[lit-ideas] Re: OFF LIST Re: Re: Poetry be damned.

  • From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:16:06 -0600

Carol:

I think you pressed the wrong keys. I'm not Ursula. I sure wouldn't mind if you considered me a dear person, Mike. Actually, I wouldn't mind being called Ursula, either.


: ) You ARE a dear person, Carol. And yes, I flubbed up sending a private message to the list. It's not the first time. I'll never forget when Anna Brailovsky once forwarded a message from someone on the old Phil-Lit (I'll never tell who) to a friend and called the person who had sent the original message "a fascist asshole" -- only she sent it to the list!! Talk about apologies!!! I have yet to seriously embarrass myself, which is pretty remarkable.

Carol is one of the few list members that I've met in person. That was when she was living in Berkeley and my son lived in San Francisco. I also met Anna when she visited Seattle when I lived there, her husband's family lived there. Hmmm. I've only met women from the list. But I was supposed to meet David Savory at Seattle's Bumbershoot a few years ago, we were to meet by the corn dog wagon : ) -- I was there, but late, which didn't matter because his girl friend at the time didn't like corn dogs or something like that. So it's not that I'm such a lecher that I've only met women.

My apologies to the list for misdirecting my post to Ursula. I like the name Ursula also. Means "bear" I'm guessing. I've had a special liking for the name ever since reading Wallace Stevens magnificent poem, "CY EST PORTRAICTE, MADAME STE URSULE, ET LES UNZE MILLE VIERGES"

Ursula, in a garden, found
A bed of radishes.
She kneeled upon the ground
And gathered them,
With flowers around,
Blue, gold, pink, and green.

She dressed in red and gold brocade
And in the grass an offering made
Of radishes and flowers.

She said, "My dear,
Upon your altars,
I have placed
The marguerite and coquelicot,
And roses
Frail as April snow;
But here," she said,
"Where none can see,
I make an offering in the grass,
Of radishes and flowers."
And then she wept
For fear the Lord would not accept.
The good Lord in His garden sought
New leaf and shadowy tinct,
And they were all his thought.
He heard her low accord,
Half prayer and half ditty,
And He felt a subtle quiver,
That was not heavenly love,
Or pity.

This is not writ
In any book.

****

Mike Geary
Memphis



------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html

Other related posts: