The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Mon 6/2/2008)

[RetroLounge]

How to Leave the World That Worships Should

Let faxes butter-curl on dusty shelves.
Let junkmail build its castles in the hush
of other people’s halls. Let deadlines burst
and flash like glorious fireworks somewhere else.
As hours go softly by, let others curse
the roads where distant drivers queue like sheep.
Let e-mails fly like panicked, tiny birds.
Let phones, unanswered, ring themselves to sleep.

Above, the sky unrolls its telegram,
immense and wordless, simply understood:
you’ve made your mark like birdtracks in the sand -
now make the air in your lungs your livelihood.
See how each wave arrives at last to heave
itself upon the beach and vanish. Breathe.

Ros Barber

**************

:hi:

RL

[xchrom]

1. ...

you’ve made your mark like birdtracks in the sand -
now make the air in your lungs your livelihood.

[RetroLounge]

4. ...

:hi:

RL

[siligut]

2. Thank you, I just felt a little sigh of relief. nt

[RetroLounge]

5. ...

:hi:

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. My dear Retro!

I just read this one out loud, to myself...

And WOW!

The cadences are just wonderful!

It just rolls off the tongue...

So damn beautiful!

Thank you...

:hi:

[lizziegrace]

6. Breathe...

it's good to be alive.

:hug:

[Canuckistanian]

7. Apropos of the season... "Sumer is Icumen In"

Modern English.................Middle English
Svmer is icumen in...............Summer is a-coming in
Lhude sing cuccu!................Loudly sing cuckoo
Groweþ sed and bloweþ med......Groweth seed and bloweth mead
and springþ þe wde nu............and springs the wood anew
Sing cuccu!......................Sing cuckoo!

Awe bleteþ after lomb,............Ewe bleateth aft-er lamb,
lhouþ after calue cu,............Calf loweth after cow,
Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ.....Bullock starteth, buck farteth,
Murie sing cuccu!................Merry sing cuckoo!
Cuccu, cuccu,...................Cuckoo, cuckoo!
Wel singes þu cuccu..............Well singest thou cuckoo,
ne swik þu nauer nu!.............Nor cease thou never now!
Sing cuccu nu, Sing cuccu!.......Sing cuckoo now, Sing cuckoo!

Pes..............................Foot (or Bass)
Sing cuccu, Sing cuccu nu!.......Sing cuckoo, Sing cuckoo now!