[lit-ideas] You Make The Old Magnolia Tree Blossom

In one of his poems, J. M. Geary expressed some admiration (combined with
condemnation) for Mark Sanford's e-mails to his 'soulmate' (the Argentine
beauty, Maria Belem Chapur -- I use 'Belem' as it's sophisticated). Geary
refers  to 'lovers' -- but Sanford has expressed that this is 'soulmate'
talking here. I  will annotate the e-mails.

In recent declarations, Sanford has referred to this as a 'love story' and
a love story. He has become a hero in Argentina, not a laughing-stock at
all.  So, it's with respect that I comment on the e-mails. To think that a man
in  office has time to outpour his heart and soul like this is commendable,
and as  my mother says, remindful of Wallis Simpson.

----

From: Mark Sanford
To: Maria
Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2008 03:09:44  +0000

Dearest,

"You are glorious and I hope you really understand that. You do not need a
therapist to help you figure your place in the world. You are special and
unique  and fabulous in a whole host of ways that are worth a much longer
conversation.  To be continued ..."

"Have been having a few email problems as I am getting email through an 
aircard at the farm, where access to computer world is more than tough. Please
 let me know if you have gotten my last two eamils (sic) so I know it is
working  in getting to your part of the world ..."


---- Part of the problem is that M. B. Chapur was using hotmail.com, which
is not precisely safe.

"Another glorious day outside. Hope you are doing well, and am anxious  to
hear about your week. Know that I miss you. Unbeleivably (sic) hard to
imagine it has been a week. Please also send your mailing address as I want to
send you an insignificant something next week when I am back in civilization
 that I think you might find interesting given our conversation."

She lives in Republica della India, a posh neighbourhood in Buenos Aires.

:Want to write an indepth note with some thoughts on our visit when I  know
you are getting these emails. Hugs and much love. M."

Date: Tue, 8  Jul 2008 01:42:46 -0400
Beloved back to you...
"Got back an hour ago to  civilization and am now in Columbia after what
was for me a glorious break from  reality down at the farm."

Not a lot of Argentines knew about Columbia. Now they do.

"No phones ringing and tangible evidence of a day’s labors. Though I have
started every day by 6 this morning woke at 4:30, I guess since my body knew
it  was the last day, and I went out and ran the excavator with lights
until the sun  came up. To me, and I suspect no one else on earth, there is
something wonderful  about listening to country music playing in the cab, air
conditioner running,  the hum of a huge diesel engine in the background, the
tranquility that comes  with being in a virtual wilderness of trees and
marsh, the day breaking and  vibrant pink coming alive in the morning clouds —
and getting to build something  with each scoop of dirt."

This kind of poetry is what Geary finds admirable. I agree.

"It is admittedly weird but one of my more favorite ways of escaping the
norms, constant phone calls and formalities that go with the office — and it
probably fits with my weakness in doing rather than being — though you
opened up  a new chapter last week wherein I was happy and content just being."

This passage above is difficult to process right now by me. Geary may shed
light. I don't get the distinction between doing/being. It is possibly
philosophical.

"Last point worth further discussion. Afternoon projects had me outside and
 by days (sic) end I pretty much looked like a homeless person ... but in
this  case a very content one. Enough about my love of heavy equipment and
woods at  sunrise ...
While I was getting exhausted with one project after another at  Coosaw
work week, you were basking (I’m certain gloriously) on the  beach..
Sounds great, hope to hear more about what sounds a great  spot.
Will now finally get some sleep and write you a longer note with a few
more profound thoughts tomorrow or Wednesday. In the meantime I send my love
and  hope you know I am thinking of you.. M."

More profound? A lover does not need that.

"P.S. I do not want to raise expectations, when I say I will send
something insignificant I promise I will do as I say! It wont (sic) be worthy of
bedside placement ... was just going to find the movie the Holiday as we had
spoken of it last Thursday. Its music was pleasant and made me think of you —
  its mood and the notion of a holiday (wrapped up in our case over two
days)  certainly fit as well ... (though our visit in some ways for me was as
well less  of a holiday than it was uncovering and realization of some things
and feelings  that again are worth longer conversation)."

I never heard of this film. Geary may advise.

"Had also hoped to find the cd of a song that played as I was flying home
and also20made (sic) me think of you. Who knows if I can find the music ...
so  all you may
be stuck with is a long released movie — and if you put it by  your bed I
really be worried! Love you, good night and kisses back to you  ..."


Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:24:54 -0400
Sweetest,
"It was  indeed a long day. I am most jealous of your salad under the palm
tree.
Three  thoughts in one note now that I have a moment. One the travel
schedule is about  to get real busy (and this distresses me for the way it may
well make it more  difficult to get your notes over the next few weeks), two
unfortunately all the  feelings you describe are mutual, and three where do we
go from here?"

Requited.

"One, tomorrow leave at 5 am for New York and meetings. Will think about
you on its streets and wish I was going to be there later in the month when
you  are there. Tomorrow night back to Philadelphia for the start of the
National  Governor’s Conference through the weekend. Back to Columbia for
Tuesday and then  on Wednesday, as I think I had told you, taking the family to
China, Tibet,  Nepal, India, Thailand and then back through Hong Kong on world
wind tour. Few  days home then to Bahamas for 5 days on a friends boat for
the last break of the  summer. The following weekend have been asked to
spend it out in Aspen, Colorado  with McCain — which has kicked up the whole VP
talk all over again in the press  back home.
Two, mutual feelings. I have been specializing in staying focused  on
decisions and actions of the head for a long time now — and you have my  heart."

"You have oh so many attributes that pulls it in this direction. Do you 
really comprehend how beautiful your smile is? Have you been told lately how
warm your eyes are and how they softly glow with the special nature of your
soul."

"I remember Jenny, or someone close to me, once"

Grice would have loved the use of 'disjunction' there above.

"commenting that while my mom was pleasant and warm it was sad she had
never accomplished anything of significance. I replied that they were wrong
because she had the ultimate of all gifts — and that was the ability to love
unconditionally."

"The rarest of all commodities in this world is love. It is that thing that
 we all yearn for at some level — to be simply loved unconditionally for
nothing  more than who we are — not what we can get, give or become."

This bit below is pathetic and if I share it with this forum is to discuss
the depth of this love indeed:

"There are but 50 governors in my country and outside of the top spot, this
 is as high as you can go in the area I have invested the last 15 years of
my  life — my getting here came as no small measure because I had that
foundation of  love and support so critical to getting up in the morning and
feeling you could  give and risk because you already had a full tank of love in
the emotional bank  account. Since our first meeting there in a wind swept
somewhat open air dance  spot in Punta del Este, I felt that you had that
same rare attribute. Above all  else I love that inner beauty about you. That
gift of yours is going to make a  tremendous difference in (The State deleted
sons’ names) life — and in anyone’s  life who is blest to be touched by
yours — you need to rest very comfortably in  that fact. As I mentioned in our
last visit, while I did not need love fifteen  years ago — as the battle
scars of life and aging and politics have worn on this  has become a real need
of mine. You have a particular grace and calm that I  adore. You have a
level of sophistication that is so fitting with your beauty. I  could digress
and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle  kisses, or
that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips,  the erotic
beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself)  in
the faded glow of night’s light — but hey, that would be going into the
sexual details we spoke of at the steakhouse at dinner — and unlike you I would
 never do that!"

"Three and finally, while all the things above are all too true — at  the
same time we are in a hopelessly — or as you put it impossible — or how
about combine and simply say hopelessly impossible situation of love. How in
the  world this lightening [sic] strike snuck up on us I am still not quite
sure. As  I have said to you before I certainly had a special feeling about
you from the  first time we met, but these feelings were contained and I
genuinely enjoyed our  special friendship and the comparing of all too many
personal notes (and yes  this is true even if you did occasionally tantalize me
with sexual details over  the years!) — but it was all safe. Where we are is
not. I have thought about it  and in some ways feel I let you down in
letting these complications come into a  friendship that I hope will last till
death. In all my life I have lived by a  code of honor and at a variety of
levels know I have crossed lines I would have  never imagined. I wish I could
wish it away, but this soul-mate feel I alluded  too is real and in that
regard I sure don’t want to be the person complicating  your life. I looked to
where I often look for advice and counsel, and in I  Corinthians 13 it simply
says that, “ Love is patient and kind, love is not  jealous or boastful, it
is not arrogant or rude, Love does not insist on its own  way, it is not
irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice in the wrong, but  rejoices in the
right, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all  things and
endures all things”. In this regard it is action that goes well  beyond the
emotion of today or tomorrow and in this light I want to look for  ways to show
love in helping you to live a better — not more complicated life. I  want
to help (one of Maria’s sons) with film guys that might help his career,
etc. I also don’t want you walking20away (sic) from some guy (I take it the
younger guy you mentioned a t dinner) because of me — and what we both have to
 see as an impossible situation. I better stop now least this really sound
like  the Thornbirds — wherein I was always upset with Richard Chamberlain
for not  dropping his ambitions and running into Maggie’s arms. The bottom
line is two  fold, my heart wants me to get on a plane tonight and to be in
your loving arms  — my head is saying how do we put the Genie back in the
bottle because I sure  don’t want to be encumbering you, or your options or your
life. Put differently,  given I love you, I don’t want to be part of the
reason you are having less than  an ideal week in what sounds like a cool
spot."

"Lastly I also suspect I feel a little vulnerable because this is  ground I
have never certainly never covered before — so if you have pearls of
wisdom on how we figure all this out please let me know ... In the meantime
please sleep soundly knowing that despite the best efforts of my head my heart
cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch
of  your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul. I love you
...  sleep tight. M
PS. I will make it a point in NY tomorrow to drop by a store  and get that
movie I promised to send your way ... I am encouraged to know you  will not
keep it beside the bed least we have tangible evidence of two pathetic
figures missing each other far too much to live a few thousand miles  apart!"

----
Now for Geary's poem, in case some think this is irrelevant:
Search the archives: it's "Sunday Poems" (last)

Cheers,

JLS





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