Y FRANZEN?

Why Jonathan Franzen?

Well, in my case, serendipity, size, slip-cover art, etc.

Months ago: I found two hardbound copies of FREEDOM: A Novel (Farrar, Straus Giroux, NYC. 2010) donated to the Santa Clara Senior Center, & its cover so intrigued me that I took both home. It’s that (Minnesota) lake; blue-jay on the cover;  heft (562pp), that make me wonder if he’s got something going inside. Well, he has, but for me it drags; I’ve lost interest at various points; just put it aside, notifying others on The Well  in the Books Franzen discussion group that I have. None of them have commented on that (yet.) 

Today: I’m reading "Voice of Moderation" a review by Craig Fehrman in the Sunday 30 APR 12 SF Chron. that begins: “Jonathan Franzen’s novels keep getting bigger and bigger. In 2010, FREEDOM did it again, - and added a TIME cover for its author and a thumbs-up from the president."Exactly my point. Such is the mainstream literary company I appear to be keeping at the moment. A BIG read by BIG names. Maybe a beach-book once it’s in a BIG paperback 

Inside: there’s the story of two friends, musicians, one of whom seems to be a take on Bob Dylan from Hibbing MN, who both sleep with Patty (originally from L.I.) the dominant figure of the book (so far.) Again, I’ve stalled out - this time at p.114 of 562). Somebody I tried to gave a copy to told me that a professor of his sees it as the current HOW WE LIVE NOW of Anthony Trollope. Now that’s a thot. In [flashback:] Gerald Warner Brace’s MFA Fiction class at B.U. (1968)  we were amazed that we found Trollope much more enjoyable reading than Joseph Conrad. Note: Franzen was a buddy of David Foster Wallace R.I.P.). Neither's enjoyable reading for me. Yet I slog on…

MITT, SPINNING

“I may look thin, but I’m 

so, so thick,” quips Mitt,

“Thick against socialism

which Obama espouses.”

He waits for the cheers

from the invited crowd

to abate. “I don’t care if

Obamacare=Romneycare;

I left it behind years ago

in Massachusetts; 2012

calls for the dismantling

of Socialism-care. Obama

thinks he’s got you fooled!

But he can’t pull black wool

over your heads. White wool

is what I’m all about! White!”

Romney looks & talks thinly,

spinning smartly in a white suit

blinding us all in the sunlight.

30 APR 12 (Santa Clara CA);
03 MAY 12 on The New Verse News
www.newversenews.blogspot.com 

STIRRING MINDS

Will the Silicon Valley poets

of the distant future speak

of the fruits that grew, grow

here: apricots, grapefruit, lemons,

nectarines, oranges, peaches?

Or will commerce envelop

them in entrepreneurism,

as technical adventures

thrill their stirring minds?

Will this poem be techno-

retrograde, or reactionary?


Will they mention my wife

Carolin’s ashes in the garden

of St. Mark’s, Santa Clara?

 (21 APR 12, Santa Clara CA)v3

asleep somewhere 

under a blanket of leaves

but not forgotten

© 2012 Sandy Vrooman

Stirring the earth,

deep in her sunny plot, until

apricots, grapefruit, lemons,

nectarines, oranges, peaches

bloom & burst with new Word,

new fruit, delicate, divine.


- Julia Ball

(23 APR 12 Palo Alto CA)

TAX TIME

TAX TIME

In the cold back room

golders stack gold coins;

coincidentally as they’re

increasing their wealth

increMentally, the world’s

wealth’s being tallied,

told out metallically.

Specie still speaks loudly

in gold bars stacked up

to lie in cold rooms, but

the world’s money moves

digitally over copper wires,

in satellite-signal pulses.

Old golders feel oblivious

to this until they cash out

in curious tesselated codes.

Tax-time translates them all.

(17 APR 12, Santa Clara CA)v2

 18 APR 12, The New Verse News

www.newversenews.blogspot.com

BREATHING DEEPLY

BRE@THING DEEPLY

Breathing deeply,

you gradually realize

the God you need is determined

by the breath you breathe. Yoga

builds an expanding expectation:

.

Where you are is where you are;

where you will be will be where

you will be when you’re there. Why

doubt it? You’re in forward motion.

You will be with & that God when

You arrive at that Godly destination.

(14 APR 12, Santa Clara CA)v1

I like this one, dad. I wrote it in response to yours.

The Goddess you need,

is right here.

You are just ignoring Her.

Breathing helps,

to slow the mind down,

till you can be in her presence,

and stop worrying.

Where you are,

is where you are,

in-terms of this ability,

to know the truth,

of Her immanence.

We are always with Her.

We are all her.

We are all one.

We all breathe as one,

through the many outposts,

of Her consciousness.

There is no where to go.

She is already here.

Welcome home.

(19 APR 12, Putney VT)

-Maya Costley

EASTER EGG TREE

E@STER EGG TREES (I)

For Alex

Wondering if my children

still remember how we

pierced the shells & blew

albumen.& yolks out, boiling

the empty eggs in a year’s

saved onion-skins, hanging

empty eggs from golden threads

tied to a dry tree branch, on

Easter Day, I called my son

who quickly said: “Oh sure,

I remember doing that!”

(Easter Day, 8 APR 2012}v3

Santa Clara CA

EASTER EGG TREES (II)

From Maya
 

"I remember learning how

to blow the white & yolk

out of a hole made with

a straight pin, & being

amazed that the yolk

would slide through it!

I also remember that we

used onion skins to dye it

because I had a collection

of activity cards that mom

gave us of home science

experiments & projects,

& in the craft section they

had a card for how to

naturally dye Easter eggs.

So I wanted to try it. I am

also vaguely remembering

hanging them from a bush,

or maybe it was a tree, outside

the house at 22 Loveland Rd."

(8 APR 2012, Putney VT.)

‘

‘

Sleeping comfortably.

in 2 orange T-shirts,

on 2 white sheets:

on 2 pink pillows

under a rosy quilt

in early Spring.

(03 APR 12 Santa Clara CA)v8

ConStitutional

Smoker: I can roll&smoke this lousy Obamacare law if I want tah.

Anti-smoker: But smoking is bad for U!

Smoker: I can roll & smoke the [{Constitition}] if I want tah, too.

Anti-smoker: Yes, you can, but it's bad for U too..

Smoker: The [{Constitution}] is never bad for me, no way, no howl! (Lights up a tea-packed Constitutional stogie...)

(02 APR 12, Santa Clara CA)

POETRY MONth

my Poetry Month
beginneth with:
my desper@th hopeth

(01 APR 12, Santa Clara CA)v4