Phantasmagoria

Nasdaq and Dow Jones sat on a wall
Nasdaq and Dow Jones had a great fall
and all Bush's men and all Congress's clauses
don't seem like they can put the economy together again.

I think they should do news in little rhymes and poems. It'll be a lot more fun. For now, I'll take Frasier any day over the 10 0 clock news.

Better this way, I guess. With my family's luck in shares, I shouldn't be allowed to touch stock with a bargepole.

I found my soulmate when I was 12. He was wise, had a way with words, shared my values and priorities and was already published in my 6th grade English text book. Which made him fa-aaa-mous. And he had a nice solid name. William Henry Davies. I post his poem here so your life may be better for reading it.

Leisure

by William Henry Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

------- The end --------------------------------

We had a sketch of a man hunched up on a wooden fence staring at some cows grazing on a meadow in our text book next to this poem. The minute I saw it and read the poem, I had my first vision of Utopia. I completely understood the poet and longed to be hunched over a wooden fence staring at some cows grazing in a meadow. And this was at the stressful age of 12. Imagine how I long for it now.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Your name reminds me of HB pencil i was fond of once. soulmate @ 12..hmmm. Anyways if you are so gung ho about Henry Davis "leisure" i'm sure you would equally appreciate "In Praise of Idleness" by Bertrand Russell..follow the link http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/praiseidleness.htm
October 20, 2008 at 4:16 PM
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