At times the spirit moves one to attempt an explication of a poem, particularly a small one, and a famous one, because one can both grasp the whole and also be somewhat certain of the…
Browsing Category Appreciation
Grandma’s Receipts
Some years ago, as a gift, my grandmother (Boop) gave me a book of family recipes that she had gathered, and which, as these were not overly numerous, she had complemented with a number of…
Empty Wonder Born On A Beach
I hope you’ll indulge me. Below are three “versions” of Chapter 14 of Moby Dick. The first is “after” Ronald Johnson’s, Paradise Lost (radi os), and so I try to excise the text to “leave”…
My Favorite Book
On a job application for a teaching position one is asked to write a one-page essay on “my favorite book.” Here’s what I’ve got. Thoughts? Do you have a favorite? If so, can you let…
Henry, A Portrait of Disinterest
But far more dangerous are these, who began when you were children, and took possession of your minds with their falsehoods, telling of one Socrates, a wise man, who speculated about the heaven above, and…
Walking and Talking: Wilco’s One Sunday Morning
Yesterday, Wednesday morning, I walked the dogs, as usual, uphill on 1st street (east) around 8 a.m. It seemed a perfect morning. A chill air balanced by a warming sun; a blue sky with long…