tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post7111478295247317021..comments2024-03-23T20:37:37.891-07:00Comments on First Known When Lost: "Balances"Stephen Pentzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-54023058880577540082015-01-28T17:08:31.591-08:002015-01-28T17:08:31.591-08:00Goethe Girl: It's very good to hear from you. ...Goethe Girl: It's very good to hear from you. I'm pleased you liked "The Pier" and the paintings. "The Pier" is wonderful, isn't it? The sudden shift in focus caused me to laugh as well the first time I came across it. And it still always makes me smile (ruefully perhaps). Some things never change . . .<br /><br />I hope that you were able to make it through your recent blizzard without any problems. Best to stay inside and read! Yet, there is nothing more delightful than to walk out into the night and look up into the sky as the snow comes down around you.<br /><br />Thank you very much for visiting again, and for your thoughts.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-33859507747353301112015-01-27T18:45:39.370-08:002015-01-27T18:45:39.370-08:00I laughed out loud at reading "The Pier."...I laughed out loud at reading "The Pier." What a nice contrast the two verses make: people spitting in the water and creating dimples, and the dog.<br />And then Humbug!<br />Also, wonderful paintings.Goethe Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11390542069637659154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-90129229818147017822015-01-22T16:29:27.309-08:002015-01-22T16:29:27.309-08:00Mr Post: Thank you very much for visiting again, a...Mr Post: Thank you very much for visiting again, and for your thoughtful comments.<br /><br />First, I agree with you completely with respect to Humbert Humphrey and John Anderson. They exemplify the type of honorable politicians that are now nearly extinct. I agree with you that they were both good men. As politicians, they were bound to use "bulging words" now and then, but one sensed their honesty and essential decency, whether or not one agreed with their views on the issues. (I grew up in Minnesota during Humphrey's heyday, so I confess to some partiality towards him. He was a wonderful man.)<br /><br />But, as you say (and as you know much more intimately than I do), things have changed. I trace this to the rise of special interest "activists", each with a particular grievance that, to them, demands rectification. Hence, among other things, the rise of "political correctness." <br /><br />Of course, I realize that politics has always been a matter of interest groups trying to influence government. But you articulate much better than I did what I was trying to get at: your statement that the political world "infects so much of the culture" is perfect, as is your comment that "the ubiquity of political speak" makes it difficult to escape "bulging words."<br /><br />I agree that retiring to a thatch hut seems at times to be the only viable option. This may explain my fondness for Japanese and Chinese poetry, particularly that of poets who opted for a life of seclusion. Putting an end to the noise is tempting.<br /><br />Finally, thank you as well for sharing the poem by David Budbill, which goes perfectly here. I have his book Moment to Moment: Poems of a Mountain Recluse. As you know, he captures wonderfully the spirit of the Chinese and Japanese poets, particularly Han Shan.<br /><br />Again, thank you very much for your thoughts.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-49221766018402169302015-01-22T10:36:44.814-08:002015-01-22T10:36:44.814-08:00"Watch him when he opens his bulging words …...."Watch him when he opens his bulging words …."<br /><br />I used to write "bulging words" professionally as a writer for several politicians, including U.S. presidential candidates Hubert Humphrey and John B. Anderson, both good men. I was fortunate to have had a career where I worked for and with some fine public servants. Now, I have great discomfort in engaging the political world, which, as you wrote, seems not to be confined solely to governing institutions but infects so much of the culture. Because of the ubiquity of political speak in our society, I question if it is even possible to disengage or disentangle from the snare set by bulging words. Can I find my thatch hut?<br /><br />Yet, I find comfort in this poem by Vermont poet David Budbill, with whom I occasionally exchange thoughts:<br /><br />What We Need<br /><br />The Emperor,<br />his bullies<br />and his henchmen<br />terrorize the world<br />every day,<br /><br />which is why<br />every day<br /><br />we need<br /><br />a little poem<br />of kindness,<br /><br />a small song<br />of peace<br /><br />a brief moment <br />of joy.Bruce Postnoreply@blogger.com