I'm so sorry to hear this. But the positive is that only for them, these beloved ones of ours, we can give that great gift of not allowing them to suffer. My very first dog who I was madly in love with was only seven when he had kidney failure. He managed to live another year with a decent quality o...

I love the pictures, of course, with the written word. Turns it into something else, a story. As I was reading, which was a compelling tale with powerful images yet so colloquial, to which all of us can relate, I thought: she would write marvelous narrative. Do you write fiction, stories? The last f...

Wow, I sure wish LC would read some of this stuff! I'm sure he would be honored by your words. And it's always so good to be reminded what brought us all here to this site, and maybe to our poetry, some of us.

Lovely. THX!

Marcia

I really enjoyed this. Clear and elegant--I can see these people in my mind's eye. It moved me.

and I love the line: "of valuing something quite worthless"
and the tender sentiment expressed candidly

Thanks.

Marcia

I re-read this poem. It gets more evocative with each reading. I really like it. It's shows the charm, seduction, and poignancy too. The form of it is elegant and straightforward, like Paris, peut-etre? And it falls like steps down to the landing. Feels just right. The images, portraits, seem so uni...

Yes, I will take a lot at more of your poetry.

(I forgot my paper with my comments so, fortunately, I'll have to look for it and get to the study the Paris poem again.)

Sanverp,

I think this is a very striking, good poem. I have read it at home and made comments but I forgot them. Next time I'll say what I particularly loved about it. But for now, yes, it's really lovely. Thank you.

Marcia

Wow, you guys! Thank you for your responses, Gullivor and Lizzy. It's so good to hear all that positive appreciation. Both of you, what you said in your own ways, both endearing, is so helpful to me. I have always felt this opera, which was created out of sheer explosive appreciation for Leonard Coh...

Me, too. We all go home, and they're always with us. They never leave our hearts and we never leave them. That's what matters, in the end. I liked your poem, and for a "ruff" draft (nice!), it's got so much fine shape. I love your repetitions of summer and winter--it strikes the bone in us...

Hey Lizzy, Thanks so much for your response. I'm happy if it helps anyone but I guess that is my best way to respond to people's work. A somewhat critical (in a positive way) nature, and I've really tried to learn to use that helpfully in my own work. You know, turn potential demons into our helpmat...

Wonderful. ...sexy and funny, and your comment even funnier--perfectly witty for the poem. It's rare to come across comedic poetry, particularly with a bawdy twist. Nice job. Good rhythm in it too. Or, not comedic, but lighter subject-matter, which after all is the real pedestrian stuff of our lives...

ps--I really like your Don Quixote illustration. Charming.

I didn't take it, as the other commenters did, as a poem about teachers. I understood it from the perspective of a student among other students, classmates; pretty interesting. The idea is the same--the big question, thought--you offer. It's been said thousands of ways in poems and narrative, but I ...

I really liked this poem of yours. It feels very accomplished as well. The lasting thought I had on it: in all the holocaust material, be it in word or film, desire is not rarely, if ever, associated with camp prisoners. This kind of longing you have evoked in their experience, is an original insigh...

Very clever!