leonardcohenforum.com

(I also posted at the Anjani forum, so a re-post for some)


Sleep Edano

This is not a poem
about a tsunami or an earthquake
or a meltdown. Not a poem about a baby found
alive after three days or how fifty men risk their lives
to keep others safe.

It is a poem about how I saw the first bud
open today, how the pigeons are in love
on Jarvis street and how thousands
of people see an exhausted man
and say, sleep
Edano,
sleep.


http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/j ... 53661.html

Cate wrote:(I also posted at the Anjani forum, so a re-post for some)


Sleep Edano

This is not a poem
about a tsunami or an earthquake
or a meltdown. Not a poem about a baby found
alive after three days or how fifty men risk their lives
to keep others safe.

It is a poem about how I saw the first bud
open today, how the pigeons are in love
on Jarvis street and how thousands
of people see an exhausted man
and say, sleep
Edano,
sleep.


http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/j ... 53661.html

.. this is lovely, Cate. Sad, sweet, lovely.. and moving. I especially like that the pigeons are in love on Jarvis street.. and to see the first bud open has been an excitement of mine since childhood.. and here it is: your poem has been my seeing "the first bud open" this year.. [in my mind, at least].. I think the "this is not" aspect of the first stanza works especially well here, given the magnitude of this disaster.. and so.. to shift to what can be grappled with.. to what can be in some way touched and understood, as here your poem does so wonderfully.. oh, and that Edano might finally sleep (!).. [it actually works, even if you don't know who Edano is]..

thanks,

v . x


.. [oh.. I've been thinking of cherry blossoms, actually.. been writing about them.. though not the Japanese passion for them, which you now have me thinking about]..

edit: when I use my double-dot ellipse, I sometimes break up a thought too much [it's one of the hazards of doing this].. anyway, I fixed one such instance.

Thank you Violet.

Cherry blossoms are so very beautiful aren't they ... so fleeting though.

Hello Cate and Vi,

(Now all three of us are together in a thread). Interesting how compassion comforts those who give it, as well as those who receive it. That Tweet touched millions, world-wide – two words that reminded us we are all in this together.

Love to you both.

Thanks for taking the time to read I.F. - I tried to respond yesterday but I kept getting booted off.

Interesting how compassion comforts those who give it, as well as those who receive it.

I hadn't thought of it that way before - but yes I guess that's true.

Love back at you my dear - it's nice to 'see you'.
xx
cate