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Rev. Joey N. Welsh. June 18, 2006. For Father's Day ANOTHER ANGLE: the occasional musings of a Kentucky pastor For Father's Day: A Poet's Gratitude for Fatherly Guidance By The Rev. Joey N. Welsh joey_e_welsh@hotmail.com I always have enjoyed the work of American poet Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979). Very much a perfectionist, Bishop never allowed a large volume of work to be printed. Four years after her death Bishop's Complete Poems, 1927-1979, was published. It is a slim volume, because she never allowed anyone to see a poem unless she was completely satisfied with it and proud of it. Had major challenges to overcome in early life She had some major challenges to overcome in early life. Her father died when Elizabeth was an infant, and her mother suffered a profound mental collapse, after which she was institutionalized. Little Elizabeth spent her childhood living with her grandparents in Nova Scotia. She later looked back on those Nova Scotia days with great affection, idealizing them in some of her poems. She respected her grandfather, who acted both as a strong and guiding father and a caring, loving dad to her. Began writing poetry before entering Vassar She began writing poetry before she entered Vassar College in 1929, and while she was in college she and other students (including Mary McCarthy, who was to become a prominent writer) founded a literary journal. The librarian at Vassar had introduced her to poet Marianne Moore; Bishop and Moore maintained a friendship and exchanged voluminous correspondence until Moore's death in 1972. Bishop befriended Ezra Pound, visiting him often while he was confined in St. Elizabeth's Mental Hospital in Washington, D. C., and she wrote a poem about those experiences, "Visits to St. Elizabeth" (1950). Bishop's awards include the Pulitzer Prize Bishop taught at several universities over the years, including Harvard, New York University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her awards included the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is the only American to be awarded the International Neustadt Award for Literature. When author Flannery OConnor died in 1964, Bishop wrote the obituary printed in The New York Review of Books, and she was a contributor to The New Yorker. Always cherished the memories of childhood Despite her experiences as a literary celebrity and a friend of some icons of 20th century poetry, she always cherished the memories of her childhood days in Nova Scotia. She adored her remembrances of the fatherly guidance she received from her grandfather. She knew the difference between those men who are merely biological fathers and those who are true and nurturing dads. And she celebrated the things she learned as a child, including the virtues of good manners. A poem worthy of reflective thought on Father's Day Here is Elizabeth Bishop's poem of tribute from horse and buggy days, a work worthy of some reflective thought on this Father's Day. This gentle and sweet poem makes me wish that more fathers (and substitute dads) dispensed guidance on civility and manners in our own day and that their advice truly was heeded. MANNERS (For a Child of 1918) My grandfather said to me as we sat on the wagon seat, "Be sure to remember to always speak to everyone you meet." We met a stranger on foot. My grandfather's whip tapped his hat. "Good day, sir. Good day. A fine day." And I said it and bowed where I sat. Then we overtook a boy we knew with his big pet crow on his shoulder. "Always offer everyone a ride; don't forget that when you get older," my grandfather said. So Willy climbed up with us, but the crow gave a "Caw!" and flew off. I was worried. How would he know where to go? But he flew a little way at a time from fence post to fence post, ahead; and when Willy whistled he answered. "A fine bird," my grandfather said, "and he's well brought up. See, he answers nicely when he's spoken to. Man or beast, that's good manners. Be sure that you both always do." When automobiles went by,the dust hid the people's faces,but we shouted "Good day! Good day!Fine day!" at the top of our voices. When we came to Hustler Hill,he said that the mare was tired,so we all got down and walked,as our good manners required. This story was posted on 2006-06-18 05:16:48
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