Jack’s Winning Words 5/3/21

“Who has seen the wind?  Neither I nor you:  But when the leaves hang trembling, The wind is passing through.  Who has seen the wind?  Neither you nor I:  But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by.”  (Christina Rossetti)  Rosetti is best known to me for writing, In the Bleak Midwinter, sometimes called the best Christmas carol ever written.  Poets have “a way with words”.  I, too, marvel at the wind, but Christina gives it life, causing trees to bow their head, or causing leaves to tremble.  Is there a particular poet that you appreciate?  ;-)  Jack

FROM GBMIDCO:  Jack. Thank you. I’m reminded of a wonderful word , psithurism. The name of the sound that the wind makes blowing gently through the trees and tall grasses. Blessings always 🙏===JACK:  Thanks for introducing me to a new word (psithurism).  I always thought that the sound of the wind was Woosh.  ===G:  Jack. I was introduced to it by one of my pagan friends from the high desert in south east Arizona. I think it’s a real word and if not it should be. Blessings ===JACK:  That word has a Greek language origin and means: whispering.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  there was a time we thought socialism was not possible here, too... but look where we are in a few short years. bernie sanders is head of senate budget committee. it’s all fantasy land, isn’t it? believing that one of the two major parties will suddenly solve every problrm they created... but some folks lap it up anyway, still believe that a seasoned con man w/a crackhead son is going to fix stuff... like flint’s water.===JACK:  Some people are most comfortable talking about the thoughts of John Keynes.  My preference is for the thoughts of John Muir and John Loche.  "To each is own!"

FROM ALBION JLF:  I like Khalil Gibran.  Dr J would appreciate he’s from Lebanon.  Also I remember when growing up we read Carl Sandburg poetry.  I believe you had a poster of him downstairs.===JACK:  I learned some thing new....I thought that Gibran was from India or Pakistan.  No I know differently.  Your right.  Carl Sandburg would often write poetry about nature.--for example:

GRASS (Look it up).

FROM HOMELESS IN FLORIDA:  Emily Dickenson has always caught my attention and given me pause.===JACK:  "Emily used images from nature, religion, law, music, commerce, medicine, fashion, and domestic activities to probe universal themes: the wonders of nature, the identity of the self, death and immortality, and love. In this poem she probes nature’s mysteries through the lens of the rising and setting sun."

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  We've had a LOT of strong winds the past two weeks! I love this little poem about wind, and In The Bleak Midwinter is indeed a great Christmas carol. My Sr. Choir used to love to sing arrangements of that song! I taught one quarter a year on poetry, and had my 8th grade students make a poetry notebook with a bio of one. Carl Sandburg was popular, and Edgar Allen Poe (The Bells)!, Maya Angelou,  Love Shel Silverstien's Where The Sidewalk Ends, Robert Frost, a great Favorite, and so many more!! They had to memorize a poem to say before the class....some very short ones were popular with many of the boys (!) but  they did amazingly well, overall!  I, or course, read some with great drama, and had recordings of others, Like The Bells, and The Raven by Poe.  Long after, some kid would send me a card with :(usually) a satirical take off on one of our poems, saying, "Mrs.Oaks, since you love poetry I thought you'd enjoy this card..." HA!===JACK:  I think that you'd enjoy reading about the word,  psithurism.===OAKS:  psithurism?? What a bodacious word for "winds rustling through the trees" or "wind rustling leaves  through the trees'...no wonder it's an obsolete noun !! I'll bet you had fun putting me through my traces to track that down!  HA! :-)===JACK:  Bodacious?  Are you trying to trip me up?

FROM LBP:  Been enjoying the poetry of my 13 yo. She was reflecting on her writing lessons in middle school and found that she liked the poetry assignments best. It was never my thing, but she's got a bit of a knack.===JACK:  Poetry isn't my thing, nor is bio-stats.===L:  Well, can’t say sermons are my thing. Glad we each found our calling ===JACK:  You'd be better doing a sermon than I would at B-S.