PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

A fascinating anecdote! Yes,: A fascinating anecdote! Yes, there's delicious satisfaction in that bit of justice. You should be very proud of this amazing culmination of your many years of research on a timeless and peerless author. 

thank you: thank you

I an feeling half dead in a: I an feeling half dead in a nursing home, after having nearly lost my life to two separate medical issues since mid-March, but the posting of this poem is, for me, an event of such awesome effect that I cannot remain quiet.  I apologize in advance for any typos I may miss.  My right hand is still not clear of the gout, and keyboarding is difficult.    I am not going to discuss centers of gravity, poetic strategies, metaphors and imageries for their own sake.  I have written about her other poems in that way, and I hope to be well enough to write about some of her future poems in my usual style of commenting, but, for this one, I want to bear witness how this poem has ministered to a sick, pain-ridden old man, in a nursing home where there are people around me screaming in agony and terror, and my roommate may drop dead at any moment.  And yet, for all that, which becomes overwhelming at this late hour of the night when the darkness makes the monsters appear, her poem has cleared all of that away from my soul's line of sight; and reminds me of something very easy to forget in a place like this---that I am not alone, and have no reason to despair.  The Cosmos is all around me, and is working just fine to include me and bring me forward.    Walnut is one of the smallest (in human terms) representatives of the Cosnos; yet that does not matter, given that the Cosmos works with the smallest possible atoms, Hydrogen, and builds from them huge, seething stars; the sun, which provides our daylight from the hydrogen fusion in its core; and, on earth, the Cosmos has given us cabbages, monkeys that stink, and ourselves, who alone (I believe) have the power, through our Poetry, to explain the Cosmos itself to itself, and to each other, as each of Patirica's poems do so splendidly.     Walnut brings witness of Resurrection, sizzling new suns, vbillowing veils of light, and the appearance of a new forest.   This is just the beginning of a process of joy and hope which the poem not only explicates in Patricia's ongoing vocation of explaining the Cosmos to itself and to us through her poetic vision.  And the poem delivers, in the most explicit and unarguable manner, this process of joy and of hope to me, at the rock bottom of my health, my faith, and my patience.  Through this poem, Walnut tells me, "Relax, you have lost nothing."    Walnut also delivers to us the two mots important aspects the poem can mention:  audible stars, and a God that certainly must be kind.  The Poet calls her world, which we share with her, a hamster wheel world, and that is a mighty fine metaphor.  And she shows us through Walnut that the Cosmos is not part of that master wheel.    And the escape from that, the escape Walnut comes to remind us of, is not an escape from (as in our world system, that we create and maintain) but an escape back to the Cosmos.  And how does the poem define that Cosmos?  Hidden galaxies (like great Easter eggs? for the day we celebrate Resurrection, which Walnut reminded us of in the first stanza), music, feathers, and light.     Everything around us, including us, is made of hydrogen---the smallest, simplest atom.  The humblest atom---surely a lesson we need be tuaht repeatedly---is the foundation of our nature.  But, lest we depair, the Cosmos shows us what it has built from the humble hydrogen:  all the stars, all the heavier elements, lilacs, monkeys that stink, hot pizza and cold snow cones, us (and among us, Poets like Patriciajj), and a tiny Carolina wren named Walnut by the Poet (and Poets once named the stars), and Walnut delivers the truth of our residence in the Cosmos to Patricia, and she briings it to us.  And because she has written this poem, in this way, my affliction is easier to bear, and yours are too.     In the film, Ben Hur, Sam Jaffe;s character celebrates Ben-Hur;s arrival in Jerusalem by saying, "It is like a returning faith."  I always wondered what that meant.  As I said above, my faith hit the skids this past week (which is my fault, not the Orthodox Church's).  Patricia's poem comes to me, through postpoems, like a returning faith.

I'm always amazed by your: I'm always amazed by your cunning wordplay and impeccable rhyming schemes. "ice-lings of grief" Priceless. 

Now that I've been formally,: Now that I've been formally, and intimately, introduced to the iconic queen of literature who blazed the trail many would follow, I can certainly understand your fascination. The character development leading up to her appearance at the tiny desk was exceptional—every description is a powerhouse of detail that brought the supporting cast members to vibrant life.     Then the words "Look at her" turned on the spotlight and the story shot right through the roof. A soft, demure sensuality emerged from the humble enchantress and stood in sharp contrast to the Mary Shelley most know only through her famous, game-changing novel. Could such a terrifying, ingenious nightmare of a story come from this diminutive "blossoming flower"?    As her pen "flies across the paper", I imagine generation after generation stunned and delighted by the words that are emblazoned there before her. This intriguing thought floats above the softly smoldering depiction of the genius at work.    Also impressive was her ability to maintain her dignity and remain endearingly aloof in the face of jealousy and unfair criticism.    I love the quote you wisely chose to close with. A savvy move because it highlights the talent and personality of an enigmatic legend whose beauty went far deeper than the surface and whose words will live on long after we're gone.    It's also notable to point out that many of today's horror and sci fi authors stand on the shoulders of this peerless writer.    Extraordinary work. I loved every moment.       

We are head for STAGFLATION!: We are head for STAGFLATION! This is one stage away form a WORLD WAR! JUST LIKE NAZI GERMANY...  civil break up and civil war, to avoid a civil war a d exit the 2 party system a common enemy is found and  war begun to keep the people at bay while sacrificing them on the battle grounds... 7 weeks ago I posted about the inflation now stagflation is knocking on our door are we going to fall for a bogus war? Have we learned nothing?

There is a profound wisdom in: There is a profound wisdom in the last two lines of your poem.