have only encountered one unit of it and for such reason do not recognize the pull. I suppose that time will tell ;-)

Tags: time, philosophy, meanderings

Lessons from a dry field

http://donan.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:36:14 GMT

I watched a deer startle at the discovery of my presence; I held still and it slowly resumed grazing—this, without fear. Here is the essence of life in the moment; and I need to see this for I sometimes forget to set aside the past and instead dwell in some moment where I am no longer living—this I let frame my moment and occasionally even my happiness.

The frame of tomorrow and this moment must be laid in tomorrow and this moment. I respect the past and remember for yesterday is the foundation on which I build today, but I do not belong to it and the startling events of yesterday cannot own me unless I lie beaten, a faded shadow of humanity, and do not live today. Here today I stand on top of a mountain of yesterdays and from this height I can see plainly that it is a good day to graze on the beauty of life.

Tags: moment, life, beauty, deer, yesterday

he dreams again

http://donan.gaia.com — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:55:15 GMT

Zeus, what do you dream about? You, who commands and orders that the stars align to your will and whims, why do your muscles twitch, your eyes dance about? Why does your breathing follow a shaky rhythm? Otherwise you lie there, motionless. A great powerful god sleeping while men dance about in their mundane lives--and you roll over and grunt. What peace does a god have when he sleeps? Is this the only time that men do not war against each other, or is it when you sleep that they begin, angry people, riding about, striking what mischief they may whilst your back is turned, and you must straighten the world, once again, yet again, upon your waking...and once order is restored you, having thrown your lightning bolts and barked out your desires such that even kings fall in line lest they again face the teeth of your wrath, will finally rest again in a quiet moment. Oh Zeus, what do you dream about when you sleep?

Tags: zeus, gods, dreams, war, peace, sleep

cell death

http://donan.gaia.com — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 20:42:54 GMT

in an instant
it drops
slips
through
forbidden ring
plop bloop
and now
it sleeps
in silence
meant only
for fish
sponge
and occasionally
soap bubbles

there it lies
it dies
slows
confused
for tis not made
spark flash
to swim
it drinks
in death
twas only
for air
speech
and occasionally
text messages

Tags: poem, poetry, silliness

two poems for a saturday afternoon

http://donan.gaia.com — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 21:17:08 GMT

southern pine

i’ll not cut this tree
that stood ere I was
long, tall, strong

though it breaks concrete
cold stone laid by men
it will stand

till nature decides
it’s life is over
and it falls

of its own accord

~ ~ ~

defeating a manufactured identity

It is a glorious day and quiet
The sun too high for machines
And men who would trade this silence
For the taming of nature
Turning beauty into riot

Stacks of books with paper covers
Content wildly different
all to show control of life
pretending as the others
that nature calls to serve them too

yet earth declares their work obscene
and on this day obedience
must overcome the doer
calm his churn of ordered rot
and mark this day a world serene

Tags: poem, poetry, saturday, suburbs, conformity

thunder

http://donan.gaia.com — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 04:47:57 GMT

the sun rolled on
to some foreign land
where it was desired
even worshipped
on that one day
before night
fell
dark
clouds
loomed
now distant
they do not roll
towards my home
winds no longer blow
no, the storm has passed
growing smaller by the day
alive I plunge into raging torrents
that flood a land that once knew only
the tastes of dust and famine

Tags: poem, poetry, thunder, sun, night, famine

News of the day

http://donan.gaia.com — Sat, 26 May 2007 19:16:08 GMT

I just received word that a friend is shipping out on Tuesday for Iraq. He was born the day before me and about a mile away. I am godfather to his son. He’s a good man, a good father, and an honorable husband to his wife. And I am struck with the enormity of everything, and the great loss of energy that is continually poured into wars and conflicts; be they just or not, it is still energy spent for naught.

And I worry for him. I worry for his wife and young son. I worry that they will be apart for this time so important in the formation of a child—in the formation of a man who will follow in his father’s steps as a man with integrity—as his father works to construct a sense of security in another world.

Tomorrow at three we will celebrate our friendship and I will wish him well--tell him goodbye, for a little while. I will tell him that he can sleep well knowing that his wife and son will not want in his absence. I will, like so many others, tell him to be safe—he is a smart man and he will be safe, as will those in his command. Perhaps if the world found a few more like him, we would not need wars, nor conflict, nor would a child need to wake up in the morning with his father a world away in a land devoid of peace.

Yesterday at the office we entertained a mayor, a senator’s chief field aid, and many others who sat around our conference table wanting to know about business and what they could do to attract and keep talent in the city and state—they wanted to know how we have found so many people with extreme talent and why people are willing to uproot themselves, settle here, and work for our little company—often for a good bit less than the insane careers they could have elsewhere in business. They wanted to know why people want to make a difference in the world and how that can excite people. And today I learn about a friend that they would want to keep being pulled from his job to point a small group of dedicated men, also pulled from their jobs, their wives, their daughters and sons, and their community.

He will keep them safe in the desert and bring them back to our little town which will line the interstate and hang banners from bridges.

In bocca al lupo—crepi il lupo. E qui, il lupo è guerra.

Tags: War, honor, man, iraq, shipping, out, godson, senator, energy, peace

VAT

http://donan.gaia.com — Fri, 25 May 2007 04:00:08 GMT

We can improve it
Put our mark on it
For a dime

Sure, there is more
Far better in what nature wrought
But who can profit from the god of time

Tags: poem, poetry, VAT, industry, pharmaceutical, government, profit, compromise, values

E17g

http://donan.gaia.com — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:35:39 GMT

i will sing loudly
though thunder may drown out my song
i will laugh deeply
though clouds may hide sun
while rain covers my soul
i will cry boldly
for blossoms burst springtime
these shatter the cold
let me speak spring, light, thunder and …

laughter rings in the background
hear, she is happy
and sorrow
relegated to the end of time

Tags: poem, poetry