Odgen Nash wrote many of the animal poems I adored when I was a kid -- I'd walk a long way to catch a just a whiff of his ephemeral cabin too.
What an incredible tree. I am still inching my way through Underland, and one of the conceits is that the author carries with him a tiny model of a casket, given to him by someone who needed to rid himself of his sins. This person wrote down his sins -- all the pain he had caused other people -- burned the paper, and sealed the ashes inside the casket. The author has agreed to hide the casket where it can never be found or re-surfaced. These portals to the underworld really are so tempting, both as metaphors and as real-life places.
It’s one of those rare books that has a before & after for me. I *see* differently after reading a chapter (which is why it’s taking me forever). Tom, I’ll be curious what you think.
Unfortunately, I have a kind of sense that he’s turned out to be not such a nice person and now I’m a little terrified to look it up because I really did love the poetry as a kid? That’s so cool that you knew his stuff too -- this was one of my faves:
I love stuff like this. It's the kind of thing that I lived for when I used to travel for work all the time.
Seriously, I want to take a week off work just to explore. Unfortunately it's rainy this week and that turns the trails into ponds.
Odgen Nash wrote many of the animal poems I adored when I was a kid -- I'd walk a long way to catch a just a whiff of his ephemeral cabin too.
What an incredible tree. I am still inching my way through Underland, and one of the conceits is that the author carries with him a tiny model of a casket, given to him by someone who needed to rid himself of his sins. This person wrote down his sins -- all the pain he had caused other people -- burned the paper, and sealed the ashes inside the casket. The author has agreed to hide the casket where it can never be found or re-surfaced. These portals to the underworld really are so tempting, both as metaphors and as real-life places.
I LOVE Underland.
It’s one of those rare books that has a before & after for me. I *see* differently after reading a chapter (which is why it’s taking me forever). Tom, I’ll be curious what you think.
I need to read McFarlane. I'll start there, since you both love that one.
My mother introduced me to Ogden Nash's poems. I'll have to read a few of them again before I visit.
Unfortunately, I have a kind of sense that he’s turned out to be not such a nice person and now I’m a little terrified to look it up because I really did love the poetry as a kid? That’s so cool that you knew his stuff too -- this was one of my faves:
The Termite
Some primal termite knocked on wood
And tasted it, and found it good!
And that is why your Cousin May
Fell through the parlor floor today.
I haven't read anything untoward on his wiki.
What's that you say?
I do not have to gnash
my teeth on 'count of Nash?
Goodbye, I'm going out to play!
(Thanks!)