Skip to main content

Tribute to Dr. Seuss

In this episode, A Tribute to Dr. Seuss . . .

by; Patrick Ball

From Amazon, it must have been kismet,

I received my first book, such a joy to revisit.

Hand-delivered by truck,

Dr. Seuss, Oh, what luck!


Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

I know what you’re thinking,

“You’re too old for kids' books, wake up - stop dreaming.”


The winter is dark, a rediscovery - who me?

The thrill of reading, It’s what sets you free. 

Like you, I’m off to great places. “We’re off and away!”

Reading is fun amidst the news of today.


Come on - you’ve read Ted Geisel, you may recall,

The Grinch Christmas podcast was recorded last fall.


That wasn’t a book, but a digital rendition,

We read from a Kindle, Oh My, we Broke tradition!

It worked, on an iPad, artwork in color.

But let's be clear, it wasn’t that clever.


Somehow - someway - it’s just not the same.

Having a book in hand, that’s the name of the game.

What a tactile sensation,

Not to mention the smell - no agitation.


Folding back pages has a sensory feel,

You just don’t get that - with a tap - that’s the deal.


My friend - you know better.

Stand up - be bold! You're never too old.

By fair means or foul, it appears to me,

Kids' books enlighten, just wait, you’ll see.


I’d love to keep rhyming,

But, I’m no Seuss that can do so by trying.

Just maybe, perhaps - a book in your hand,

Feels more natural than any Gadget can.


Thank Dr. Seuss, for this lesson today!

Your new book is waiting.

“So . . . get on your way!”


I’m Patrick Ball; thanks for listening; see you in the next episode.

Comments

Don Hanley said…
Thanks Patrick - as a poet, you'll do
for there's no one so true!
keep it up my friend
you may start a trend!

Most Popular of All Time

When Fear Becomes the Default

In this special episode, When Fear Becomes the Default. Early Sunday morning, I was cycling past a small veterans’ pocket park in San Marcos. The air was still, the streets nearly empty. On one corner stood a young woman, alone, holding a hand-painted sign that read: “Be ANGRY. ICE agents are murdering people.” I pedaled past, but the words stayed with me. I knew the context—the footage and headlines from Minneapolis the day before, already ricocheting through the country and hardening opinions. Even in the quiet of the ride, the noise followed. Two miles later, I stopped at a red light. A black car with dark windows pulled up inches from my bike. My heart jumped. My first instinct wasn’t neighbor —it was threat . I found myself bracing, scanning, and wondering if the person inside was angry, armed, or looking for trouble. Then the door opened. A well-dressed young woman stepped out, walked to the trunk, and pulled out a sign that read “Open House.” She turned, smiled brightly, and sa...

The Language of Home: Building a Sanctuary

This episode is  for anyone trying to find their footing in a new place—whether it’s a new city, a new job, or a new country. The light in Florence, Italy, has a way of making everything feel like a Renaissance painting—the golden hue on the stone, the steady rhythm of the Arno River, and the feeling that you are walking through a history much larger than yourself. I was there to give a presentation to a class of Gemology students. I was prepared to discuss color grading and refractive indices, but not to be outed as a language tutor . Feeling very much like a guest in a storied land, a hand shot up enthusiastically. "You’re the guy on the podcasts," the young woman said, her eyes bright with recognition. "You’re the one teaching us English." I laughed nervously. If you know my flat Midwestern accent, you know the irony here. I am hardly an Oxford professor. But later, as I wandered the cobblestone streets beneath the shadow of the Duomo, the humor faded into a powe...

Sweden Called . . . They Said No.

Have you ever wondered about  the Nobel Prize? Let's look at Where Genius Meets “Wait—Where’s My Medal?” Every October, the Nobel Prizes are announced, and humanity pauses to celebrate the "greatest benefit to mankind." And every year, like clockwork, a specific type of person appears online to complain—at length—that they were robbed. (Well, maybe this year more than most.) The Origin: A Legacy of Guilt The prize exists because Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor, had a crisis of conscience. Nobel held 355 patents, but he was most famous for inventing dynamite. When a French newspaper mistakenly published his obituary, calling him the " Merchant of Death, " he decided to buy a better legacy. In his 1895 will, he left the bulk of his massive fortune to establish five prizes (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace). Because he was Swedish, he entrusted the selection to Swedish institutions, such as the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The only outlier...

On the Fly–Taking Flight

In this special 500th episode,  On the Fly  is moving to a new home. Here’s why—and what’s staying the same. For a very long time (since April 2012),  On the Fly  has lived on  Blogger . Blogger has been a reliable host—dependable, quiet, and never complaining when I arrived late with another half-baked idea, a guitar riff, or a story that needed a little air. It faithfully archived my thoughts, my music, and more than a decade of curiosity. But the internet has changed. It’s louder now. Flashier. More insistent. Every thought is nudged to perform. Every sentence wants to be optimized, monetized, or interrupted by something that really wants your attention right this second. I’ve been craving the opposite. So today, On the Fly is moving to Substack . If you’ve been with me for a while, you know my quiet obsession: the A rt of Seeing . I’m interested in the moments we rush past—the Aversion Trap, the discipline hidden inside a guitarist’s daily practice, t...