Optical Illusion?

I looked at the blog this morning, and suddenly realized how "grand" it looked. There I am, sitting in an old leather chair in the Goodwin Library at the Oxford Union, looking as if I am waiting to hold court. Sorry. That was not the impression I wanted to give. I picked the picture because I am, and have always been, in love with books; and, as you can see in the picture, I am surrounded by them. The setting at Oxford was not meant to impress you; I can tell you, it impressed the hell out of me just being there. I have been asked, from time to time, what those five days in Oxford were like. My best response to this question is that it was like academic Disney World. And it was. But this blog is not about those five days, although I found myself writing during those days as much as taking pictures. It is my desire that this blog be exactly what the words under the title say, a continuing conversation about poetry.

I would like to post an entry every day to hold up my end of the conversation. However, the very nature of conversation involves dialogue, not monologue. As I write this now, I realize that there is a distinct possibility that I will be talking to myself. I am willing to take that risk. For me, the other purpose for this blog is to force me to continue writing, something I believe is important for every writer. And with the advent of retirement, it is a habit I would like to develop now, rather than try to develop later. But, given the choice, I would much prefer it to be a dialogue.

I will try to keep up my end of the bargain by posting daily observations, when possible, about life, nature and poetry, a favorite poem or one of my own attempts at writing. Maybe one of these posts will encourage you to respond. I hope so.

I wish I could say that one of the great journalists or essayists from the world of literature inspired me to begin this blog, but the plain truth is that I got the idea from watching "Julia and Julie", a movie about a woman who challanges herself to cook all of the recipes in Julia Childs' Cookbook in one year, and writes daily blogs to chart her progress. Hardly "grand." But inspiration is inspiration, no matter where it comes from.

So I end today's post with a hope that this will be the beginning of a great conversation. Only time will tell.