Thanks for the reminder of a 30th anniversary coming up. I will make a point of finishing "Dandelion Wine" again this year on June 9 to commemmorate my first reading.

I must be missing something...Which anniversary is this of which thou speakest?

Hello again, Bot~~Gotta tell ya I love your poem "A Spring Burst"~~especially "secret veins of sunshine" and "gray cloud wind." And I certainly hope those spaceships find a place to land.

Also, thank you for the Frost quote. It reminds me of what happened to me when I was a wee child, eight or so, and reading Dandelion Wine for the first time. I picked it up and read in the first paragraph:
"Summer gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow. You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer."

I knew I had in my hands some stuff of true beauty, and I knew I had found an incredible author. Decades later my appreciation for this wordsmith has only increased--but I did know at first glance what I'd found.

The 30th anniversary of my first reading the book, and I meant to put it in the other thread, but it doesn't hurt to have it in both.

Dandy! I hear you have a book out~~tell us about it, and how to obtain it. Please?

My book is called "Seven for Oregon," by Cornelia Shields. It's fiction very closely based on the true story of an Oregon Trail family. As recently as last month, an image and summary could be viewed online, but the website seems to be gone. You might find some details at Amazon.com and other places which sell used books online, but if you email me I can fix you up with a new copy signed. I have also traded copies with published authors here for signed copies of their books.

Me too! Me too! Actually, I looked for your book when I first read of it a couple of years ago, but to no avail.

Congratulations Dandelion on your book! It sounds interesting and good, another of my favorite authors is from Oregon. Ken Kesey. I hope its doing well!!!

Hey Braling, you know I had to go to Half Price Books when I got off work. I have a poetry anthology called Immortal Poems. So far, I like probably eighty percent of the poems I've read. I can't get into Chaucer and the like so far. My book has Hopkins in it and after you mentioned him, I read some of his poetry. I like it alot. Shakespeare, Shelley, Milton I like. So, when I went to bookstore I bought a whole book of Hopkins, looks like he writes about nature which really inspires me. Also bought a whole book of P.B. Shelley, and I was reading the liner notes on him, wow, what a true bohemian avatar! I ended up buying a biography of him.

N.K. and Braling, you both don't know how that makes me feel! I will eat praise from you all like Jerry Garcia ate his chili-dog and strawberry milkshake while simultaneously smoking a cigarrette. In other words, I'm honored!! The other day I had a book of poetry that children had written. It surprised me in its power and scope. My muse helped me spit that out right then and there, very rare for me. I had a small loose leaf of poetry, but one time I looked at it and decided it stunk, and threw it away. I think that is a good jumping off point as I have really been getting into poetry lately, all kinds. N.K., the beginning of Dandelion Wine is pure poetry, hell the whole book is poetic magic! You said it when you said wordsmith. The best!

did you read the little girls poem about the last leaf of autumn? that smoked mine.

I cried when I read "Annabelle Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe...

I've read some Poe, and I read Annabelle Lee, very moving. I'm kind of going through anthologies to see who I like so far. Shelley seemed interesting and Keats I like too. There are so many, I'm jumping in the deep side first!


addendumdum:


12:58 On An April Fools Morn(while down to two cigs, contemplating quitting yet again)

On Looking At Stars After A Late Night Spring Thunder Shower


The wind sighs with menace through the pine
Mimics of a million birds on wing
As the running storm spits blue electric fire
Big drops tamp my window in a dark drumming
Thunder spreads sounds over and inside of me
Like a mad bee vibrating in a hot jar
Flashes of steel light and liquid sheeted rain
Reach crescendo together jolting by erratically
All is silent now except distant tremors and a sporadic plop
Barefoot it out to be surprised by wet chill air
And chrystal powdered starlight above
As if never to be looked upon again away so far
Nor so dear.

g.w.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rocket,

I read very little poetry but when I find something I like I read it over and over, year after year. I keep going back. “Annabelle Lee”, “El Dorado”, “The Highwayman”, “The Lady of Shalott” and the “We few, we happy few.” speech in “Henry V” are examples.

For those who love poetry and haven’t yet experienced her, I recommend two CDs by Loreena McKennitt: “The Visit” on which she sings “The Lady of Shalott” and “The Book of Secrets” on which she sings “The Highwayman”. Be warned. This is like seeing the end of Chaplin’s “City Lights”. These performances are shattering!

****
Robot Lincoln,
Most excellent.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chapter 31,

Thanx Chap,

I will look into them, they sound good. Well today is one of those primo spring cool white puffy cloud blue green days! Unfortunately most of today has been spent cleaning house and getting kids to do likewise while wife is hard working o.t. at job. Have been out a few times, noticed amazing displays of flowers and bugs too. Took this picture in next door neighbor's side yard. So far nil in my yard as of yet. Get out everyone into this grand day, don't think, DO!

b-days3.06_065.jpg (60 Kb, 4 downloads) glorious spring day

Don't neglect the "Lake Poets": Wordsworth, Coleridge, et al!

I've got a few anthologies, and I'm slowly working my way through them like a self imposed home schooling project. Its slowed me down a little on my R.B. reading. I've stalled at three quarters of the way through Machineries, but I'll get back in the saddle. Man some of those poems are epics. I like alot of what I'm reading though. Its something relatively new for me.

Now for something completely different: Tonight went to see Neil Young's Heart Of Gold movie. If anyone gets a chance to see it, DO NOT MISS IT! There were people there who never heard of him there to see it based on the paper's review who were blown away by it. I almost cried several times. GO SEE IT!

...what is the color when black is burned?

I can imagine. I used to follow him closely in the days before Crazy Horse split up and Danny Whiton died (“The Needle and the Damage Done”), the days of Hot Tuna, before my Swing and Classical period.