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<p><b><font face=3D"Pegasus" size=3D"4">I</font></b></p>
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Wonderful, Suzanne, thank you muchly!
Lois Codling
On 25/02/2010 9:51 AM, Suzanne Townsend wrote:
> This is a great poem.
> --Suzanne
> Letters from a Father
>
> by Mona Van Duyn <http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/169>
>
> *I*
>
> Ulcerated tooth keeps me awake, there is
> such pain, would have to go to the hospital to have
> it pulled or would bleed to death from the blood thinners,
> but can't leave Mother, she falls and forgets her salve
> and her tranquilizers, her ankles swell so and her bowels
> are so bad, she almost had a stoppage and sometimes
> what she passes is green as grass. There are big holes
> in my thigh where my leg brace buckles the size of dimes.
> My head pounds from the high pressure. It is awful
> not to be able to get out, and I fell in the bathroom
> and the girl could hardly get me up at all.
> Sure thought my back was broken, it will be next time.
> Prostate is bad and heart has given out,
> feel bloated after supper. Have made my peace
> because am just plain done for and have no doubt
> that the Lord will come any day with my release.
> You say you enjoy your feeder, I don't see why
> you want to spend good money on grain for birds
> and you say you have a hundred sparrows, I'd buy
> poison and get rid of their diseases and turds.
>
>
> *II*
>
> We enjoyed your visit, it was nice of you to bring
> the feeder but a terrible waste of your money
> for that big bag of feed since we won't be living
> more than a few weeks long. We can see
> them good from where we sit, big ones and little ones
> but you know when I farmed I used to like to hunt
> and we had many a good meal from pigeons
> and quail and pheasant but these birds won't
> be good for nothing and are dirty to have so near
> the house. Mother likes the redbirds though.
> My bad knee is so sore and I can't hardly hear
> and Mother says she is hoarse form yelling but I know
> it's too late for a hearing aid. I belch up all the time
> and have a sour mouth and of course with my heart
> it's no use to go to a doctor. Mother is the same.
> Has a scab she thinks is going to turn to a wart.
>
>
> *III*
>
> The birds are eating and fighting, Ha! Ha! All shapes
> and colors and sizes coming out of our woods
> but we don't know what they are. Your Mother hopes
> you can send us a kind of book that tells about birds.
> There is one the folks called snowbirds, they eat on the ground,
> we had the girl sprinkle extra there, but say,
> they eat something awful. I sent the girl to town
> to buy some more feed, she had to go anyway.
>
>
>
> *IV*
>
> Almost called you on the telephone
> but it costs so much to call thought better write.
> Say, the funniest thing is happening, one
> day we had so many birds and they fight
> and get excited at their feed you know
> and it's really something to watch and two or three
> flew right at us and crashed into our window
> and bang, poor little things knocked themselves silly.
> They come to after while on the ground and flew away.
> And they been doing that. We felt awful
> and didn't know what to do but the other day
> a lady from our Church drove out to call
> and a little bird knocked itself out while she sat
> and she bought it in her hands right into the house,
> it looked like dead. It had a kind of hat
> of feathers sticking up on its head, kind of rose
> or pinky color, don't know what it was,
> and I petted it and it come to life right there
> in her hands and she took it out and it flew. She says
> they think the window is the sky on a fair
> day, she feeds birds too but hasn't got
> so many. She says to hang strips of aluminum foil
> in the window so we'll do that. She raved about
> our birds. P.S. The book just come in the mail.
>
>
>
> *V*
>
> Say, that book is sure good, I study
> in it every day and enjoy our birds.
> Some of them I can't identify
> for sure, I guess they're females, the Latin words
>
> I just skip over. Bet you'd never guess
> the sparrow I've got here, House Sparrow you wrote,
> but I have Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows,
> Pine Woods and Tree and Chipping and White Throat
> and White Crowned Sparrows. I have six Cardinals,
> three pairs, they come at early morning and night,
> the males at the feeder and on the ground the females.
> Juncos, maybe 25, they fight
> for the ground, that's what they used to call snowbirds. I miss
> the Bluebirds since the weather warmed. Their breast
> is the color of a good ripe muskmelon. Tufted Titmouse
> is sort of blue with a little tiny crest.
> And I have Flicker and Red-Bellied and Red-
> Headed Woodpeckers, you would die laughing
> to see Red-Bellied, he hangs on with his head
> flat on the board, his tail braced up under,
> wing out. And Dickcissel and Ruby Crowned Kinglet
> and Nuthatch stands on his head and Veery on top
> the color of a bird dog and Hermit Thrush with spot
> on breast, Blue Jay so funny, he will hop
> right on the backs of the other birds to get the grain.
> We bought some sunflower seeds just for him.
> And Purple Finch I bet you never seen,
> color of a watermelon, sits on the rim
> of the feeder with his streaky wife, and the squirrels,
> you know, they are cute too, they sit tall
> and eat with their little hands, they eat bucketfuls.
> I pulled my own tooth, it didn't bleed at all.
>
>
>
> *VI*
>
> It's sure a surprise how well Mother is doing,
> she forgets her laxative but bowels move fine.
> Now that windows are open she says our birds sing
> all day. The girl took a Book of Knowledge on loan
> from the library and I am reading up
> on the habits of birds, did you know some males have three
> wives, some migrate some don't. I am going to keep
> feeding all spring, maybe summer, you can see
> they expect it. Will need thistle seed for Goldfinch and Pine
> Siskin next winter. Some folks are going to come see us
> from Church, some bird watchers, pretty soon.
> They have birds in town but nothing to equal this.
>
>
> So the world woos its children back for an evening kiss.
>
>
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2709 - Release Date: 02/25/10 03:34:00
>
>
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Wonderful, Suzanne, thank you muchly!<br>
Lois Codling<br>
<br>
On 25/02/2010 9:51 AM, Suzanne Townsend wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:46efb8bd1002250551k253f7500y17292ca22486423e@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div class="gmail_quote">This is a great poem.</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">--Suzanne</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"> </div>
<div class="gmail_quote" text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="80%">
<div><font face="Pegasus"><font size="4"><span>Letters from a
Father</span> </font></font></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" valign="top" align="right" nowrap="nowrap"><font
face="Pegasus" size="4"> </font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><font face="Pegasus" size="4">by </font><a
moz-do-not-send="true" title="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/169"
href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/169" target="_blank"><font
face="Pegasus" size="4">Mona Van Duyn</font></a><font face="Pegasus"
size="4"> </font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><font face="Pegasus"><br>
</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" valign="top">
<p><b><font face="Pegasus" size="4">I</font></b></p>
<pre><font face="Pegasus" size="4">Ulcerated tooth keeps me awake, there is
such pain, would have to go to the hospital to have
it pulled or would bleed to death from the blood thinners,
but can't leave Mother, she falls and forgets her salve
and her tranquilizers, her ankles swell so and her bowels
are so bad, she almost had a stoppage and sometimes
what she passes is green as grass. There are big holes
in my thigh where my leg brace buckles the size of dimes.
My head pounds from the high pressure. It is awful
not to be able to get out, and I fell in the bathroom
and the girl could hardly get me up at all.
Sure thought my back was broken, it will be next time.
Prostate is bad and heart has given out,
feel bloated after supper. Have made my peace
because am just plain done for and have no doubt
that the Lord will come any day with my release.
You say you enjoy your feeder, I don't see why
you want to spend good money on grain for birds
and you say you have a hundred sparrows, I'd buy
poison and get rid of their diseases and turds.
</font></pre>
<p><b><font face="Pegasus" size="4">II</font></b></p>
<pre><font face="Pegasus" size="4">We enjoyed your visit, it was nice of you to bring
the feeder but a terrible waste of your money
for that big bag of feed since we won't be living
more than a few weeks long. We can see
them good from where we sit, big ones and little ones
but you know when I farmed I used to like to hunt
and we had many a good meal from pigeons
and quail and pheasant but these birds won't
be good for nothing and are dirty to have so near
the house. Mother likes the redbirds though.
My bad knee is so sore and I can't hardly hear
and Mother says she is hoarse form yelling but I know
it's too late for a hearing aid. I belch up all the time
and have a sour mouth and of course with my heart
it's no use to go to a doctor. Mother is the same.
Has a scab she thinks is going to turn to a wart.
</font></pre>
<p><b><font face="Pegasus" size="4">III</font></b></p>
<pre><font face="Pegasus" size="4">The birds are eating and fighting, Ha! Ha! All shapes
and colors and sizes coming out of our woods
but we don't know what they are. Your Mother hopes
you can send us a kind of book that tells about birds.
There is one the folks called snowbirds, they eat on the ground,
we had the girl sprinkle extra there, but say,
they eat something awful. I sent the girl to town
to buy some more feed, she had to go anyway.
</font></pre>
<p><b><font face="Pegasus" size="4">IV</font></b></p>
<pre><font face="Pegasus" size="4">Almost called you on the telephone
but it costs so much to call thought better write.
Say, the funniest thing is happening, one
day we had so many birds and they fight
and get excited at their feed you know
and it's really something to watch and two or three
flew right at us and crashed into our window
and bang, poor little things knocked themselves silly.
They come to after while on the ground and flew away.
And they been doing that. We felt awful
and didn't know what to do but the other day
a lady from our Church drove out to call
and a little bird knocked itself out while she sat
and she bought it in her hands right into the house,
it looked like dead. It had a kind of hat
of feathers sticking up on its head, kind of rose
or pinky color, don't know what it was,
and I petted it and it come to life right there
in her hands and she took it out and it flew. She says
they think the window is the sky on a fair
day, she feeds birds too but hasn't got
so many. She says to hang strips of aluminum foil
in the window so we'll do that. She raved about
our birds. P.S. The book just come in the mail.
</font></pre>
<p><b><font face="Pegasus" size="4">V</font></b></p>
<pre><font face="Pegasus" size="4">Say, that book is sure good, I study
in it every day and enjoy our birds.
Some of them I can't identify
for sure, I guess they're females, the Latin words
I just skip over. Bet you'd never guess
the sparrow I've got here, House Sparrow you wrote,
but I have Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows,
Pine Woods and Tree and Chipping and White Throat
and White Crowned Sparrows. I have six Cardinals,
three pairs, they come at early morning and night,
the males at the feeder and on the ground the females.
Juncos, maybe 25, they fight
for the ground, that's what they used to call snowbirds. I miss
the Bluebirds since the weather warmed. Their breast
is the color of a good ripe muskmelon. Tufted Titmouse
is sort of blue with a little tiny crest.
And I have Flicker and Red-Bellied and Red-
Headed Woodpeckers, you would die laughing
to see Red-Bellied, he hangs on with his head
flat on the board, his tail braced up under,
wing out. And Dickcissel and Ruby Crowned Kinglet
and Nuthatch stands on his head and Veery on top
the color of a bird dog and Hermit Thrush with spot
on breast, Blue Jay so funny, he will hop
right on the backs of the other birds to get the grain.
We bought some sunflower seeds just for him.
And Purple Finch I bet you never seen,
color of a watermelon, sits on the rim
of the feeder with his streaky wife, and the squirrels,
you know, they are cute too, they sit tall
and eat with their little hands, they eat bucketfuls.
I pulled my own tooth, it didn't bleed at all.
</font></pre>
<p><b><font face="Pegasus" size="4">VI</font></b></p>
<pre><font face="Pegasus" size="4">It's sure a surprise how well Mother is doing,
she forgets her laxative but bowels move fine.
Now that windows are open she says our birds sing
all day. The girl took a Book of Knowledge on loan
from the library and I am reading up
on the habits of birds, did you know some males have three
wives, some migrate some don't. I am going to keep
feeding all spring, maybe summer, you can see
they expect it. Will need thistle seed for Goldfinch and Pine
Siskin next winter. Some folks are going to come see us
from Church, some bird watchers, pretty soon.
They have birds in town but nothing to equal this.
So the world woos its children back for an evening kiss.</font></pre>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><br>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<br>
<pre wrap="">
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2709 - Release Date: 02/25/10 03:34:00
</pre>
</blockquote>
</body>
</html>
--Boundary_(ID_N3AD2qW45uG+fJD/aMH0JA)--
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