There was an especially rich vein of poetry running through here last Friday. I kinda was surprised-- I thought the topic of "school supplies" would be daunting. But undaunted was OsoGrande:
Mark! Finish washing!
We have to go to Target!
I need protractors!
Renee, as always, was hitting on all cylinders:
My father once stole
Pencils from his Grandma's jar
Depression-born crime.
He never overcame his
Lust for pencils' fragrant gold
Each Yule asked same gift.
... and Jill Scoggins had this sterling entry:
Never had sixty-
four crayon box. Midwest Mom
too frugal for that.
Never had Monkees
lunch box/thermos. Midwest Mom
too frugal for that.
Never had poncho
with peace sign. (Cool!) Midwest Mom
too frugal for that.
Always had all I
needed. Midwest Mom always
free with love, love, LOVE.
Christine and many others had excellent entries as well. But, for reasons I can't totally explain, I was captivated by this entry from Bob, that put me in that place:
Hail the Big Chief Pad!
With those pebble-sized wood chunks,
Generous margins.
Hail #2 pencils!
Fat, round, yellow beauties
With luminous lead.
Together, I learned
To draw and write and doodle.
Invaluable!
Not many people know this, but Bob was Baylor's "Outstanding Senior Man" in 1976. The prizes for this honor were significant:
1) He received a large garland of ivy, which he was to wear for a full year to class.
2) He also led the homecoming parade, and the "Yuletide Festival of Mobile Trees"
3) He was given $390 in gold bullion
4) He got a year's supply of Eskimo Pies, all delivered at once to his dorm room
5) The live bear mascots lived with him
6) He got to fire 3 school employees of his choosing
7) For the months of February and March he was driven to class by Tuesday Weld in a Cadillac convertible.
Needless to say, it was quite a year! It was these many tributes that led him to a career in journalism, writing articles in 1977 for Tiger Beat, Creem, the Paris Review, Sassy Lass, Harper's, the HUD Newsletter, Cat Fancier, the Waco Tribune-Herald, and Big Don's Movie News-- a great career had begun.
I applaud the choice of the winner, but I must inquire, for those among us (me) who can't comprehend--what are the pebble-sized wood chunks?
ReplyDeleteIs this a reference to the quality of paper's finish, or a writing instrument, or something else?
I believe Bob should win. Help thou my unbelief.
Of course, there's always something A.E. Housman said about poetry (which one can presume includes haikus about school supplies):
“Even when poetry has a meaning, as it usually has, it may be inadvisable to draw it out... Perfect understanding will sometimes almost extinguish pleasure.”
I have a good question: however did Bob actually make it to class when driven by the stunningly gorgeous Miss Weld...perhaps only Tuesdays were a problem?! Congratulations to Bob for this unique honor. Big Chief tablets were big in the life of a student...the draw of the unfilled line. Kudos to Oso for quoting Housman. Or as Marianne Moore said,"A poem should not mean,but be.
ReplyDeleteI agree - poetry has been ruined for generations of students forced to write endless papers on the 'meaning' etc. Why not just experience, not analyze? Of course, there would be a lot of out of work English profs!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to have read much of the 'literature' studied in college and HS before it was ruined by over analysis in class. I must say that it took several years to be able to read several books again for pleasure - and I have never been able to read Melville again.
Lee
Oso--
ReplyDeleteBig Chief tablets were made from some kind of terrible pulp and had these dark splotches that looked like-- and might have been-- loose wood chips.
Thanks for the light. It is as I guessed.
ReplyDeleteProtractors? Sheesh.
ReplyDelete