The best poem in Songs of Experience, by far.
Thanks for all the poems! I find Wallace Stevens, one of your favorites, often too opaque, but this is one of his that I do like, and can be appreciated even by people who are not poetry fans: The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm The house was quiet and the world was calm. The reader became the book; and summer night Was like the conscious being of the book. The house was quiet and the world was calm. The words were spoken as if there was no book, Except that the reader leaned above the page, Wanted to lean, wanted much most to be The scholar to whom the book is true, to whom The summer night is like a perfection of thought. The house was quiet because it had to be. The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind: The access of perfection to the page. And the world was calm. The truth in a calm world, In which there is no other meaning, itself Is calm, itself is summer and night, itself Is the reader leaning late and reading there. -- Wallace Stevens --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Robin Carlsen" <maskedzebra@...> wrote: > > The Sick Rose > > O Rose thou art sick. > The invisible worm, > That flies in the night > In the howling storm: > > Has found out thy bed > Of crimson joy: > And his dark secret love > Does thy life destroy. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@> > wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <authfriend@> wrote: > > > > Share:> > AND disagreeing with Robin does not equal being compliant > > > > with Curtis. > > > > Judy: > It does if what Curtis wants is for you to disagree with > > > Robin. > > > > M: Again we have the condescending assumption that if I express an opinion > > about Robin's post, it will influence Share's opinion about it. > > > > Maybe what we both noticed in Robin's piece was really how it came off to > > people not dedicated to ignoring the obvious. > > > > For people without your condescending assumptions about Share, it isn't > > much of a stretch to think that she might not agree with Robin's > > condescending take on her. > > > > Even without my encouragement. > > > > What you are doing here is imagining something to shame me for: wanting > > Share to disagree with Robin. And Share was right, even if I wanted it, > > which I couldn't care less about, her disagreement with Robin is not her > > being compliant with mine. > > > > She is all grown up now and doesn't need you to tousle her hair. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long <sharelong60@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Hey Judy how about acknowledging that you got a detail wrong > > > > when you said I had replied to 2 questions and I had actually > > > > replied to 3? > > > > > > Hey, Share, how about acknowledging all those mistakes > > > (not trivial ones) you made in that exchange we had a > > > couple of weeks ago? > > > > > > Let me suggest to you that demanding that others > > > acknowledge things in your posts is not your best > > > approach, given your own habits of response. It looks > > > too much like inadvertent irony. > > > > > > (Also, if you're going to comment on many posts in > > > one post, please at least have the courtesy to > > > identify the posts by post number or URL so they can > > > be looked up easily.) > > > > > > I did acknowledge your third question. Take another > > > look at my post. > > > > > > I also pointed out that you didn't answer one of Ann's > > > about whether what was taking place was a feud, or > > > something else. You excused yourself from answering > > > her four other questions by claiming she was asking > > > them of herself, which didn't make much sense since > > > she had directed all her questions at you; but you > > > couldn't even use that excuse for the one about whether > > > there was a feud. > > > > > > No response from you here. How about acknowledging > > > that? > > > > > > > Another detail you got wrong is about the Hatfields and McCoys. > > > > It was I not Ann who introduced this reference. > > > > > > You are correct on that one. > > > > > > > I asked you for the wiki url as a joke. > > > > > > Yes, a little sarcasm on my part. > > > > > > > And thirdly, I said that I didn't understand Robin and > > > > that is what I meant. > > > > > > > > It's also true that I would understand him less as the > > > > amount of his words increased. > > > > > > You didn't say that. You said he was "less understanding > > > to me as the number of words increases." > > > > > > That was a non sequitur in context, both because we were > > > talking about your understanding him, not him being > > > understanding to you; and because what you hadn't > > > understood was a pretty short paragraph. > > > > > > > Replying to other posts from Mon; all times noted are Central time: > > > > > > > > Mon 5:04 pm > > > > I've never felt Curtis trying to make me compliant. > > > > > > Oh, I believe you. Of course, I never said he was. > > > > > > > AND disagreeing with Robin does not equal being compliant > > > > with Curtis. > > > > > > It does if what Curtis wants is for you to disagree with > > > Robin. > > > > > > > Mon 6:43 pm > > > > > > > > Everyone here, including you does what you accuse Curtis > > > > of. Defending friends and criticizing enemies. > > > > > > Of course they do. Now see if you can figure out what my > > > point was. You may need to actually read what I wrote. > > > > > > > And actually I've not seen you criticize friends, as you > > > > purport to do > > > > > > You may well not have. Can you think of a reason why that > > > might not be very good evidence that I haven't? > > > > > > > , not even those who can be over the top sometimes. > > > > > > Obviously that's a meaningless claim without specific > > > examples that everyone would agree were "over the top" > > > and thus deserving of criticism. > > > > > > > Mon 8:33 pm > > > > IF the statement I made about psychological rape says > > > > everything about me, THEN I'd say the following statement, > > > > especially the "needed to be stepped on" part, says > > > > everything about you: "Sal is small potatoes, just a nasty, > > > > unpleasant, not-too-bright little person who needed to be > > > > stepped on from time to time when she got above herself." > > > > > > Sorry, Share, that doesn't fly. Those two statements are > > > not even remotely equivalent. > > > > > > > Mon 9:11 AND 9:35 pm > > > > You accuse Curtis of exactly what you did! Butt in when > > > > Robin and I were trying to work out something delicate. > > > > Very delicate interpersonal negotiations is how you describe > > > > it the 9:35 post. > > > > > > > > Where was that understanding when it was really needed > > > > during the Russian flash mob upset?! > > > > > > BIG difference, Share. Curtis was trying to disrupt > > > those negotiations and turn you against Robin; I was > > > trying to get you to be more understanding of Robin. > > > Which do you think would be more likely to help bring > > > about a resolution between you? > > > > > > Yet you've objected to *my* butting in but not to > > > Curtis butting in. You're as bad a hypocrite as he is. > > > > > > > Tuesday 12:52 am > > > > I did not discuss psychological rape with anyone before I > > > > wrote it. Neither friends nor family nor counselor nor poster. > > > > > > Well, I can't prove otherwise. > > > > > > > Everything that I said about my state at the time of Russian > > > > flash mob post was true. > > > > > > I.e.: > > > > > > (1) that you were just grumpy from eating sugar > > > (2) that you hadn't been hurt or insulted > > > (3) that you didn't consider Robin to have been cruel or hurtful > > > (4) that he psychologically raped you > > > > > > All four are true, that's what you're saying? > > > > > > Share, I'm sorry, but that just isn't sane. > > > > > > > What has altered my perception of Robin over time is how he > > > > handled the upset between us. > > > > > > He handled it like the kind, honest, straightforward, and > > > loving man that he is. All the twisting and hatred has > > > occurred on your side. > > > > > > Just as with Lord Knows, the real psychological rapist > > > here is not Robin but YOU. > > > > > > > And I'm not talking about lack of communication skills here. > > > > I'm talking about continuing to complicate matters in more > > > > ways than one. And continuing to ignore what I actually say, > > > > especially in terms of reconciliation. > > > > > > Well, that's final proof that Share is living in La-la > > > Land. > > > > > > Share, it was you who ignored what Robin actually said. > > > Over and over and OVER again, you completely disregarded > > > what he was telling you. You never engaged with it. If > > > you had, it would never have become so complicated. > > > > > > That is the "habit of response" I referred to in the > > > parenthetical at the top. You tend not to engage with > > > anything the tiniest bit challenging. You did it with > > > Robin, you've done it with me, you did it with Ann and > > > with others. > > > > > > > TO RAUNCHY > > > > I don't understand Spanish either. > > > > > > Portuguese. > > > > > > > TO XENO > > > > I don't mind Robin saying that reality is asking something > > > > and there is a should involved. What I mind is his saying > > > > that he is the one who has THE accurate take on that. > > > > > > He doesn't say that, Share. Shame on you. > > > > > >