leonardcohenforum.com

Winter wisdom

We had to wait such a long time
Apparantly it has been a crime
But since we still can hum our tune
Let’s go again and feed the moon

We grow dreams and we grow fancies
Out of nowhere and into panties
But there’s a point of no return
When arrows cruise and torches burn

Love may hurt, love may disfigure
May even break what's declared secure
A voice from a mysterious star
Is telling us to go that far

That bond that once has been created
Was never found to be outdated
Though we stumble and we fail
We are connected and we will prevail


I know I’m too late for the winter poetry contest but this winter depression and instable health keeps me away from posting and there’s no fun in anything and there are no diamonds in the mine.

Dear Henning

You do have the winter blues - but I'm sure writing your poem would have helped in some small way! Anyway, I hope the spring cheer happens for you soon!

(BD's win over Hannover 96 last weekend must have brought at least a faint smile to your face ! )

Cheers
Andrew (Darby)

Hey Andrew,

realising that the initials of my favorite football team is BD is almost a final punch to me. Can't you sent some good news when there is only darkness here and you have got such a pleasant time right now ?

Dear Henning ~

I see hope and faith in your own words, and even moreso in the highlighted lines.

"That bond that once has been created
Was never found to be outdated
Though we stumble and we fail
We are connected and we will prevail"

I'm sorry to hear of your "instable health." I know from my own, vulnerable experience, how additionally debilitating it can be to your overall being. The relentless cold and gray of winter only adds to it.

I recall a time when I was in poor relationship with the man who later became my husband. I left the relationship, advising that I was leaving to go South, as "I feel so cold on the inside because I can't bear how things are with us, that I can't bear to have to deal with the cold on the outside, as well. I need to find some warmth."

Many people living in Michigan, particularly northern Michigan [where I was living at the time] are more prone to depression because of the state having the highest number of cloudy days, second only to Oregon [the perpetually-rainy state]. With the cold, the grey, and the isolation of winter, the phenomena of "cabin fever" kicks in besides. Depression finds a table set for a king and has a feast. Feasts to the point of bloating, and ill-health causes the table to give way. You find yourself in the rubble beneath it all.

As you know, through your own experience, and those of Leonard, that writing can help. These are pain-filled words:

"Love may hurt, love may disfigure
May even break what's declared secure
A voice from a mysterious star
Is telling us to go that far"

However, putting them on paper helps to get them out of you and, at least to an extent, disempower them, and force them to relinquish their control.

I've been out of it for awhile now, Henning.....different reason, of course. However, I'm slowly beginning to come back around. I have a lot to catch up with in reading here, and it's going to take me awhile. [The silver lining of the dark cloud is that my 'daily rate'-record should diminish at least somewhat ! I'm hoping there's a silver lining for you, too.] Please keep coming and at least reading, if you're able. It will help you to at least feel connected.

I can tell you that I was glad to see your name here, and immediately opened the thread you started. I'm truly sorry to know that you're going through a difficult time right now. I genuinely hope the Spring will bring some good feelings along with its sunshine for you. I hope your health improves as you need it to and beyond. I hope all the other issues you're grappling with will subside. None of these, singularly or together, are too much to hope for. I wish them all for you. You're a dear one.

Love,
Elizabeth

Oh Lizzy, good to hear from you - it's a tragedy when our talks about diseases are an indicator of our age. I am invited to a masquerade on Feb 26 in Athens but what for ? They would recognise me immediately even in my disguise cause my second sentence would include "pain-killers" and "blood pressure". Ahh, I don't know where to go these days .... should I ask Jarkko for support, he who has a helping hand for almost everything ? But then you surely know that Finland has the highest suicide rate in the world. Writing poems in a flu fever could also lead to this:

"Gimme mouth babe
I'm the oral type
Gimme boobs babe
I prefer heavy-weight"

and so on. It could turn out everything cause your manners are absorbed.

It's Tuesday today, right ?

So right, Henning on age, et al. Well, at least you're keeping your communication style direct and to the point . No hidden meanings there .

In the midst of my personal losses, I dealt with two, full weeks of intense bronchial flu ~ or whatever ~ and was down for the count. As a result, I missed out on both Christmas and New Year's what would have been my traditional, and highly-valued last contact with my two, dear friends. I keep mentally dragging myself out of bed and driving the 20 miles to make that contact on those, two days, but it is never to be. Illness can interfere more than what we may ever dream.

Jarkko will certainly give you an encouraging word that will show you clearly that you're cared for and about ~ it can be one of the most healing and fortifying of medicines ~ something you already know, without a doubt.

Love,
Lizzy

I always found it funny how people publish their private conversations in forums. Now I hurry to practise it myself. When the body weakens we try to remove our personal pedestals and we join the flock secretly just because we think that fate will not find us among the crowd. That's why I am sitting here in my pyjama. Thing is that Jarkko never really offered me a section on this forum where I could drop my personal concerns. I mean this is the poetry section and tricky as I am I entered here with a poem just to be in a room hoping that there are generous people around who don't care too much about rules. Good thing about the flu is your voice deepens and you can sing like the majesty himself. That's why I picked this short poem yesterday and sang it again and again:

"So you're the kind of vegetarian that only eats roses - is that what you mean with your beautiful losers".

I sang it again and again until I had the idea that I want to have this translated in all kind of languages. So whoever passes this by and knows about another translation in any language please post it here. Thank you !

May meals these days are only soup and icecream. I wished I had written down my temperatures of the recent days. It is always good to come up with digits. It covers the whole tragedy with seriousness.

Henning
It sounds like you are Really Quite Poorly ....or should I say Quite Poorly Really???

Get better soon.. just like Cov

Pete

Yes, Henning [to backtrack a bit], I have heard that about the suicide rate in Finland ~ here, in fact. It amazes me that those twinkly eyes of Jarkko's and Eija's should reside in such a land. Clearly, they remain personally unimpacted by that dreadful statistic.

Yes, the flexibility of this section allows for the deeper sharings amongst us. Some things are simply too personal for the Comments section. Yes, the pedestal can become rather hard and cold; and, just like the beach, this section quite warm, once you jump in. It's also true that when the body weakens, the spirit can more easily reach through and out, so that its own needs might be met. Another wonderful thing about sections and open sharings, such as this, is that you never know from whence some other connections and comfort might come.

The idea of those lines in multiple languages is a really good one. You sure oughta get some takers on it. Such a good thing that you're becoming inclined to sing. Those temps must be lowering. It sounds like you've been rather turned inside-out with all this, with some extreme spikes of body temperature. Have you experienced plummets, as well? Your way of alluding to these days makes it appear that it has been quite serious. The doctors always prefer a charted graph of your time before you were finally able to drag yourself into their office . It's not enough to be half dead. Soup and ice cream make it pretty clear that you're not out of the woods, yet, either. At least you're making it here!

This really is a poor place to try to get lost among the crowd. Fate just kinda hovers here, scanning the horizon with its eagle eye.

Jarkko never offered us a special section for our personal concerns [what could he have been thinking ], either. That's why we didn't bother to wait on ceremony, and came to our keyboards in our pajamas, too .

So, sing it again, Sam ~ this time with an even-deeper gusto .

Love,
Lizzy

Pete, if you'd invited me for cov's next home match against the rangers I surely would have accepted in my fever. I even would have made confessions about my fable for british humour.

Ok lizzy, I sing it again - isn't it also normal that as soon as we get on our feet again we turn back to old habits and pretty soon the resolutions made in delirium are forgotten ?

Btw, my online German-English dictionary is http://www.leo.org - maybe you need it as well pretty soon. As you can see my life is really wrapped around LEO.

Ha, what is flu und curse at the same time ? Perfect timing I would say.

I've got that 1300 pages Bill-Biography for christmas. No wonder that my poems tend to have this oral touch. What I read so far is repetitive that beginning from his youth whenever something happened to him then "I learnt from this .... "

Do we always immediately learn from events ? No wonder this man got president with such a learning talent. But I always liked that guy.

Hi Henning ~ I want to get that book, as I've always liked him, too. Even moreso after I shook his hand. I wrote an account of it, with more than a touch of irony included in its unfolding. You would surely appreciate it, though you may want to obtain Elke's permission prior to my sending it. Aside from that, the primary emotion I felt as I listened to him speak was hope ~ recognizable by its absence since 2000.

Oh, good ~ I will definitely reference your online dictionary ~ yes, LEO, of course ~ what else!?! I have those references throughout my various email addresses, as well.

Ah, yes, there you are ~ singing. I hear you loud. I hear you clear. You just sang what!?! "Have another beer" !?! You are getting better , Henning.

Now, to answer your intended-rhetorical question ~ Yes 'tis normal ~ except for the most noble. You may yet become the master of your fate .

~ Lizzy

Liz - sent that report please - no hesitation - time is limited.

Talking about LEO's - I'd like to introduce my nephew Leonard:

Awwwww.........what a trrrrriiiiiiiiiphe is with that expression and his missing front teeth !

How do the dates work out with his name? Did one of your siblings name their child after their brother's, major life commitment? [Or, is he from Elke's side?] Just seems a tad coincidental, as Leonard isn't particularly a Germanic name. Or, should I check that online dictionary ~ named after your nephew ~ to be sure ?

OK, I'll send the report from work tomorrow. It really does have its touch of irony . Also, I actually mis-stated the point after which I liked him better. It was after seeing and hearing him speak in person. Shaking his hand ~ well, not really shaking his hand ~ occurred afterward.

Henning wrote:Hey Andrew,

realising that the initials of my favorite football team is BD is almost a final punch to me. Can't you sent some good news when there is only darkness here and you have got such a pleasant time right now ?

Henning

I had hoped the win referred to might be the start of a climb back up the ladder for your team, but maybe it's not a good subject matter.

Anyway, on a more certain note: your days will be slowly getting warmer and longer (while the opposite is happening down here). I also hope your spirits lift accordingly and your health woes are left behind in that winter gone!

Cheers
Andrew (Darby)

P.S. What a great photo of your nephew L!

Geez, Henning ~

From what I was hearing on NPR this morning, there seems to have been uncovered in Germany [but, seemingly, not Germany-specific] some bribery with soccer, aka football, referees, to the extent that referees are now not going to be appointed to the big games until the day of the game itself. According to the report, this game in your country encompasses more attention and engagement with the people, and embodies all the values which we hold dear, to where this development is devastating to the citizenry. The bottom line, as I listened to it, is that your team may not have lost at all! You may have, in fact, been the actual winner, were it not for the bribed 'calls' in the game.

~ Lizzy