Ken Offered this -- a wonderful way to open each discussion! Wisdom from Rabindranath Tagore (major literary and political force in the early 20th Century) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore (“proper teaching stokes curiosity”)
Alone I can 'Say' but together we can 'Talk'.
Alone I can 'Enjoy' but together we can 'Celebrate'
Alone I can 'Smile' but together we can 'Laugh'
11:15
Paul: Under Ben Bulben by W.B. Yeats
Judith: Bavarian Gentians by D.H. Lawrence
Marna: The Singers by Eavan Boland
Maura: Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt
Mary (poem about pencil for a different time)
Russell Simpson (new person)
Martin but had planned on sharing a poem but was not there.
Judith reports that Paul shared a funny story about Bavarian flowers. " He had evidently been in a train puffing so slowly up a mountain there, flowers blooming in all directions, when the train was so slow climbing the steep grade that it was possible to jump off, pick flowers and get back on. Which the law abiding Teutons did, despite signs saying sternly Nicht (pick, which I cannot remember but word very close to English!) blumen. He left out the article, but for all I know that is correct. Paul is a treat.
Paul reports: Marna, Maura, Mary, Joyce. Judith, Paul...........The 5 horsemen of the Apocalypse plus one to sweep up after......They were all great........near the end came a new prospect, Russell Simpson a nice appearing man. I would say the meeting went all right and that the merry throng presented nice material. I was too talkative and too full of information on Ben Bulben and think I likely bored the faithful to tears enough to fill the Mareotic lake. Martin didn't show...hope he's ok......Ken wrote me that he had dental work that couldn't wait...Mary Diener could not find a printed rendition of "The Pencil", which she was going to present. It was the usual good time with bolstering by the ladies ( God ! Judith is a marvel...and I imagine the group were happy to dwell on her stories and insights). Frankly, I was disappointed in my own presentation, but had a fine time researching and getting a look into the brain of WBY. The thundering herd dispersed rapidly upon conclusion, but for the two Js ,who carried on a good long conversation afterwards.
12:30: attendees: David Sanders, Jan B, Elaine Richane, Susan T, Barb Murphy, Arlene W. and Bernie Shore
The group read aloud per usual style the Tagore, the Bishop and the Adams, since Ken, Emily, Joyce not there.
Emily: The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop
Joyce: Grapes Making by Leonie Adams
Barb: Minor Miracle by Marilyn Nelson -- which Barb read incredibly well.
Bernie: Bugs in a Bowl by David Budbill https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/200/bugs-in-a-bowl
Jan: Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye -- didn't get to it b/c ran out of time...
Although Joyce was not there Arlene W jumped right in with both reading and comments and was an unexpected gift for helping us work through the Adams poem about grapes. As we began discussing it she interjected that her job is with the cooperative extension and she has worked with and knows a lot about grapevines, how do you support them, how they grow etc. etc. it was like having our own resident expert,
David Sanders, Jan B, Elaine Richane, Susan T, Barb Murphy, me and someone I've never met before who was just great, Arlene Wilson. Three of those who suggested poems, Ken with the Tagore, Emily with Bishop's The Fish and Joyce with Adams' Grapes Making, weren't there, so we all shared reading except for the Minor Miracle poem which Barb read entirely, incredibly well.
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