I never read Vonnegut.
A few times on the Daily Show he sat and talked with Jon Stewart. It was only then he became someone I thought I might read. The eighty-plus aged man was bright, funny and political. I quoted his lines from the Stewart show for weeks after his appearances.
In the book mentioned, “Man Without A Country”, his last book ends with a poem, “Requim”
containing these closing lines.
When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
People did not like it here.
Mr. Vonnegut died April 12, 2007 at the age of 84.
12 responses so far ↓
1 jody // Apr 13, 2007 at 5:54 pm
I don’t understand why it’d be poetic for the Earth to say that people didn’t like it here. Or did I miss it?
2 Joe // Apr 15, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Dear Jody,
Thank you for leaving a comment. I have no answers, only questions.
3 Joe // Apr 15, 2007 at 9:21 pm
On second thought, Jody, I believe the poetry of the earth may very well exhist without people living upon it. Here for these many years earth has offered us trees and skys, sunsets, sunrises, and the power of dark skys and storms. Suprise glimpses of a deer in a wood, an every so often a rainbow, not to mention flowers and butterflys.
Earth has offered this beauty in utter silence.
When we have killed all of the beauty as well as ourselves and all that is left is the land, the hills, valleys, hollows, oceans, streams, and canyons it might be poetic as the first words uttered by earth to be….
People did not like it here.
I hope, in some small way that starts to answer your query.
4 Cyndie // Apr 22, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I think that the Earth is angry today, at least that is what the wind told me.
However,
I do think that the palmtrees where I live in Florida adore their coconut earrings :)
love the insight….
5 Joe // Apr 23, 2007 at 11:34 am
Dear Cyndie,
Sounds like you have the start of a poem. Palm trees with coconut earrings. How delightful.
Thank you for sharing and please share some more.
6 Cyndie // Apr 23, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Dear Joe,
Thank you for the invite to share.
There are two friendly palms that live outside my downstairs window.
They both have big coconut earrings.
They are always chatting with each other.
Occasionally I sit on the back porch and look out at the water ( I pretend that I am not listening to them) as I strum my guitar.
If I close my eyes and listen really hard, I can hear them whispering about events to come… 042307
c.l.a. 7:21p.m.
7 Cyndie // Apr 23, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Joe check out
George Herbert 18th Century is great…
but dead as well..
8 Cyndie // Apr 23, 2007 at 6:19 pm
I think this will be it out of me for a while.
Prayer by George Herbert 1593-1633
Prayer, the Church’s banquet, Angels’ age,
God’s breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth;
Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner’s tower,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days’-world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well dressed,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church bells beyond the stars heard, the soul’s blood,
The land of spices, something understood.
9 Joe // Apr 23, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Dear Cyndie,
How generous of you. It is not always easy to share your words or thoughts with others in such an open forum, thank you.
As it turns out, one of my favorite quotes is from George Herbert, although, it has recently been co-opted by ‘Grand Marnier’, an orange flavored brandy liquer.
“Living Well Is the Best Revenge”
10 Cyndie // Apr 24, 2007 at 4:43 am
Dear Joe
Actually he is 17th Century not 18th my error.
Great Blog! Ran across it by accident.
What a great idea! You should try to get a link on the Philly Home City page or the City of Commerce…
So where are the bios about the writers, if any. That should be fun to read! Or are you the only author on the blog besides participants?
Have a great day! Do you currently have a muse?
C
11 Joe // Apr 26, 2007 at 6:08 am
Dear Cyndi,
So far I am the sole author and I am always in hope that Mnemosyne will provide me what I need.
12 Cyndie // Apr 26, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Dear Joe
I am so impressed. :)
I am always in hope that the world will keep spinning!
Have a seredipitous….one…
Cyndie
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