Buffering

 

 

Be it Digicel

Or be it FLOW

We have a problem here

Both you and I know.

 

Find this word

In your dictionary

And you’ll be surprised

At the meaning you see.

 

Nothing to do with FLOW

Or even Digicel,

Nor does the meaning

With the Internet gel.

  

 

So, update your dictionary

Regarding buffering

So that it gels with the Internet

In its added meaning.

 

That annoying circle

Really gets to me

To the extent that sometimes

I even get angry.

 

You are watching a movie

And enjoying it a lot

When suddenly it starts buffering

At a critical spot.

 

That circle, I mean,

And as it spins around

You are left twiddling thumbs

As though a clown.

 

 

It affects old computers

With not enough memory,

I had to change mine recently

For working so slowly.

 

I was waiting a while

For an app to boot up

Then one day just as expected,

I ran out of luck.

 

It had come to an end

Having earned its keep,

After thirteen years of service

It finally fell asleep.

 

The buffering was a sign

It was getting ready to go,

It buffered its way to the end

And now is no more.

 

As with the Internet

And as with the computer

For us not-so-young people,

Buffering can be a bother.

 

Our God-given computers

Do wear out with time

And often in our conversations

We get a buffering mind.

 

A trend of thought

Completely goes away

And you feel somewhat silly

With nothing more to say.

 

And while another talks

You try desperately to recall

But the mind keeps buffering

As though in a stall.

 

Not only a thought

But sometimes a word,

Your vocab comes up short

And you feel absurd.

 

The flow is interrupted

As your memory goes

And your usual sound rhetoric

Takes a heavy blow.

 

Here I am now

Gathering my thoughts

But this consistent buffering

Leaving me distraught.

 

 

 

Another buffering!

I’ve forgotten her name,

But how could I have forgotten?

Man, this is insane!

 

A trend of thought

And an elusive word-

Add to these a familiar name,

And we’ve got a third.

 

Three points I recall

Where I get this buffering,

Just like my old computer

I must be ageing.

 

When you are young

It is called thinking,

However, when you become old

It is buffering.

 

See the brain now

With the circle going around,

See a certain President now

Looking like a clown.

 

Stewart Russell © March 13, 2024

 

Who I Am

Tell me why it is

That whenever we are asked

Who we are

We give a name.

We treat to a name

As though it’s a summary

Hence good name and bad name

That’s the game.

So that if my name

Just happens to be you know who

Then I take on his importance,

Is that your view?

If he is a criminal

Then I am just as bad

But if he is important

I would be a good lad.

Does a name make a person?

Does a name make a man?

Is a name all one is?

Is that God’s plan?

There are some who feel

All Russell’s are family

But even if that’s so

Does it shape my destiny?

The correct response

To who you are

Cannot be a name,

That is wrong by far.

Don’t get me wrong

One’s name is key,

Certainly it’s important

Regarding one’s identity.

I am more than a name

Or a mere statistic,

I am a family member

With certain characteristics.

  

I am unique, yes

There’s not another me,

Not in the past or present

Or in the future will be.

My name doesn’t make me

I impact my name

And whether I am good or bad

I am to blame.

I could be a bad Russell

While the others are good,

Who a person is

Is even more than just blood

So that neither name nor blood

Determines who I am,

I could be a good person

From a very notorious clan.

Examine my conduct

Before me you criticize,

Because of my name

You should not me despise.

Though it may appear

The Russell’s is a good name

A couple years from now

It might not be the same.

For the good legacy left

May not be carried on,

As of the generations now

None maybe around: no not one.

It’s critical therefore

That we know who we are

Not simply by name

But more than that by far.

For who we really are

We will more than likely pass on

For generations to emulate

Long after we have gone.

We are a family,

A creed and a clan

And raising godly seed

That’s the Creator’s plan.

Who am I?

I am a child of God,

I am more than a name,

Time to spread that abroad.

Stewart Russell © January 2018