As I have said before, and: As I have said before, and will continue to say, watching your collection of Poems expand on this site, is one of the great privileges of membership in PostPoems, and of my life personally. Decades ago, when I studied (as devoutly as a twenty-something can) the poems of Eliot, Vergil, and Stevens, I wondered what it would be like to watch in real time, rather than to simply read about as past literary history. But, although I did not know it then, I was being prepared, even that long ago, to watch your Poetry accumulate here. Your Cosmic perspective, and attentiveness to the nuances of language, are exponentially refined and so artistically deployed. I have also said that the posting of any new Poem from you is an event to be celebrated, and I will always believe that.
I am grateful to some very great scholars---Hugh Kenner, Samuel French Morse, and Helen Vendler---whose writings taught me how to more deeply appreciate your Poetry.
I'm so inspired and motivated: I'm so inspired and motivated by the kindness (and the genius) of a Poet who not only creates torrents of fine art, but also has literary acumen like few others.
It has been quite an encouraging and creative adventure since you first showed up on my page. Thank you for taking me to new heights with your support!
Normally, I do not care for: Normally, I do not care for the archaic sound of inversion of adjectivenoun order (like "solace sweet" in the third line of this poem) because people do not talk that way. I understand it is often compelled to comply with the rhyme scheme. But, while I normally do not like it, in this poem---which is otherwise so charming---it is not a defect at all, but seems to be an appropriate way for the poem to speak. I applaud your accomplishment, and this second demonstration of your skilled use of the ballad quatrain.
Maybe I can put a smile..: Maybe I can put a smile on your face by telling you about the man waiting on line at the airport to buy a ticket who decides he's too important to wait and barges to the front of the line, demanding to be helped immediately.
'I demand you help me. I must get on the next plane. I want my ticket NOW!'
'Sir, there are people ahead of you. You need to wait like everyone else'
'NO! I can't wait! Do you know who I am? Do you know who I am?'
The ticket agent gets on the P.A. system and says
'There's a gentleman here at the ticket counter who doesn't know who he is. Is there anyone who can help him?'
Thank you very much for your: Thank you very much for your comment. My admiration of your Poetry knows no bounds. I am so amazed that, almost four years ago, Jan 21 of 2020, stilll in the hospital, partly paralyzed, and thinking that my life was about to unravel, God led me to your Poetry, to "Gates Of Orion." The kind of thrill I experienced when I began to read your work only happened to me twice before: when I was directed to the Poems of T. S. Eliot, and then, later, to those of Wallace Stevens. And, just as when I first read their Poems, once I started reading yours, I never looked back (and never needed or wanted to). My life has been made far more satisfactory because of both your Poetry and the friendship with which you have blessed me. That day in the hospital changed me; and now, three days away from its fourth anniversary, I applaud---even more loudly and enthusiastically---the grandeur of your Cosmic vision, and the exponential artistry of your verbal skill.
I don’t know if I can contain: I don’t know if I can contain the monsoon of gratitude I feel after reading your gift of grandeur. Your own creation reached "into the vast star fields" when it comes to kindness, appreciation and artistic excellence.
I call myself a poet, but when it comes to finding words that match the value of your support, I find the human vocabulary to be sadly lacking. So until I learn the language of angels, all I can say is: thank you, thank you and again, thank you!
I wish I could read your: I wish I could read your wonderful poems in their original language. You're right about the distortions of Google Translate, but even with that barrier, I could perceive the emotions, the depth, the insight and the eloquence of your work of art. Thank you for your intelligent and appreciative response to my comment.
Keep bringing beauty to this site.