The Art of Appreciation

It’s 9:00 on a Wednesday evening.

I write a sad poem (Masks) that I’m proud of and that I appreciate.

But my work has just begun, for now I must find a sad painting to pair with my poem.

I go to Wikimedia Commons and scan through a good number of works of art.

This piece of art must be in the public domain or the Times of Israel (TOI) won’t publish the painting with my poem.

The piece of art must fit into the TOI picture format or I can’t use it.

I find Walter Langley’s work entitled, “Never Morning Wore To Evening. but Some Heart Did Break”

This title eminates from a Tennyson’s poem In Memoriam.

It meets TOI‘s criteria.

And Langley has created one hell of a sad painting.

I smile.

I had never heard of Walter Langley nor had I ever seen any of his art.

I study Langley’s life and many of his paintings.

And I appreciate him and them.

And I smile for I’m continuing my art education.

But I am not done.

I decide to have a sound track for my poem.

I want a musical background that will cause my reader’s ears to cry to my words.

So I search on YouTube.

And I find Naruto—Sadness and Sorrow (Violin Cover) by Taylor Davis composed by Toshio Masuda.

I have never heard Sadness and Sorrow, nor read Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, nor listened to Taylor Davis, nor heard a work by Toshio Masuda.

But I study them all.

I learn that Naruto is a Japanese manga series about a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers.

I appreciate the music, the violin playing and the ninja’s need to seek recognition from his peers.

And I smile for I’m continuing my musical education.

At 12:00 am, I submit my poem to TOI accompanied by the sad music and the sad art.

At 9:00 on a Thursday morning. my house is quiet.

My dog decides to give barking and howling a break.

I unplug my iPhone, click on Facebook’s “F” icon and start reading my notifications.

Barack O. Mandela comments:

“This poem (Masks) reminds me of the famous American poets Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman. Perhaps publish a book of poetry.”

I smile.

My day is made.

This lowly Times of Israel blogger has had one of his poems compared to the works of Allen Ginsberg.

Yes, that Ginsberg:

The writer of “Howl” and “Kaddish for Naomi Ginsberg” fame;

The humorist who referred to his parents as “old-fashioned delicatessen philosophers.”;

The leader in the Beat literature movement;

The Jew who converted to Buddhism;

The author of Confessional poetry;

The winner of the National Book Award and the Robert Frost medal;

The speaker at the convention in Chicago in 1968.

I saw him there but I cannot remember what he said.

I read “Howl” and “Kaddish” in college and tried to understand them.

And Allen Ginsberg read and loved Whitman’s works in high school.

And yes, this lowly Times of Israel blogger has had one of his poems compared to the works of Walt Whitman.

Yes, that Walt Whitman:

The poet, essayist and journalist;

The father of free verse;

The father of modern American poetry;

Author of “Leaves of Grass” and “Song of Myself and “O Captain! My Captain!”

The man whose face adorns two U.S. stamps. A five-cent stamp from 1940 (Famous American Series) and a 85-cent stamp from 2019 (Literary Arts Series) The stamp is painted by Sam Weber. In 1961, I held the five cent ultramarine stamp in my stamp collection.

The 2019 stamp shows a hermit thrush sitting on a lilac branch from Whitman’s poem, “When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloomed” written as an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln.

Well, Barack O. Mandela your words of comparison made all of my hard work payoff.

I howl my appreciation.

Thanks for giving this lowly Times of Israel blogger a life.

Thumbs up:

Sara Kejt;

Walt Whitman? Bob Dylan perhaps? Way to go! —Elaine Braffman

Thanks for your emails.–Irv Rosenfeld;

David Pereda;

John M. Misner;

Djmohamed Malok;

Richard Cohen;

Lynne Porter;

Adele Nest;

Alicia Kay Gelfond-Holtz

Connie Goodman-Milone;

Shiv Miradito;

Barbara Feldman;

Marc Janoson;

James Sciullo–Thanks, I believe that is a collector item;

Carol Hoffman;

Judy Zakarin;

Villons Tiwari;

Mona Perlman;

John Holmes—Nice,

Joanne Goldstein—Wonderful:

Laurie Lungen Handel

Glenn Ogden;

Perry Yaver;

Good to read your writing.— Marianne Holmes

Louis Lowy.