The vicar and the vagabond

The mirror of these trusting, brown eyes Is like a reflection of gold from deep inside; From the bosom’s depths it seems to rise Where such gold on holy grief thrives. In the darkness of thine eyes I bury myself, It is thou who invites me, Unknowing Child— Thou wouldst have me ignite the fires… Continue reading The vicar and the vagabond

Song of the executioner

As I slowly walk across Canton Schaffhausen I come across a number of small hills that bear the name “Galgenbuck”(Gallows Hill). The cantonal capital Schaffhausen itself was a Reichstadt, an imperial free city, meaning it was directly subject to the Holy Roman Emperor and no other government. He granted it the privilege of being allowed… Continue reading Song of the executioner

The dark side of the red light

It is called the world’s oldest profession and it can be found everywhere in the world. It tends to be an industry of women serving male clients, but of course variations on this theme also exist – males servicing males, males servicing females, females catering to females. When one looks at sex in history, we… Continue reading The dark side of the red light

Through the looking glass

Everyday there are constant reminders of the difference between how we are perceived and how we perceive ouselves, between one´s reputation and one´s self-image. Yesterday I dropped into St. Gallen for a day of “Adam is good to himself today”. Chatted with Starbuck´s colleagues, had a meal and a movie with my good friend Adrian,… Continue reading Through the looking glass

Alex Supertramp and Canada Slim

“What´s in a name? That which we call a rose A rose by any other name would smell as sweet…” (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet) “Each thing is the same with itself and different from another.” (Plato, Theaetetus) “Like the pine trees linin’ the windin’ road I’ve got a name. I’ve got a name. Like… Continue reading Alex Supertramp and Canada Slim

Borderline Obsessive

It seems to be my destiny to be obsessed with borderlines, both geographical as well as psychological. I was raised in Argenteuil County, Quebec, on the border of Ontario´s Prescott-Russell County. Most Canadians live within 100 km of the US border, because the land north of this tends to be unarable (i.e. can´t be farmed… Continue reading Borderline Obsessive