SUBJECT>Re: The Heat of Spring POSTER>Sherry EMAIL>ranch@rocketmail.com DATE>1111821588 IP_ADDRESS>69-161-206-253.clspco.adelphia.net PASSWORD>aapDmzY55pzBE PREVIOUS>85471 NEXT> IMAGE> LINKNAME> LINKURL>

: Gosh, I'm smiling. I just got home from work
: and found a copy of Paul Guest's book of
: poems in my mailbox. Have you read him? His
: work reminds me very much of Jim Zola's or
: vice versa.

Hi Laurel,

I checked out Paul Guest and what a young and intense fellow. Enjoyed the stuff I found on the internet. I'm sure zola would prefer the vice versa reference *grin*.

: So, I'm gonna smile right on through this crit.
: And heck, this poem gives me plenty to smile
: about. Mind if I fiddle a bit? Here goes
: nothin': Spring Heat

fiddle just like those birds...if you must...

: The birds are so absurd, they’ve forgotten
: about singing. They dart about
: in the sky in a tangle of cold screech and
: fiddle.

: How absent you have been.
: Come show me deepened skin;
: come back across the grasslands to me.

: I have coats and boots,
: hats, anything you may want to wear. I will
: dress you
: in hot layers until suddenly you say,
: "I'd forgotten how comfortatlbe
: shirtsleeves
: can be in the snowy mountains."

: What I like about this poem, and any of your
: poems, for that matter, is that I can never
: anticipate where they'll end up. That's the
: best compliment I think I can give any poet:
: your work manages to achieve a constant
: state of surprise--in language, in
: situation, in delivery, in the unabashed
: gladness of tone.

Gosh, thanks. I think I like that "gladness of tone" you hear.

: I made a few small changes, as you can see. I
: know, you'll scowl at that semi-colon. But I
: heard an end stop there, a much longer pause
: than a comma can deliver.

How'd you know I had a comma there? *L* I put a period just for the purpose of slowing it down.

: And I messed with
: the syntax in the final line. Oh, and I
: added a "so" in the first line.
: Meanwhile, I love that bird/absurd line. I
: smiled when I read it earlier today, and
: heck, I smiled again just now when I reread
: it. Okay, so I was already smiling...so I
: grinned.

: I changed the title too. I know you'll have
: none of that (grin) but I was thinking that
: slight switch would give heat additional
: connotation, additional nudge, nudge, wink,
: wink.

I'm not stuck on my title.

: It's always a pleasure reading you, Sherry.

: I gotta go read some more Paul.

I'm certainly glad Paul put you in such a good mood for your crit to me. Thanks for the read.

: Laurel

Sherry