I wonder

I wonder if any of you remember me.  I find to my amazement that I have not ventured onto this site since May.  What a dreadful way to treat a friend, particularly a friend who has been a great support to me.

 My goodness, how you've changed your appearance but I expect that you are still as warm-hearted as ever and will not chide me too much for my neglect.  Since my last post, apart from the busyness of everyday living, I have been keeping the resolution I made at the beginning of 2008 - to be more sociable.  I have been making  face-to-face friends, making use of the my considerable practice on Gather.   Have I spoken of the University of the Third Age?  Over here groups, of no more than eight people (retired) gather as part of a shared learning project.  The subjects are many and varied.  My group writes creatively and while I've been away from you we published an anthology of our work.  The proceeds are going to a mental health charity.  Only a few copies are left to be sold.

Anyway, there already is a ready made social group.  The leader in whose house we meet, provides us with writerly stimulus and yummy chocolate biscuits.  An American woman I met on a bus has become a friend.  We got talking poetry and at journey's end hadn't exhausted the topic.  Another new friend also has a literary connection - we both attended tutorials, studying The Art of English at the Open University.  To my intense surprise and delight I passed the course, rather better than I thought I would.

The really astonishing thing that happened to me is being "published" in Korea, where my work has literally been set in stone.  At Mokpo Maritime University in South Korea there is a Poetry Park and on the 28th October a stone was unveiled on which a poem of mine was carved.  I shall now attempt to post it.  For those without a handy magnifying glass here it is.  The format is tanka and senyru.

The lure of the sea

Beckons youth from rough earth

To its majesty

Charged with thunderous power

Or still, smooth, quiescent beauty.

On the restless ocean,

From your earth-centred learning

Go student, prosper.

You will be pleased to hear that Mimi is well and on Monday she will have reached the age of 93.  My family is well and has increased by one very tiny puppy a border terrier. 

I meant to write this before Christmas to wish you all the best of times but I am still in time for New Year greetings.  I hope you all have a splendid 2009.