You were up with the dawn and prepared and
cleaned the kitchen floor with a Swiffer concoction of liquid in the two pads
taken to do the floor. Then you cleaned the cats' litter box that you attempt
to do twice daily. The Sunday paper is not here yet and you are waiting before
having breakfast.
0717
hours. It is a Sunday ritual to read the comics first (everyday really), the
Sunday comics used to be the only ones in color and that made them special, now
they are colored every day just like comic books always were. Growing up I had
a great affection for comic books. I either lost them; gave them away, or
Mother threw them out. Some would have been worth a small fortune today as they
were during the years 1948-1960.
Before you forget, you woke up this morning
thinking about "Elementary", you had had a dream about it, then when
you were more fully awake you thought of my comment on there being (for all
intents and purposes in the book) five universes, then a 'flash' to your poem
". . . hands . . .". The poem earned you an honorable mention in the
Quiz and Quill and later Dr. Coulter apologized that you did not win the prize
(there was no winner that year) because of a problem. You didn't know whether
the problem was money because it was a cash prize or because it was Roy Burkart
religious poem contest and somebody didn't want a wanna-be existentialistic
beatnik winning. You fluffed it off thankful it was even printed though you
were embarrassed because of the religious theme, something that was not in your
normal writing persona during those days.
That's
true. Bob Pringle and I were both of a different poetic bent than many at the
religious aspects of being at Otterbein. We used to call Otterbein (without
much affection) "a small Christian college for small Christians."
Such was our rebellious attitude. I remember one of our best jokes was putting
a birth announcement for Jesus in each of the faculty mailboxes and then
underneath we wrote: "Who Is Responsible?" Some of the faculty
discovered we were the culprits and they were not amused. Dr. John Coulter
though took us aside one day and said several of the faculty found it amusing,
including himself. The smile on his face at the time was better than winning
any writing contest Otterbein had to offer.
Back to the 'flash' that precipitated this little aside. - Amorella
Yes. I
thought of five universes and then a flash 'five fingers' (thus the poem
"hands"). I thought an analogy for the Merlyn books. Each universe's
Big Bang is as a fingerprint of G---D's handiwork. This is not important in the
story but it provides a mythological background that fits with 'divine
justice'. What I like about the analogy best is that it is 'non-binding' -- an
anthropomorphic hand of an Angel of G---D as being an Angel seems more reverent
than to suggest G---D has hands, which to me is so very elementary and
unnecessary in the modern world. This analogy is so very important to me, I am
sorry I got carried away with a college memory. I am always going off track. This
is like during a class lecture. I would leave my notes or focus and start on a
story which, once realized, I would have to find a way to relate it back to
what the focus was, i.e. literature, biography and/or history. (0755)
After breakfast, drop in a copy of the poem
"hands" so this makes for better clarification and sense. - Amorella
0849
hours. I was looking for the Quiz and Quill poem in my desk notes, couldn't
find it. In the process I dropped a folder full of poems/notes on the floor, it
opened and when I reached down to pick it up I noticed a Quiz and Quill in the
basket on the floor. Lo and behold the correct Quiz and Quill edition (yellow
covered Spring 1966) was on the top. The poem referenced above is on page
twenty-one.
***
. . . hands . . .
by r h orndorff
Honorable Mention, Roy Burkhart Contest
i
say unto you, o man and woman,
when
you love, you are intertwined,
you
are four arms, four legs and two bodies together;
your
minds are full, yet you are only as God in prayer,
you
are His fingers clasped, and His palms together.
and
together you are swept into His world,
the
world of creation.
when
you and your woman part,
you
part in gladness and in peace.
you
are like the two hands of God,
you
go forth and build.
you,
o man and woman, are the builders,
you
are the builders of all things,
all
things foreign to the world.
and
it should be so,
for
you are the Holy carpenters.
Quiz and Quill, Spring Edition,
Published by the Quiz and Quill Club of Otterbein College, Editor in Chief,
Nathalie Bungard, 1966, p. 21.
***
Reading
the poem today it also appears very elementary and is still rather embarrassing
to think that I wrote it. I know the influence -- I had been reading Kahlil Gibran's
The Prophet and I was partially attempted to mimic his style which, it
is said, is an adaptation of the tone and cadence of the King James Version of
the Bible. Looking back, this took some self-audacity to feel I could mimic the
KJV in tone and cadence.
1937 hours. We had supper at Brennan's Colony on Lee. Everyone but
Paul had super cheese sandwiches; Paul had 15 Buffalo wings instead plus we all
shared a small fry and a small onion rings. The boys had chicken fingers. Arriving
home everyone sat out in the backyard while the boys played. Currently it is
bath time. It is amazing how much I forget -- kid are in a different time zone
and the pace of the day is on the kids' schedules.
2301
hours. I have been reading from "History of the Scottish Nation",
Vol. 1, Chapter 8 - The Druids: Their Religion, Deities, Hierarchy, Doctrines. It
is 5753 words in length including the footnotes.
Tomorrow when time permits I will edit this
material for you for what is important to know about Merlyn's druidic
background. Post. - Amorella
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