[stylist] Poem - "Manners" - Second Draft

[William L Houts]

HI Jackie Lee,

Thanks again for your warm comments; I appreciate them very much.  As 
for the missing spaces between words, I think that's happening , 
somehow, after I send the email.  I always check my work before I send 
it, and when I reviewed "Manners" in my poetry folder, I didn't get any 
such errors. And I rarely,  if ever, use asterisks in my work, so I've 
got no idea where they're coming from.  Spooky, almost! If you want to 
know the truth, actually, I think I've got some kind of gremlin or wee 
ghostie about who's screwing with my work, no fooling.  Anyhway, thanks 
again for your kind comments.


--Bill





On 7/23/2015 8:57 AM, Jackie Williams via stylist wrote:
> Bill,
> I nominate you as our most prolific writer of poetry. You and Shawn are
> getting us back to writing from travelogues to quality work. This is not to
> say I did not enjoy all of the remarks about rednecks and Portland.
> I do want to comment on your format on this last submission.
> To make any sense of this one, I had to put it in Word, and use the Control
> H, and delete all of the "stars." There were 32 in all, and this totally
> interfered with my comprehension. Also, two instances of words with no
> spaces between, and the difficulty for one using JAWS is that one has to
> spell out the word to have a clue, if they are unfamiliar words. Your spell
> check should tell you if a space is lacking.
> I do not mean to offend. I also do the same thing when I forget to do this.
> And sometimes, even when I remember. But if you were not an exceptional
> poet, I would not take the time to mention this.
>
> Jackie Lee
>
> Time is the school in which we learn.
> Time is the fire in which we burn.
> Delmore Schwartz	
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of William L
> Houts via stylist
> Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2015 3:47 AM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Cc: William L Houts
> Subject: [stylist] Poem - "Manners" - Second Draft
>
>
>
>
> Good Morning, Rabid Verse Fans,
>
> Been working on this one for two or three days.  I'm not saying it's
> perfect, but there's a political, altruistic theme here which I don't
> necessarily express in other poems.  So I'm kind of into this one as an
> advance in my style.  I recognize that I employ certain manners of
> syntax and phrasing in many of my poems, and I'm striving to stretch
> myself, to become more flexible, maybe even more unpredictable. In the
> meantime, enjoy, if you like.
>
> --Bill
>
>
> ---
>
> *Manners*
>
> **
>
> **
>
> *They're not for kissing prince foot,*
>
> *or kneeling bareheaded before khans; *
>
> *they're meant for our peers,and for the people who serve: *
>
> *cashiers and countermen, waitresses, wives, the boy*
>
> *who brings our paper. Right attention's the thing,*
>
> *that we don't treat the humble  who bow to make their rent*
>
> *like doors and dust mops, slammed and shaken.*
>
> *Awaken to grace; don't fall into mastership.*
>
> *We're greater than that. The planet's great charge:*
>
> Fill their dusty cups with icy deep drink,
>
> with water so cold it eases their griefs,
>
> gives gladness, restores the soar
>
> to oncebroken wings. Fill it again: unparch them, pass through
>
> their bars and engrail them with mercies as deep
>
> as your soul can yield. Love many and much, and touch
>
> the untouchables:the imprisoned, forgotten, the slave:
>
> cheer for how you've grown, and how much given
>
> before you reach the flimflam grave.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


-- 


"Oh, Sophie!  Whyfore have you eated all de cheeldren?"