Speaking in Tongues

 

These two phrases in tongues

I picked up only today:

“Shodabotahonda shodabotakia”

Is what I heard a man say.

 

Never mind their meaning

Or even what they look like,

Bible tongues were known languages,

Not an emotional hype.

 

I have observed trends

Regarding phrases and sounds

Which were learnt and practiced

So impression could abound.

 

The two above I heard

While watching a YouTube video,

 At first, they were quite baffling

But now for sure I know.

 

 

I guess you might now say

Stewart can speak in tongues

But I tell you, if you believe this,

You’d be so very wrong.

 

Two phrases I assure you

Doth not a tongues-expert make

But I am sharing these with you

To ascertain your take.

 

Shodabotahonda!

Should I repeat this phrase

Or should I go on to the next one

If you are not too fazed?

 

Shodabotakia!

This should help with the first,

Now say them both together

And audibly rehearse.

 

 

 

The translation is simple

Just put on your thinking cap,

The first may be more expensive

So you mightn’t want that.

 

The next on the other hand

May be within your range,

“Shodabotahonda shodabotakia”

Should no longer be strange.

 

If in a daze you still are,

I would have to be at fault

So this tongue speaking session,

Must now come to a halt.

 

Stewart Russell © January 3, 2024

 

Inundated!

 

 

Here is a word

That was hitherto unknown

But with social media platforms

It’s become my norm.

 

Inundated!

Not with work or rain

But the torrent of information

Is a mighty strain.

 

YouTube, WhatsApp,

Linked-in and Instagram,

Twitter now X and TicToc reels,

Information like sand.

 

And by the way

There is also Facebook

And several other social media

At which we look. 

 

Inundated!

Regarding the senders

And those who do not respond

Become offenders.

 

‘Tis almost impossible

To respond to all

So careful, selective prioritizing

Must be the call.

 

 

Inundated!

You see what I mean?

Such brain overload and fatigue,

One could scream.

 

All of this information

To daily assimilate

Can sometimes create an attitude

Of love and hate.

 

Loving the apps

But hating the exchange

Especially relating to the senders

That appear deranged.

 

Inundated!

And having to sift through

Inordinately lengthy articles

Is not easy to do.

 

How else to know

If it’s important or not

If one does not pay some attention

To the whole lot?

 

 

Inundated!

Overwhelmed and drugged

And no hope in the near future

For being debugged.

 

For what would we do

Without these apps

That make information as quick

As thunderclaps?

 

Inundated!

For the “want-to-know”

For whom knowledge is power

To have on the go.

 

Little time to sift

And to aptly respond

Thus, this inundation goes on

And unrelentingly on.

 

Inundated!

With incoming info:

The good, the bad and the ugly;

All levels on show.

 

And this is every day

For hours on end

Sifting through information

From stranger and friend.

 

I am fortunate

Since I am a retiree

But think of all those people

Who work daily.

 

 

 

From local politics

To the region and beyond,

To religious and social issues

It’s like a storm. 

 

A tumult as it were

Bombarding the mind

And even for retirees like me,

Such little time.

 

See what I mean?

I am inundated

And to take time off responding

Is not appreciated.

 

I wish I could stop

But I know I cannot

For I am addicted to information;

Yes, the whole lot.

 

Inundated!

Overloaded, overwhelmed!

Only send me what is important

If you are my friend.

 

Not only what’s serious

But the occasional joke

And send me encouraging articles

That give me hope.

 

If I do not respond

You can nudge me again

But regarding harsh criticism,

Please refrain!

 

 

Inundated!

Not with work or rain

But the torrent of information

Is a mighty strain.

 

Stewart Russell © October 13, 2025

 

Actual and Virtual

 

 

Actual we know:

This is about what is real

So that if he actually made it

We know he did not fail.

 

Virtual was understood

To have meant ‘almost’

Such that that particular person

Had no real rights to boast.

 

Virtual was at best

A mere second place position

While the actual first in order

Went to the champion.

 

First place you’d agree

Always has the bragging rights,

Second, third and down the line

Share the lesser delights.

 

Actual is the real thing

Virtual is just a semblance,

This was borne out only recently

In the COVID disturbance.

 

Gatherings were reduced

To an unacceptable limit

Especially in church services

Where this became a habit.

 

As a result of this

The actual became virtual

And ZOOM and YouTube platforms

Became more visible.

 

Churches still met though

But they did so mostly virtually

Which was nothing like the real

When they met actually.

 

It’s a vast difference

Between the virtual and the real

And for me they really are

Opposite ends of the scale.

 

 

 

“But this is virtually real”

Some will emphatically say

But for me that is an oxymoron

Coming into play.

 

More like “actually virtual”

Which is a more apt expression

To give meaning to this new thing

We call a virtual congregation.

 

Actual and virtual

Can never be synonyms,

At best, we are forced to conclude

These two must be antonyms.

 

Well I have virtually finished

Writing this actual poem,

Hence, the reality here is virtual-

I trust you see my problem.

 

Like the reality during COVID

When people virtually met,

They did not actually congregate

But that reality I get.

 

 

Call it a virtual reality

And add it to the oxymoron list

So that we can actually show

The impossible does exist.

 

Stewart Russell © June 17, 2023

 

 

How Do You Know?

 

 

How do you know for sure?

But you took a side

And you argued vehemently

That the other person lied.

 

You stuck your neck out

And put your head to the block

That one was telling the truth

And the other was not.

 

And your contention was

You heard it on the news

And there was lots of evidence

Given all the reviews.

 

 

Your news source was reliable

But the other source was not,

Yours came via CNN

And theirs came from Fox.

 

Not to mention YouTube channel

Where there were lots of hits,

So, there is no possible way

Your news could have been fixed.

 

People don’t like your choice

And want to pull him down

But the real truth is

The other candidate is a clown.

 

But how do you know for sure

Which one is telling the truth?

As far as I can see

Neither of you has any proof.

 

 

You live here in Barbados,

You don’t live overseas

But you are going at each other

Like two uninformed lackeys.

 

What about the local situation?

This should be within your scope

But even in this case

This is like “Murder She Wrote”.

 

None of us is really sure

 Concerning what to believe,

What we think is the truth

Might be an attempt to deceive.

 

Let us not become enemies

Because of one’s political choice

But in the interests of our country

Let us speak with one voice.

 

One voice concerning justice

One voice concerning equal rights,

One voice concerning God’s Word

And doing so with all our might.

 

 

One truth of which we can be sure

Is the infallible Word of God,

Around it we can rally

With no chance of being defraud.

 

So, be it Trump or Biden

Be it our Government or Opposition,

At the end of the day let’s remember

We are all in this position.

 

Trapped by our leaders’ decisions

Let’s earnestly pray for them

And trust that they look to God

To help resolve our problems.

 

That they remember their oath

When they stood before the G.G.

And promised to do their best

And to act responsibly.

 

That they understand servanthood

That the people are their boss

And they will have to give an account

For whatever is gained or lost.

 

And that five years is not forever

Even if they tend to forget,

And that the next scheduled elections

Could be the cause of much regret.

 

Stewart Russell © August 2020

The Sooner You Guess The Smarter You Are

They bear the names of girls

Or girls were named after them,

If the latter is correct

I would have no problem.

The first relates to showers

The third always comes too soon,

The second drops in the middle

We don’t have to assume.

As for the names of girls

I’ve checked but there is no other

And regarding their positions

They follow one another.

The sooner you guess

Then the smarter you are,

If by now you’ve worked it out

You have got to be a star.

One is found in a rhyme

Another in a Judy Garland song,

One speaks of possibility

Do not be afraid to be wrong.

They are a closely-knit quarter

And here is a good chance to see,

While a quarter can be four

This quarter is actually three.

One of these is position three

But usually it’s position six,

If by now you have not guessed

Then you are really in a fix.

I put you in so I’ll get you out

You need not panic yet,

Do not give up at this time

Or you are likely to regret.

Remember the sooner you guess

The smarter you are

So by now

The answer cannot be far.

I’m at the end, I must confess

I am nearly out of clues,

If you find just one of them

The other two would be a cruise.

To be of help in this regard

I will send you to YouTube,

2-thirds of the answer you’ll find right here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfymGlI_M_8

Follow this link if you choose.

Now that you know their names

I am glad you came along,

Tell me at what point you guessed

Was it the Judy Garland song?

Stewart Russell © May 2019