Poem for Friday

I Heard You, Solemn-sweet Pipes of the Organ
By Walt Whitman

I heard you, solemn-sweet pipes of the organ, as last
         Sunday morn I pass'd the church;
Winds of autumn!—as I walk'd the woods at dusk, I
         heard your long-stretch'd sighs, up above, so
         mournful;
I heard the perfect Italian tenor, singing at the opera
         —I heard the soprano in the midst of the quartet
         singing;
...Heart of my love!—you too I heard, murmuring
         low, through one of the wrists around my head;
Heard the pulse of you, when all was still, ringing little
         bells last night under my ear.

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Adam again had a half-day of school -- it's end-of-term week, the kids got report cards (straight As in Adam's case, an A average in all honors and AP classes in Daniel's case, so it was all good news), and the elementary and middle schools close early for parent conferences. Meanwhile the old middle school building, which was also my junior high school, is being torn down, so there were trucks going up and down the main street in the neighborhood with stuff from that. Since he was out early, I took Adam out for Thai food at the mall. At least, he had Thai food, and I had a peanut butter sandwich that I brought from home. I can only deal with yogurt so many times a week. My blood pressure has been pretty good all week, though, so no real complaints. And we had to go to the mall anyway to get a birthday present for the friend to whose party son is going after school tomorrow.

Loved FlashForward this week though I'm ready for them to stop the tease already about what caused the blackout -- I get that the government doesn't know yet, but Dominic Monaghan obviously knows, so instead of taunting us with that, I wish they'd just say it -- though I adore getting to see Merry Brandybuck playing poker with James Norrington. Also, I adore Janis. I got a wonderful present in the mail from Valis2, who makes jewelry -- a necklace and earrings with a pewter Tree of Life pendant, with rhyolite beads and faceted pearls strung together on a gorgeous delicate silver chain -- I will have to take photos when I'm wearing it (maybe to the Bar Mitzvah we're going to this weekend) but I had to take photos in the box right after I got it:








I didn't take this photo, but I include it for posterity's sake: it's my son's middle school, my junior high school, being torn down.

Happy Friday the 13th!