This one's dedicated to the roosters of Umbria. (Sorry for the uneven spacing.
After more than two years of this blog, I still haven't figured out why
certain Word documents transfer intact and others don't- and I'm too
lazy to retype the whole poem.)
spreading his news before the sky is grey;
the last a solemn history scholar
declaring noon truly begins the day,
In between comes the crowing
competition,
I’ll judge for myself when the night is gone.
After more than two years of this blog, I still haven't figured out why
certain Word documents transfer intact and others don't- and I'm too
lazy to retype the whole poem.)
False Dawns
The first rooster is an eager
reporterspreading his news before the sky is grey;
the last a solemn history scholar
declaring noon truly begins the day,
so many claiming credit for the
dawn.
Despite this much trumpeted
tradition,I’ll judge for myself when the night is gone.
Hi Mr. Zirm,
ReplyDeleteI was a student of yours in 7th grade, 2000-2001, at Landon.
Yesterday, about to drive my motorbike home from teaching English at a high school in rural Thailand, I noticed a rip in the bottom of my briefcase. Concerned about my computer, I transferred the bag from my shoulder to the footrest of my bike, where I meant to hold it with my feet. I strapped on my helmet, spent a far-away moment admiring a splendid sunset, and took off, completely forgetting to use my feet to secure my briefcase. The bag went flying and my white Macbook skidded across the hot black pavement.
My computer survived; I'm typing on it now. But I thought you'd be interested to know that the concept of Zirmean Irony has made it to Hankha, Chai Nat, Thailand.
I hope all is well! I've enjoyed reading a few of your poems. The roosters are terribly ill-disciplined here, too. I'm sure your current students are enjoying your classes as much as I did.
Sincerely,
Talley M. Berry
McDonogh School '06
Talley-
DeleteIt's great to hear from you. (I wondered where those page views from Thailand were coming from.) I'm glad your attempt to protect your computer did not truly destroy it in total Zirmean fashion.
Some of my students enjoy my classes; some don't- but it's always wonderful to hear from those who did. I hope that teaching in Thailand is as exciting and rewarding as it sounds like it should be. (By coincidence last night we were just looking at some photos of our friends' trip to Thailand. They raved about how great and beautiful the country is.)
Thanks for writing, reading, and remembering. Take care.
Fred Zirm