Constellation Rider

Constellation Rider

L. Edgar Otto 09 March, 2012

The cast of runes and dice of knuckle bones,
painting ships and dragons on the bowl of sky
Sunflowers turning toward the celestial fire that
flows like a river, peak through the sieve of night
Cards and tea leaves left after the scudy foam
spinning like a galaxy, tea leaves settling down

The count of face cards or beyond the major arcana
that which fills the covers to bind pages of a book
If that were not mysterious enough, unreachable
irreducible to diviners, counting wildcards and jokers
The four knights take off into an expanding universe
leaving only their knaves, one and two eyed jacks

Neither above as below, yet right and left the fools
exploring ghost vectors made of stars, abundant everywhere
Riding the constellations, the Great Grand Joker at the center of it all,
yet thirsty warm on the endless plain
Within himself a greater perplexity than what emperors know
what sign to the High Priest evidence by the gods show

The prison bars of suggested light give the inmates exercise
come the hour, so marches the spears in phalanx so around
Some neutral center sets the clocks as old as time and yet
cannot measure the cosmic year, exceed patterns dreamed
Trinities of shadows unique as the reckoned sand and dust
Full of reflected colors, life's sentience just as substantial

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A Flag for Our Region at the Confluence of Rivers

L. Edgar Otto March 08, 2012

When we first came here one spring the city made a great impression on us, a good place to raise kids. It has quite a history of its own. In 1995 I proposed a flag for the region being Wisconsin's second city. We have roots here before this was a state. The community concern with the riverfront seems to me a worthwile project and concern and a boon to the culture.

The three stars are for the three parts that joined to make the city of Eau Claire at the confluence of the rivers. The blue stripe is for the rivers. The overall proportions of the flag I suggest would be that of the shape of Eau Claire county.

Perhaps, these could be made to fund some community projects. Traditionally our school kids were given flags and book marks for parades back when Wyoming was a state and the stars were often arranged in a medallion.

The tree should be the white pine, for it is more than a reference to the logging industry. It is the same tree found on the flag of Washington's first navy for the forest more valuable than all the gold reached all the way to Wisconsin where in theory a squirel could travel and never touch the ground. So it stands for Liberty. It represented the best tree claimed by the crown for the masts of the ships and were the rightful property of the colonies for our new constellation.

The white is for the winter snows of which after these decades I am still not used to the changes and depth of the weather.

The resemblance to certain markers throughout the city was purely coincidental but the symbolism is in agreement to the sensibilities of general tastes.

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