damn fine, indeed...
...your verse, and your heart.
you are a good guy.
hugs onya.
What a beautiful tribute.
This touched my soul.
And not that this is the most important point, but you wrote a beautiful diary. You described your friend well. You were a good friend. I hope you know that.
These comments are from the thread
of an article I wrote
on February 8th
of this year,
entitled,
The other Mark has died.
The article is about the life
and death
of my neighbor,
Mark,
who I refer to as
the other Mark,
since my real name is not
jac,
but Mark.
Here is a quote form that article:
Picture Mark,
feeling weak,
out of breath,
putting on his oxygen canula,
on his nose,
riding shotgun,
in my car.
Then,
a few minutes later,
he craves that jolt of energy a smoker gets
from the nicotine
in a cigarette.
so he takes the canula off his nose,
turns off the valve on the oxygen tank,
and lights his cigarette.
It seems to me
he went from nicotine jolt,
to sugar rush,
to oxygen,
to coffee,
all day,
every day,
for the two years I knew him.
That's the essence
of the article I wrote,
describing the other Mark a little,
telling about what I did for him,
giving him rides
on a regular basis,
so he could cash his checks,
pay his bills,
and buy some groceries
and cigarettes.
Here's the link,
if you care to read the whole thing,
and scroll through the long
comment thread,
from which I pulled these words of affirmation,
affirmation of something of value,
something of value
that the other Mark found in me,
something of value
that the readers of that article found in me,
something of value
that my Tonia finds in me.
Here's the link:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
More quotes from the comment thread:
I will remember Mark, although I never met him nor do I know anything about him other than what you've written. But what you've written is plenty.
(And I will remember you, I promise)
I hardly ever read you
because I don't see your diaries come out.
But the few times I have you have made me feel.
For that, I send a hug and support. Because of that you made me cry.
you're adored, and gifted.
I can tell you two were really close because what you've written sounds like something that siblings go through, speaking of which I should call my sister who hoards food and who has been calling me almost constantly since the weather went bad because she just doesn't like being alone.
I was short with her a little while ago---I had shoveling to do and lessons to prepare for a class I teach tonight.
You've reminded me why I let her drive me half crazy sometimes and why it's important that I do.
thank you for telling the story of your friend.
thank you for being there for the other Mark.
thank you for being the Mark you are.
Only a beautiful person
could write such a beautiful eulogy.
an elegant eulogy
beautifully spare and
deeply emotional.
That comment
points out
a very important feature
of my method of writing.
Spare.
I wrote that my neighbor had died;
we'd had some quality time together,
even though he was annoying,
and now he's dead,
and there it is.
Short and simple.
I try to keep from putting
excess words in the way
of the simple facts
of the situation.
And I put it all in free verse,
so it seems like poetry.
Back to the comments:
Thank you for letting
me have a glimpse of your friendship with the other Mark. Powerful stuff. I'll never forget it.
I did not expect to shed tears at the end of this
They really took me by surprise.
One of the most beautiful things I've Read Here.
Ever.
What a gift - first to him and now to us.
Was that comment
a little over the top?
Maybe he/she needs to get out more/read more stuff?
OK, so I looked up the definition of "Friend" ...
And right there in Merriam-Webster
It simply said "See:"
bigjacbigjacbigjac
Now that's just silly,
but I eat it up.
Having my ego overinflated,
from time to time,
makes up for nearly getting fired
from my job at Walmart.
Thank you for sharing something so beautiful
and so deeply, deeply personal.
You are the friend we all hope will be there for us in the end.
Mark, that was beautiful and any of us could be so lucky to have something written of us that is half this good, when we are gone.
The writing is wonderful. I don't say that lightly, as I don't find much writing anymore that suits me well. Nearly all the reading I do anymore is on the internet, and too much is in an over-the-top style, sneering and confrontational. This should be a lesson that simplicity is power.
There it is again,
a comment that shows,
if I keep excess words
out of the way,
the few words that are left
have more power.
A woman I cared for died a few years ago... She had HIV, Hep C and cancer throughout her body. I spent quite a bit of time with her towards the end, simply sitting and listening to her talk about everything under the sun. It was like she knew the time was limited and she just had to get it all out, all her stories... they all had to be told one more time and it was my honor to hear them.
She was so brave, so organized, so full of caring for how everyone she was leaving behind would fare after she was gone... and the stories she was telling were SO amazing, so great to hear.
After doing nothing but sitting there, plugging in and filling the vaporizor so she could use her medical marijuana and walking her to the bathroom.... she told me over and over how wonderful I was! Are you kidding me? She loved me way more than I thought was reasonable, but I drank it in anyway.
Please accept my condolences on the loss of your friend.
Now there's someone
who really gets it:
you do a few simple chores,
and the person who benefits
from your effort
showers you with love,
to the point of adoration.
That's how it works.
it's not blank verse--which is regular meter with no rhyme. If you want to name it it's free verse and damn fine
by john keats on Tue Feb 08, 2011 at 11:01:38 PM CST
I have to say I was just practicing guitar lead over a loop I made a couple of weeks ago, and the music was still rolling in my head as I moved from guitar to DKos.
And your diary sang itself in my mind to the tune I had been playing. It fit perfectly. Like poetry.
Condolances.
by BalanceSeeker on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 01:48:44 AM CST
Wow.
That comment really got me,
because I love great music,
and I have great respect for artists
who write and/or perform
music.
I tried to play a violin
for six years,
that's why I have so much respect for musicians.
And,
a well written song
is easily one of the most magical things
in life,
easily equal to our poetry.
And what I wrote
fit what he played.
Magic.
Thank you for starting my day off... ...with a giant dose of reassurance that there are truly kind, generous, loyal people out there who are willing to sacrifice their time, their money, their emotions to help those in dire need.
It's easy to forget that sometimes. I'm bookmarking this so I can call it up at those times where I'm sometimes forced to wonder.
Blessings on you. Many blessings.
by Apphouse50 on Wed Feb 09, 2011 at 05:35:11 AM CST
The next batch of quotes
is from the comment thread
in a different article,
written for a different group,
Kosability.
It's an article about
muscular dystrophy,
the topic of the annual
Jerry Lewis
Labor Day telethon.
My first wife,
Pam,
and two of her brothers,
David and Jeff,
were born with a certain type of
muscular dystrophy,
and it shortened their lives;
they're all three dead and gone now.
Here is a quote from that diary:
The following information
might be useful,
if you are involved,
emotionally,
with someone who has
any of the disabilities I mentioned above,
anything that includes a severe mobility impairment.
First,
be realistic about how long folks will live.
Severe disabilities often shorten lives,
a lot.
Pam died at age 51,
her brother Jeff died at age 44,
and David at age 59.
I think all three died of pneumonia,
the disease that kills those who can't breath deeply.
I'm very healthy,
and was born in 1955,
Pam in 1956,
so,
if you're getting involved,
as I was,
with someone about your own age,
you will not grow old together.
Not likely.
Keep that in mind.
Here is the link to that diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
This diary is so..real as it is raw. I am left in awe at the honesty and the courage you portray in your words....This is powerful because it IS honest. Thank you for reminding me so much good comes from the small things we do for others...I get so caught up in fighting the good fight I forget to look around my own community and support networks--those small acts make long reaching ripples in the big picture...
For the Poet
we have met before
bigjac and i
in this virtual unreal
bemyfriend but donottouch
cyberspace where
new relationships
are formed
and bigjac ever
speaks the truth
late at light
when others sleep
and dream their dreams
of bigger houses
faster cars
he writes of
compassion
fairness
honesty
equal treatment
for all
now bigjac
reveals a part
of why bigjac
became bigjac
practicer of the creed
he lives what he espouses
although i've never met
i'm proud to say i know the man
Copyright CJ Campbell May 2011
This comment truly got me;
so much so,
that I copied the reply I wrote at that time,
here:
My dear CJ,
you made me cry;
you made me cry
tears of joy.
I worked so hard,
for so many years,
and all I wanted
was for Pam and I to enjoy life,
a little.
After she died,
I found myself wishing,
though it may seem rude and self-centered,
I found myself wishing
that a few people
would simply say to me,
"Well done."
And a few have.
And now you have.
Thank you so much.
It was just after that exchange
that CJ invited me to join this group.
And I'm honored to be included here.
Thank you for sharing your wife with us. Your writing is so beautiful...it always brings tears to my eyes. I mean that, sincerely. You have a gift.
by JustJennifer on Sun May 15, 2011 at 05:37:58 PM CDT
Sorry I missed this Sunday, but very happy that I did not miss it altogther.
Bless you and Pam for your life as a team. Truly one of the most beautiful relationships I have ever read about.
Democrats give you the Bill of Rights; Republicans sell you a bill of goods!
by barbwires on Tue May 17, 2011 at 02:02:20 PM CDT
What I truly want to write about
is the coming famines,
the current famines,
cannibalism,
in the past
and the future.
I want to convince folks,
as many people as possible,
that the famines are coming,
even to America,
someday,
and the only solution,
long term,
is contraception,
to lower the birth rate,
to someting like point five
per woman,
for three hundred years,
until the human population
is at about 100 million,
and everyone,
every small group,
has a ridiculous amount of land,
land with good water,
good water to grow grass,
or other feed,
for livestock,
so these groups can eat livestock,
or hunting or fishing
wild game and fish.
I want to convince folks
that bringing children into this world,
at this point in history,
is child endangerment.
But it's hard to build passion
about predictions,
predictions that so few accept.
I am posting these comments
so that someone,
someday,
might realize
that I sincerely want to help everyone,
and I've proven it by helping
my first wife,
Pam,
for 30 years,
the other Mark,
other temporary roommates,
and my soon to be second wife,
Tonia.
I want folks to realize,
that the way we can help all seven billion
of our fellow humans,
is to convince enough folks
to practice contraception,
such as vasectomies,
to reduce the birth rate
to point five per woman,
for three hundred years,
until the human population is only
100 million,
spread over the whole planet.
The alternative is
widespread famines,
with lots of cannibalism,
even here in the USA.
I want to help everyone,
as I've helped people in my personal life.
Please don't blow me off.
I've gained a lot of respect,
as shown in the quoted comments.
Apply that respect
to what I write about famines.
Thanks for reading.