Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Sept. 22, 2012)

The Advent of the Superman

O Quiet is the wind yet something stirs

Between our world and heaven’s starry skies

A spirit, shall I say, that knows a form

Beyond all that which beauty can describe;

A whole expanse of night pervades my sight

Disturbing naught that seeks of silent rest,

And yet withal I feel a wondrous thing

Upon the vision of unopen’d eyes

That now proclaims the portent of our fate:

The needs of life have made of us a span

And we shall from our ashes, phoenix-like,

Cry, “Hail the advent of the superman.”

Natural Recrimination

As the earthquake said to the earth, “It’s your fault!”

African Proverb

It is not what you call me. It’s what I answer to.

Men Stand with Their Backs to the Fire

An old explanation is that when the dog’s nose proved too small to stop a leak in the Ark, Noah sat on the hole to keep the water out. Ever since men have felt the need to warm their backs, and the dogs have had cold noses.

One Way of Putting It

Bouzji Khosrof: Well, doctor; what is your diagnosis?

Dr. Achkepats: Let me put it this way: Don’t buy any green bananas.

Bouzji Khosrof: Why not?

Dr. Achkepats: You may not be around by the time they ripen.

What’s in a Name?

Defterterian; Persian/Arabic in derivation, from daftar, account-book, identified as a profession, defterter is defined as cashier. Defterdar in Turkish is (formerly) a finance minister, (now) head of the finance department of a vilayet; accountant.

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CK Garabed

Weekly Columnist

C.K. Garabed (a.k.a. Charles Kasbarian) has been active in the Armenian Church and Armenian community organizations all his life. As a writer and editor, he has been a keen observer of, and outspoken commentator on, political and social matters affecting Armenian Americans. He has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Reporter and the AGBU Literary Quarterly, “ARARAT.” For the last 30 years, Garabed has been a regular contributor to the Armenian Weekly. He produces a weekly column called “Uncle Garabed's Notebook,” in which he presents an assortment of tales, anecdotes, poems, riddles, and trivia; for the past 10 years, each column has contained a deconstruction of an Armenian surname. He believes his greatest accomplishment in life, and his contribution to the Armenian nation, has been the espousing of Aghavni, and the begetting of Antranig and Lucine.

Latest posts by CK Garabed (see all)

• A Reminiscence: John Najarian - February 19, 2020
• Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (Aug. 5, 2017) - August 7, 2017
• Uncle Garabed’s Notebook (July 22, 2017) - July 22, 2017