Stories, jottings, Journal
$17.00
Paperback
- All stories, I've heard, have one of two themes: 1) a stranger came to town; 2) someone sets out on a journey. That's it!
- Attend longish poetry reading and walk away recalling a single line, "Where is the suit with pockets where the white birds live?" That one stays with me, takes on a life of its own.
- Entry Level Happiness. Lesson #1 - Practice Contentment. Begin by naming 'em. What are you content with?
- Exercise: Pick out in a room what the rules are. Then see if you can figure out who's following the rules and who's making up the rules. The ones "following the rules" are generally the ones with layers of drama and neurosis. That is, those who "follow the rules" tend to be self-critical, exacting on themselves (self-punishing) meek and mild behavior, exhibiting the unnatural effort it takes to appear to be submissive. You have to be hard on yourself in order to appear meek and mild and submissive in the world. How do I know this? Yeah, I think you can figure it out.
- It's end of the month journal time. Time for some gleaning.
- Imagine you're in the woods and suddenly attacked by a wild animal. Three choices: 1) you can play dead (the "soft" guy's choice); or, 2) you can fight back ("hard" guy's choice), or 3) you can run away. Playing dead is one option, esp. if you survive long enough to "figure it out." No judgment(s) allowed. At some level one choice is as good as another. And, by the way, who is determining the rules? The wild animal beastie who's attacking?
These are such, sad, generous poems--peopled with characters it's impossible not to love, especially Robert's podiatrist-Jewish-Rosicrucian father with his wisdom that bridges dualities expounding on the feet and the soul, sex and death, the broken and the whole. In one poem, Robert asserts, In a world of 'No, dogs are a Yes.' And in the world of poetry, this book is a resounding Yes. Read it when you're happy, but especially read it when you're depressed. You'll find yourself joining in with the many dogs in these poems, saying, 'Woof, woof f----in' woof!”
—Poet Ellen Bass
About Robert
Guggenheim Fellow, chosen by Lucille Clifton for a Villa Montalvo Literary Arts Award, author of more than 20 books, including Four Incarnations (Coffee House Press), Heavenly Sex, God is in the Cracks and The Collected Poems (now in its 2nd printing),...
Connections
Causes Robert Sward Supports
Audubon Society, National Geographic, "Green," the Environment, SPCA...
Robert’s Favorite Books
Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Saul Bellow's Adventures of Augie March, Ezra Pound's Make It New, T.S. Eliot's Collected Poems, The Autobiography of Benjamin...
Robert is a fan of
Escape
Robert, this is a question that makes you think of, hmm what would I do?, or hmm what I really do? I like to think I would remain calm and stare the bear down, hold my ground and possibly raise my arms making me look bigger. Or, lay face down arms wrapped around my neck and face. Haha!.. most likely I would run like the dickens eyeing any glimpse of safety along my futile plight.
I only know this since I have been in just this situation before. Having spent a good amount of my time surfing the world's oceans I have encountered a few curious sharks. I have studied the various types and their attack habits. I must say, each and every encounter starts off with split second replay of proper movement and actions for the particular situation. Before too many seconds pass by I am paddling so fast I may as well be walking on water. Its pretty funny to think about in a warm living room while blogging. Great post!! Thank you!
Surfing, sharks
Ron,
I'd like to hear more about your experiences re: "various types and their (shark) attack habits." _And_ your willingness to jump in, surf and study their behavior. rs
Stories and such
Robert,
I really laughed about your two theme stories and poetry comment. That's it - in a nutshell!
I once read that there are two kinds of people - wooers and wooees.
The wooers are the ones who kiss up to people and the wooees are the ones being kissed up to. What do you think?
Bonnie.
wooers and wooees
Bonnie, I think you're right. Of course we're all --myself included-- playing the wooer on some occasions and the wooee on others. Years ago in England a friend, a political junkie, observed that in every human exchange one person is in control, has the power, and the other doesn't. And in the business world. it's the middle managers who have ulcers, so say the physicians. The CEOs are generally pretty healthy. The "deciders," the decision-makers. But in love, philosophers and poets say it is better to be the wooer, better to love, better to have the capacity to love than to be the wooee. What say you?
Attack
Robert, ok this is it.
First real encounter was in Oahu when I was seventeen. I lived in front of an outer reef between the North and East shore called Crouching Lion. Its the Northern end of a huge bay that gets a full amount of runoff in the rainy season, winter months. Its a reef thats about a half mile or more off the coast and is called Crouching Lion because of the mountain formation that looks like, yeah, a Crouching Lion. The restaurant on the point is named after the mountain, where I bussed tables. Living the life. Surfing every day working at nights, what could be better. Without a car I naturally surfed the closest place to me. Many days there was nobody out for obvious reasons, long paddle out with a long paddle in if something went wrong. Youth has a tendency to diminish risk.
So, I'm surfing my brains out, no one else out as usual, when I catch a glimpse of a dorsal fin about thirty yards away traveling towards shore parallel to me with the coast line. You understand that you see things that maybe are not what you think and have to take a second and third look to make sure.I do that and confirm that its continuing towards shore making me think that it will be cruising in no mans land when I'm making my exit over the paddle back to shore. The fin is the size of a typical reef shark so I'm not too alarmed knowing that they are territorial and will usually strike if they feel they're area is being invaded. The fact that it continues to flank me as I'm paddling in has got me spooked and causes me to contemplate the worst even though I know its not a typical pattern for a reef shark. No harm no foul as I reach shore. Later I discover that the murky runoff has prompted incidents on more than a few local residents.
Ok, not so long winded on this one. In 1980 while competing for the US Amateur team (NSSA) against Panama in Panama I had a two meter long grey shark pass within arms length of me. Probably would not have been that strange accept that it passed by in front of me in the face of a wave. So seeing the entire fish is a bit more alarming than seeing a fin. I'm sitting there just staring at the whole thing in slow motion, frozen. My brain is talking to me " alright, remember, no sudden movements, turn slowly and paddle nice even strokes without simulating frantic flight". It works for about three or four strokes before I realize I'm skimming the water and am at the sands edge within seconds. Finally hanging out with some local fisherman repairing their nets sitting on their Panga's I ask the goofy Gringo question "so do you guy's see many sharks out here" confusion for the most part until I motion with a swerving hand simulating a fin. " Ah, si, tiberone, si, mucho tiberone, mas grande tiberone, mui peligrosa" Which is yeah, dummy, lots of sharks here!
Last but not least, Australia. Later that year in the Goldcoast-Northeast side for another competition with Surf Life Saving Association and us, NSSA, another fun encounter. After wrapping up our competition we struck out to Stadbroke Island. On the thirty minute ferry over our Aussie counter parts were having a blast pointing out all the swishing and swirling sharks so visibly obvious the entire ride over.Pulling up to the SLSA structure it was impossible to miss all the massive dorsal fins and Jaw bones nailed to a telephone post as we pulled in. Aussie's are nuts, they just don't give a hoot! Next day we're surfing and the shark siren goes off like every half an hour. Instead of clearing the water they send a guard out on a huge paddle board to chase it away. I'm not talking little reef sharks either. I'm talking the big white kind, big as a truck. One time the siren keeps going but no one is moving. You can't be the one that goes in first. So all the Aussies are waiting out us Americans and we're not going to be shown up. Honestly, out of pure pride, everyone just looks at each other then back below and just put their feet on their boards and watch as this big shadow pass's underneath for a few minutes. Everyone acted like" dude, minor, no big deal" For sure everyone was crapping! No, I didn't do the frantic walk on water thing that time but sure wanted to.
That's pretty much it. I have seen a lot of sharks while spearfishing but it is totally different when you see them under water as apposed to being at a big disadvantage floating like a big sandwich on top of the water.
Bottom line. Tiger's typically are opportunists-eat anything and everything, usually hanging out by a flowing river-mouth or will creep up on a floundering thing. Bleeding, thrashing or just floating for a long period will attract them.
Reef sharks- very territorial. they'll strike once or twice but usually like a dog, just want to force you to take heed and leave.
Whites and Bulls are unpredictable- If they want to attack you for what ever reason, you're pretty much screwed. A rash of attacks happened in Mexico, Zihuatanejo three years ago. First attacks in 50 years. Six in less than two months, three fatal. A random cold water current was to blame. Watching the helicopter video you could see a pack of a half a dozen thick as a full size trash can size Bull sharks just cruising inside the surfline. I missed one of the attacks by one day. "Knock on wood" Clank clank on my head!!
To woo or to wooee?
Robert,
I speak for myself but as a woman I want to be wooed. Then once I am 'wooefied' then I am happy to be the wooer.
But apart from love and relationships I have found that you get more respect if you are the wooee even though you may not be liked.
There have been times when I have embarrassed my self by wooing someone who I admire greatly.
Thanks so much for your reply.
Bonnie.