The Most of It
By Robert Frost
He thought he kept the universe alone;
For all the voice in answer he could wake
Was but the mocking echo of his own
From some tree-hidden cliff across the lake.
Some morning from the boulder-broken beach
He would cry out on life, that what it wants
Is not its own love back in copy speech,
But counter-love, original response.
And nothing ever came of what he cried
Unless it was the embodiment that crashed
In the cliff's talus on the other side,
And then in the far distant water splashed,
But after a time allowed for it to swim,
Instead of proving human when it neared
And someone else additional to him,
As a great buck it powerfully appeared,
Pushing the crumpled water up ahead,
And landed pouring like a waterfall,
And stumbled through the rocks with horny tread,
And forced the underbrush--and that was all.
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Another from Poet's Choice in The Washington Post Book World on nature poetry. "Robert Frost looking at a woodpile or watching a buck swim toward him across a lake is not the same as Keats hearing a nightingale or Wordsworth regarding a waterfall," notes critic Robert Pinsky. "Frost deals directly with [the] question of human meaning and natural being in one of his greatest poems...the last phrase has two opposite meanings: that was the All, and that's all there was." Pinsky adds, "the difference between nature and humanity is made haunting yet distinct -- partly by entertaining fictional similarities between the two."
Had a family-oriented Sunday. Wrote my articles early while the kids had Hebrew school. Then they had a friend over at lunchtime, my in-laws came, younger son had soccer practice, and afterward we all went to my parents' house for an early celebration of my older son's birthday which is Monday. Son received a used copy of Skies of Arcadia for the GameCube which he desperately wanted, as well as gift certificates to the local card store to get the Magic deck he wants. Plus, you know, books and stuff, but the games are what he was excited about. And younger son was given some money from his grandparents which combined with all the money he has saved over the past several weeks was enough to reimburse me for his Furby, which he now has and is not even jealous about older son's birthday. So peace reigns. Gee, twelve years ago right about now I was in labor...
My only other news involves trying to help my cousin get her father's files off his six-year-old Macintosh that he hasn't turned on for three years and that apparently has a near-defunct mouse, pretending to be interested in the outcome of the Patriots game, finishing even crazier crackfic than the last crackfic and watching Desperate Housewives, which must also be like crack because I don't even like it but I can't seem not to watch it. We completely lost track of the time while at my parents and missed The West Wing season premiere and I am absolutely kicking myself for not having set the VCR much earlier in the day; we knew Rome would rerun so I'm not worried about that one, but TWW probably won't replay the opener till mid-season reruns start! Woe! (Anyone local reading this, if you happened to tape/TiVo it, can I trade you favors...?)
Here are some more photos from Rock Creek Park Day, this time some of the critters brought by Reptiles Alive for the 115th birthday festival. More turtles for you,
A painted turtle got some show time. Note the other turtles in the carriers and the really cool big bullfrog, too.
Afterward the kids mobbed the carriers to see the animals inside.
Park rangers admired the "bracelet" worn by the Reptiles Alive speaker...
...before it slithered up her chest and beneath her ponytail to become a necklace.
Inside the nature center after the shows, we also met one of the permanent residents. Rock Creek Park has many such specimens living in the surrounding woods.
You all may have noticed that
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