Comments for Sound of Building

Comment on “For only the shadow is true” Robert Penn Warren by soundofbuilding

soundofbuilding — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:22:57 +0000

Hi Fencer,

Glad as always to hear from you. I’m struggling with that honesty you mention, working my way toward it in a new genre. Scary stuff, but good scary

Comment on “For only the shadow is true” Robert Penn Warren by fencer

fencer — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:29:17 +0000

Hi Mary,

Always an experience to read you… I admire the sword of your honesty and the seriousness of its use.

My dad was a Marine in WWII, and although we weren’t a military family such as you describe, his approach to life and the habits of survival he kept with him affected the rest of us in perhaps similar ways.

Regards

Comment on “For only the shadow is true” Robert Penn Warren by "For only the shadow is true" Robert Penn Warren

"For only the shadow is true" Robert Penn Warren — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:58:43 +0000

[...] "For only the shadow is true" Robert Penn Warren You can call my fiction brutal if you want, but you can never say it’s not honest." Poets too embrace without fear the way into truth. [...]

Comment on “For only the shadow is true” Robert Penn Warren by burningsteady

burningsteady — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:01:21 +0000

It’s good to hear your words again.

Comment on “Their light–pulls so surely. Let it.” Michael Ryan by leighrastivo

leighrastivo — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:32:44 +0000

Hey Mary,
I so enjoyed this one. Beautiful. And like an echo to me, in many places.
But you already know how much our histories are alike.
(Just like you, plenty of blame for all parties involved, but still . . . it makes you weary.)

And I agree with Liam: you can’t scare the right one away.
You might still get the man-surprise of your life.
I myself recently got knocked me on my skeptical know-it-all ass . . .
We do so need to talk . . .

when I finish this thesis, I’m coming for a beer!
Take care!
Leigh
http://leighrastivo.com

Comment on Jason Shinder. Rest well, my friend. by Nickole Brown

Nickole Brown — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:48:55 +0000

Missing Jason, I have been surfing the internet looking for traces of him. I found this poem:

One Day I Will Die
by Jason Shinder

How proud I am
to be the center
of a tragedy

Again
and again
the same shadow.

Thank you God.
Thank you shadow.
Happy is the man

who looks into
the deepest folds
of his sorrows.

The soul, lost
can be stirred.
Thank you sorrows.

Thank you
bottom of the river.
Won’t you be forever?

No one else
in sight.
Soon I won’t

have to work
to get attention.
Thank you work.

Haven’t you carried me
everywhere?
And thank you

silence
for holding me
before I spoke.

And it does not good
to give me a glass
of water.

And it does no good
to wipe the sweat
from my forehead.

Not now.
Not in the night
with my eyes closing.

Thank you night.
This time
before I leave

I want to thank
my friends.
Thank you friends.

Thank you.
What more could I,
a dying man, want?

Comment on Jason Shinder. Rest well, my friend. by leighrastivo

leighrastivo — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:03:08 +0000

Thanks SO MUCH Mary for leaving a comment on The Writer’s Studio (Elaine McFerron’s) blog and YES- you are right - we need to stop meeting over these sad occasions and come together for a drink and a laugh too.
Those words that Jason said - “Find some humility or it will find you” - they had become my mantra. There was so much wisdom and kindness even in his offhand remarks. Grace.
And I am so happy to find your blog and will link to it and check in frequently and keep connected and communicating on the good days too. Please check out my (under construction) blog - Mothersonlyhalfaword.wordpress.com. The writing will be up and running late next week, to coincide with the debut of my PortFolio Weekly column, also on modern motherhood, on Tuesday the 6th, and with Mother’s Day. Yeah, my MFA is (will be) in fiction. But like you — I cross the borders. Take care. Leigh

Comment on Jason Shinder. Rest well, my friend. by Laura Orem

Laura Orem — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:26:55 +0000

Hi, Mary - thank you so much for your posts about Jason and Liam. I have been reflecting on the mind-blowing blessing of having been part of the Bennington vortex, too, during this hard, hard year. I keep coming back to a quote I heard Jason say more than once: “What thou lovest well, remains.” Maybe this is their most last, important lesson to all of us who loved them. But oh, how I miss them both!

Comment on Jason Shinder. Rest well, my friend. by soundofbuilding

soundofbuilding — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:13:58 +0000

Hi Laura,

I’ve spent the last year humbled and amazed with gratitude at having had the honor to meet and work with Liam and Jason and everyone else my time at Bennington brought into my life. How precious it all is.

Mary

Comment on Jason Shinder. Rest well, my friend. by Laura Orem

Laura Orem — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:10:38 +0000

Jason was damn good poet, an inspiring teacher, and a kind, generous, honest man. Sometimes we are lucky enough to encounter people who help us catch fire — Jason was someone whose presence and heart was large enough to illuminate the whole world.