South End Poet

A KATYN SYMPHONY

For Olivia

The muffled moans

Of sawdust filled mouths

The sharp crack of the pistols

The thud of bodies landing

The eternal screams of the NKVD men

In the fires of Hell

You have entered this labyrinth

As a young woman, unafraid

Though with 27,000 reasons to be afraid

For you are defending all those Polish Souls

At great risk

Even though you may think not

Can you call on God to defend you?

You seem so innocent

But wise beyond years

One hopes God defends you

Provides the zlotys

For your bread and paper

To turn libraries on both sides of the borders

Upside down

So no secret will be withheld from you

You will give comfort

To the families

Following the rules in Ephesians Chapter 6

Most particularly; truth

I tried to do the best I could

Blind and deaf

But with my mouth wide open

In a faulty language

But you are blessed with language, youth and spirit

You are like a  resounding cymbal crash

At the end of this Symphony you are composing

 

Kendall Merriam, Home,  4/5/13  8:55 PM

After listening to a rehearsal of

Philip Glass’s  Symphony No. 8

 

AN OPEN LETTER TO VLADIMIR PUTIN

Putin:

Are you killing poets yet? Or are

you sticking to reporters for the

time being?

     When are you and the Duma

going to pay compensation to the

Katyn families and all the other

Poles that Stalin swept East after

The invasion of Poland on

September 17, 1939?

     Certainly the money you are

wasting (over $16,000,000,000.00)

on the Olympics for over-drugged

athletes would make a small start

on the enormous debt your country

owes Poland.

     In the 1990’s I thought Russia

might have a chance to redeem her-

self, but here you are going on to

ruin that opportunity. The world is a

sadder and more evil place because of

you. Let us hope God intervenes and

makes life good for Russia and all

the other countries you control.

And that you pay the debt that Russia

owes Poland.

 

Kendall A. Merriam

Ist Published 29 July 2009 in The Post Eagle,

Clifton, New Jersey USA

 

CHANTEUSE

 

For Ripple Effect

 

Ah! Another Rockland native

So unusual

Sweet, sensual voice

Piano, drums punctuate the voice

I wonder if you have traveled

Far from Heaven—spending years

In the desert, the mountaintop

I loved growing here

In the South End

Did not meet my lover

Until far Route 128

Now fifty years later

Back to Rockland which she loves

Better than most women would

Your music fills crannies

Of an aching heart

From which we all suffer

From time-to-time

I imagine musicians make little

More than poets

The duty to create

Drives us on without ceasing

As long as we have keys, paper

On which to compose

Exposing our hearts to everyone

No matter how close to madness

No matter the cost

Life next to salt water

Is sweet—reflecting our birth

Here, life coming from the water

Against granite and shale

Of this very harbor

Which draws people

From across the Universe

One may not guess this

From outward appearances

But here in the tiny Greenwich Village

Musicians rule

Giving breath to our innocence

 

Kendall Merriam, Rock City Café’

11May 2012  7:21 PM

Listening to “Ripple Effect” live.

 

FIVE HAIKU FOR LINWOOD AYLWARD

 

                   He liked working at Thompson’s Inn

                   The food was Maine sublime

                   And the maids from NYC were also

 

                                          ****

 

                   He worked so hard

                   On the farm and the route

                   But said gently that he had to make a living

                   For his family and himself

 

                                        **** 

                   He had the ultimate house

                   On the shore of Ash Point

                   Almost all of it he built himself

 

                                        ****

                   At Four O’Clock a glass of Taylor’s

                   Which he shared with visitors

                   Much to everyone’s enjoyment

 

                                        ****

                   He was a lovely man

                   Traveling with Dot to foreign shores

                   And reading of them in James Michener

Fish and Chips

By Ted Sylvester

 

To everything easier said than done, a toast

(From 1987)

 

It seemed such a simple task.

Do-It-Yourselfer was instructed by his wifemate to purchase a dozen or new water glasses. You know. The eight-once variety. Over the past couple of years DIY had managed to crack or smash several of the sets in the cupboard so that wifemate could not set a decent table, in her mind, because there were not enough glasses of the same variety to go around.

No problem. DIY trekked off to his favorite department store. There were no packages, sets, or individual tumblers that could be found. Oh, there were packages and packages of tumblers of all shapes and varieties. But to get a dozen of all the same size would have required purchasing an equal number of other sized glasses, which he didn’t want. There were 16-glass sets and 24-glass sets, each of which included small juice glasses, a set of what looked like whiskey glasses, and then the regular kind.

It simply was another case of merchandising blackmail. DIY would not pay the ransom and went home empty-handed. Now glasses or tumblers have been added to the blackmail list along with automobile floor mats (one now has to purchase four to get two), shoestrings, and flashlight lamps and batteries.

Manufacturers are certainly masters of the merchandising game. But DIY vowed to collect a set of jelly glasses before he would succumb to blackmail.

Another example of the public being misled is that the taxpayers of Rockland are being asked to provide programs and facilities for all to enjoy. The city is the center of attraction for the entire area. Everyone, especially the small-town folks, hold the city folks up to be the renegades and bad guys of the area. Well folks, the city provides many things that are taken for granted of which outsiders pay little or nothing.

You want a for-instance?

How about recreation. City facilities are used virtually for free by the entire area, while the city taxpayers pick up the tab. A review of three budgets will quickly show you that Rockland is being taken for granted.

The 1987 recreation budget for Rockland was $96,847. There are 16 full- and part-time employees in the department. Besides a full-fledged swimming and picnic area run by the city, there are numerous ball fields, playgrounds, and the recreation center, used by just about anyone.

The Owls Head recreation budget for 1987 was $300. The 1987 budget for South Thomaston was $150.

Compared on a per capita basis, Rockland pays $12.22; Owls Head, 19 cents; South Thomaston, 12 cents. Pretty piddling amounts when compared with Rockland. Where do you suppose the children, and adults, of those two towns look for recreation? Oh, you can argue that each small town has a tennis court that Rockland people sneak in and use. But so does Rockland. And they all were built with federal matching funds.

There is hardly a week that goes by when some announcement or other is not made, inviting all to become involved with a recreation program that will be run in Rockland. Many of them are private, and many require entry fees. But who provides most of the facilities?

Many times Rockland gets all the bad ink and the bad reputation of not being able to accomplish anything without a battle. A little assistance and encouragement would be helpful in combating the negative outlook that many have. Especially those from small towns who think that Rockland owes them something. It’s the other way around, folks.

There is one project that is getting some support from all around. It is the efforts by a group from the Chamber trying to put together a package to try to attract L.L.Bean to locate a new telecommunications center here. Richard Lovejoy, who initiated the effort, said this week that the city was still in the running despite reports that Bean was not interested in coming here. A letter was sent to the famous company asking that if they did not want to look at Rockland’s proposal to let officials know. There was no response, Lovejoy said, which he saw as a good sign that at least Rockland will have an opportunity to show what it has to offer.

It’s this type of positive outlook we need to bring the city ahead. A little encouragement from neighbors would be welcomed.

(I’m not sure if things have changed much regarding this subject since Ted wrote about it in 1987. There has been a lot of progress to be sure, however, in Rockland’s transformation over the last several years to one that attracts visitors on a national and international basis.)

Sonny's Sunshine Corner

Sonny’s Sunshine Corner

Butchie has officially taken over the position of “porch cat” from his brother, Sonny. This picture shows him ensconced in the best porch chair giving us his imitation of a grumpy Garfield.

Today he is supervising the rearrangement of things around here so it looks less like a sick room and more like a real apartment. He’s happy that I finally put his food and water dish back where it really belongs. He was getting real tired of hunting for them elsewhere in the place.

My recuperation from knee surgery continues. A pesky hamstring pull is holding things back right now, but hopefully it will clear up soon. I’ve taken a couple of spins around the complex in my trusty HHR and came back all in one piece, so I’ll try to get to some therapy before I leave to come home on the 10^th.

Some exciting news to tell you all about. On July 17 I will be speaking and hosting a discussion group along with Head Librarian, Ann Harris, over at the Thomaston Public Library. I hope you can all join us. We will be discussing “a sense of place” as it relates to Maine people. I will present the topic as it relates to my book The South End. I will be selling and signing books for those who wish one. If you already have a book that I have not signed, please bring it along and I will sign it for you. Ann and I are excited about the event. It should be a lot of fun.

This month will contain the usual columns from Ted, Kendall, and Mary Sue and I as well as Thomaston Library News. As I will be on vacation next week, there may not be a special blog from me until I return on the 22^nd.

The readership for this blog continues at a good pace. We have reached the 30,000 milestone, with an average of 900-1000 new hits a month. That’s not counting the Courier site which receives at least 100 hits for each story submitted. Thanks to all of you for your continued support of my work. Please remember to hit the ads on the right hand side. They represent the only compensation I get for this blog.

Hope you all have a wonderful summer and I’d appreciate it if you’d order some sun for me when I come north as I’ve heard you’ve had a lot of rain lately. See you all soon.

Thomaston Library News

The Secret Code of Braille

(Perceiving the World without Sight)

Wednesday, August 7, 11 AM

Discover how to decode secret messages with your fingers! Use the code to read in the dark! Write coded messages to your friends! Does this sound pretty cool? Then come to a very special program at the library and learn the secret code of Braille.

We are very excited to have as our special guest 13-year-old Nathanael Batson of Fairfield, Maine. Nathanael loves playing the trumpet and is learning the clarinet. He's a first-class Boy Scout on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. And he has volunteered at a school and a nursing home.

Nathanael also happens to be blind. He's going to read aloud to us from the Braille version of Keep Your Ear on the Ball by Genevieve Petrillo and tell us a bit about Louis Braille, the creator of Braille.

We'll have another special guest too: Aisha Hixon, a Visual Rehabilitation Therapist for the Iris network, who will teach us how to write our names and simple messages in Braille. We'll also explore and identify objects by using only the sense of touch and find creative ways to describe colors through the senses of smell, hearing, taste, and touch – but not sight.

We need sign-ups for this special event, which is open to all ages but may appeal most to those 6 and over, so stop by the library or sign up by phone at 354-2453.

Pirates & Mermaids Event 

On August 14, 11:00 a.m., the library will offer a fun children's event about pirates and mermaids. Come hear some salty stories, learn a little pirate lingo, and find out where mermaids come from. We'll wind up the program with a fun craft centered on these tough guys and fishy ladies from the sea.

Children's Summer Reading Program & Activities 

The Thomaston Public Library continues to sign-up kids of all ages for the summer reading program. The reading period began June 15th and will run through August 10, with a grand-finale party on Saturday, August 17, when we will recognize all program participants and cheer the biggest readers.

Particular levels of reading allow you to achieve star- or super-star status. If you're not content with that, head for infinity . . . and beyond!

The library will also feature weekly special events for children. All events are open to kids of all ages. You do not have to be a summer-reading-program participant to attend.

Check with the library for July activities.

Farnsworth Art Museum Tickets Available at Thomaston Public Library

Thomaston Public Library patrons now have the opportunity to check out passes to The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Two sets of two passes are available, allowing patrons full access to the museum, including the Wyeth Center, dedicated to the three generations of the Wyeth family; the Farnsworth Homestead, a historic property and former home of the museum's original benefactor; and the Olson House, a separate building filled with the works of Andrew Wyeth, itself a subject of many of the artist's paintings.

To check out museum passes, patrons must have a current library card and deposit $5 per pass, which will be reimbursed upon return of the passes. Passes have a 3-day check-out window and are good for any time the museum is open. And remember, children 16 and under get into The Farnsworth for free.

For more information, please call the Thomaston Public Library at 354-2453.