“Where does the real poetry Come from?
From the amorous sighs
In this moist dark when making love
With form or spirit.
Where does poetry live?
In the eye that says “Wow wee,”
In the overpowering felt splendor
Every sane mind knows
When it realizes – our life dance
Is only for a few magic seconds.
From the heart saying, Shouting
“I am so damn Alive.”
– “Wow,” by Hafiz
Well, spent a fruitful couple of hours signing books. People loved Izzy, and it was touching to see. Connie Brooks called in her mother Marilyn after people starting phoning and e-mailing to order copies of “Izzy & Lenore” to remember Izzy, benefit hospice and support a wonderful independent bookstore. This blog community is making a lot of good noise, and it is a very wonderful tradition to buy books to celebrate the life of a great dog.
Connie sold out in a few hours, and this new stack came in today and sold out quickly, and more books are arriving tomorrow. “It has been a long and very busy day for Battenkill,” says the non-demonstrative bookstore owner. This was one of those things that just caught on. All of my royalties from these sales will go to benefit various hospice organizations. You can order copies of “Izzy & Lenore” and Connie will shop them anywhere in the world. They cost $15 plus shipping.
You can order them by calling the store at 518 677-2515, or emailing connie – [email protected] – or by e-mailing the store at www.battenkillbooks.com . Connie takes PayPal, which I see a lot of people are using. I will personalize the books in any reasonable way (some of the inscriptions are a bit long. This blog is not about buying things, and no one should feel any pressure to buy this book, but if you are so inclined, Battenkill is ready. Connie has really turned this bookstore around and demonstrated that individuals matter, and book lovers want there to be bookstores.
Hey this is a photo of Lenore, our greeter, but I wanted to you get a look at my next dog, Big Red, from Dr. Karen Thompson in Richmond, Virginia. He is an amazing working dog, and Dr. Thompson (who helped me train Rose several years ago and is the real deal) and he will come to Bedlam Farm about the same time as the sheep return here. I need this dog on several levels, and Dr. Thompson says he is also looking for some human to hang around with.
This is the dog for me, for us. Take a look. The Big Red Dog will be here in a few weeks. We are going down to Virginia to meet him and bring him to his new home.
A poet once wrote that the heart is right to cry when even the smallest drop of love is taken away, and I believe this is so.
And Simon says: if the heart is right to cry when even the smallest drop of love is taken away, then the heart is right to sing with joy when even the smallest drop of love is given.
Simon and the animals have taught me – and I see it every day and in the photographs I take – that every time we love an animal, our hearts sing a little louder.
Pssssst. Chickens in the grass.
