In a Barber’s Chair[1]   “Before me and, I know, behind Tunnels the mirrored mirror of myself.” “At least, your self that reflects On where the edges of reflection meet. `I breathe the mountain air of numbers.’ He’s ascetic too; he’d seize every minute To look between the stars, Wants time diamond-cut, and pure as glass.” “In a distant glass, I, illogical, Blackgnarled, a tree.” I have mountainsides on every side Where one and one are a forest That roots... Read more

One problem for a Catholic, even an ethnic Catholic like me, is that getting a Ph.D. tends to make you think you have the right to argue with the Pope, even if he doesn’t think so. Actually, one has a duty to argue with the Pope, because few laypeople have had enough theological training to even know what the conversation is actually about. When the Pope is wrong, it is a sin of omission not to tell him so. Recently Benedict XVI... Read more

[This is Part III of the first chapter of my autobiography. You do need to read the first two parts in order to follow the plot here.] From 1974 to 1976, I freelanced almost fulltime for Freeman. But then, in late 1976, when Gunder Hefta, my good friend from the poetry program at San Francisco State, who had become Managing Editor after John retired, decided to move on, the Germans sent Elaine (we have completed that loop), with orders to... Read more

[This continues the first chapter of my autobiography. If you have not read the first installment, posted yesterday, you do need to in order to follow the story here.] After I had graduated with my M.A. in Poetry from San Francisco State in June of 1968, I went to John Gildersleeve, then the Managing Editor at W. H. Freeman and Co., for whom I had done some freelance editing, and asked if he had an opening for me. “Ordinarily I... Read more

[This is how my autobiography will begin. It took quite a while to realize that, rather than hiding the events of that, my own personal 9/11, that was the day I need to begin from. This is all very personal. I am taking inspiration from Star’s courage and honesty to tell the truth about myself. I don’t care whether it is what you want to hear.] On the evening of Saturday, September 11th, 1976, I was attending a meeting—at Lydia’s... Read more

4. Lovesong I don’t wonder some blamed you For coming to me when you shouldn’t. We walked everywhere together, To hills, streams, holy places Where we talked alone among Spring choirs. But can any girl Stay long or far from the woman she loves? Soft girl I was all apart from, You came to my house again and sang To me; so I have come, and waited For you, woman wanderer like me, Beneath the laurels, and when you came,... Read more

[I guess trying to put my almanac project on this blog wasn’t a great idea. It actually just slows me down, since I have to construct it before I can put up a blog that’s all ready to go. So I’ll quit that. I haven’t had any comments on it from anybody anyway, so perhaps it won’t be missed.] One day in January 1966, it popped into my head that something useful might be done with the fragments of Sappho’s... Read more

A Pagan Almanac for August 12, 2012 Lunar Cycle: Day 6 of the waning Moon Rome: Feast of the Invincible Hercules Athens: Hekatombaion 26. The Panathenaea continues Passed over on this day in 2010: Isaac Bonewits William Blake wrote: The worship of God is: Honouring his gifts in other men, each according to his genius, and loving the greatest men best: those who envy or calumniate great men hate God; for there is no other God. ________________________________________________________________________________________________   The problems... Read more

A Pagan Almanac for August 9-11, 2012 Lunar Cycle: Days 9 to 7 of the waning Moon Athens: Hekatombaion 22 t0 23: The Panathenaea continues Martyred on August 9, 1630: Marion Hardie of Aberdeen August 9, 1664: Elisabeth de Grutere, Ghent August 11, 1679: Melchior Waltisbien, Carl Pfister, and Johann Casper Plum of Meranin They died in our name. Let us remember theirs. William Blake wrote: Each Man is in his Spectre’ Power Untill the arrival of that hour, When... Read more

A Pagan Almanac for August 7 & 8, 2012 Lunar Cycle: Tenth day of the full Moon Tenth day of the waning Moon (this is how the Athenians did it; since the Moon was waning, they counted down. Perfectly logical.) Athens: Hekatombaion 20 Hekatombaion 21: The Great Festival of Athena begins Martyred on August 7, 1661: Margaret Bryson and Elspeth Blackie of Edinburgh. They died in our name. Let us remember theirs William Blake wrote: As all men are alike... Read more