The Causerie Blog

The Surety of the Slow

2/19/2015

The Surety of the Slow

It is a privilege to walk slowly,
To answer the bell with measure
And with good time.

I walked quickly for years. Ran
Up the stairs
And back down to get somewhere,
That I now care not to remember.
Ran to meet or to beat time,
To get it all done with expediency,
Moved with sharpness to answer
Alarms that went
Off in our collective psyche.

Those who must walk slowly
Are blessed.
They probably don’t even know why.
I am fairly sure that it is because
Those who are slower
Have a more fulfilling power
Than those who feel they must fly.

Earlene Grey
6-2011

Audio and Comment-

Not much to say here, except that I really am talking about walking slowly. However, you may read all kinds of metaphors into my writing that you wish. But for me, it is simply a plea to take time. Walk slower. Drive slower. Talk slower. Now to be honest, taking things more sedately sometimes drives me nuts. I get impatient. I like to move things along. But there can be great value in slowing down. Moving with intention and purpose is satisfying and fulfilling, especially when it is done with calmness and easiness. Now I must hurry and get this posted. I am late! skp

Tom and Irma Stories Sold in Uzbekistan

Cover of Tom and Irma-Chronicles of the 1950's

It's true. People are the same all over the world.

The little book, Tom and Irma-Chronicles of the 1950's, has been out for a couple of years now. Its stories were first broadcast on Radio Kinver and people from many walks of life responded. Those reminisces of the 1950's reminded listeners of their own families. Universality is part of our humanity to be sure.

Here, however, is a first. We have just sold a CD of Tom and Irma to Munizoda, his wife Oksana, and their son Farhod, who live in Khiva, Uzbekistan.
Thank you to my readers in Russia and Central Asia! (Yes, I do have a few readers there.)

Click the button below and listen to the first chapter. If you want to buy the book, Tom and Irma, please visit http://www.earlenegrey.com

▶Would you like Susan Patterson to write your family's story? Contact her at Susan@EarleneGrey.com

▶Marking time is marking miracles. Earlene Grey

I don't know for sure, but this looks like the Pacific Northwest. Beautiful isn't it? Does anyone recognize this picture?

Happy winter days to you! skp

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Filling in the Blanks

2/10/2015

2 Comments

Beautiful roses fill in the blanks quite nicely, don't you think?

Filling in the Blanks

He opened the door
And there she was,
A cleaning lady in disguise--
Or a goddess incognito.

He wasn’t sure because
She couldn’t speak.
Her life before had
Made her dumb.
Her life after, had not yet
Arrived.

So, in the middle they met.
He, with his door almost closed;
She, with a space to clean and
A place to shine.

It’s been awhile.
He trusts now,
Goes into town and greets
The people he passes
On the streets.

She cleans the windows,
Lights the lamps
And makes the bed.
In the early evening, they
Talk about the day.

Susan Patterson
February 2015

Audio and Comment-

I like this poem a lot. It talks of two people meeting one another at the point of their needs. They filled in the blanks of life. Isn't that what love is all about? Filling in the blanks? Also, with this poem, you can fill in the blanks of the story outlined. Who was she? Why did she visit? Why was his door almost closed? Whether it is filling in the blanks of people's lives or of a poem written by a woman in Oregon, making the story complete is what we all can do, one way or another. Happy Valentine's Day! skp

The Causerie and Computers

Ah, if we could live with poetry and not computers, what a different world this would be! Or, if we could live with out the poets of the world and have computers create and send out weekly messages, what a world this would be! But, alas, both must exist peacefully in the same time and space.

Allow me to continue. I have noticed through comments and emails, that some of the readers do not get the whole Causerie down loaded to their various devices, i.e. phones, and I-pads. I urge you, therefore. to view The Causerie from the web version, found at http://www.TheCauserie.com/

Simply download the web version, or go directly to the site. You will most likely find a couple more pictures and an article or two. It makes the message complete and fills in the blanks, so to speak.

You might notice that The Causerie postings are getting shorter. That is through design. Several people told me that they did not read the extra articles, only the poetry. This reminded me all off the 'stuff' that we are bombarded with in today's information - overloaded world. So, I intend to keep my poetry sharp, my postings short, and my readers interested. skp

All the necessities of a writer...without the computer.

Remember, if you would like to buy books or arrange for a poetry reading by Susan Patterson, please visit http://www.EarleneGrey.com/ or email Susan@earlenegrey.com

❥ If I love you and you love me, then just imagine the good we can do.
Earlene Grey

Love in Oregon.

Best wishes for all the loves in your life. skp

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Love Comes at Teatime

2/4/2015

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James and Susan Patterson on the porch of the recording studio.

Love Comes at Teatime

“Sit with me,” my husband says,
“And have a cup of tea.”
I devour four cups
To his one,
His talking being slower
Than my drinking.

How sweet to listen
And to savour
The time and the flavour and the tea.
For love truly does come at teatime.

from Musings With a Cuppa-The Poetry of Tea,
Earlene Grey
2004

Audio and Comments-

Golly this is sweet, isn't it? It is older poem in the Earlene Grey collection, when the author was combining whimsy with more serious subjects. But now, it is Valentine's season and whether we like it or not, most people's thoughts turn to love. Usually it is romantic love. There are, of course, as many ways to love as there are people. So let us not be stuck in a rut of how and when to love. Well, we do have to be appropriate though. But, not every way to demonstrate love has to be romantic. Husbands and wives are good, but so are friends, sisters, brothers, cousins and all. Best wishes in the continuing season of love. skp

Just a small note- There seems to be a resurgence in interest in the Earlene Grey Tea Poetry. In that vein, I will post tea poems on The Causerie a bit more often. For those of you who appreciate a fine cuppa and an appropriate verse to ponder, happy days for you. For the rest, who might be coffee drinkers, hang in there, the newer contemporary poetry will be just a few days away in the next Causerie.

Oxford, England, 2014

Products Now Available in the UK

If you are a listener of the pod cast, Radio Kinver, then you will know that Earlene Grey poetry and Susan Patterson's writings have been a weekly feature on the show for over five years. Edmund Preston, the producer of the show, and major fan of the Earlene Grey library, now maintains a supply of books and CDs. Don't be confused, Earlene Grey is the business name of Susan Patterson. They are one and the same! 😊

To wit, there are some new offerings that you might enjoy. Edmund now has 'Selected Poems from Unnoticed Moments. This CD contains 16 poems from the book, chosen and read by Susan Patterson. He also has the complete studio recordings of "Tom and Irma-Chronicles of the 1950's." All are reasonably priced with free postage in the UK and in Europe. So, if you live across the pond, as the saying goes, and want to purchase books or CDs from the Earlene Grey collection please contact Edmund Preston at edmund@ythkinver.co.uk

If you live in the US, contact susan@earlenegrey.com and we will accommodate.

▶ Tea is to the afternoon as making love is to life. Earlene Grey

London, England, 2014

Cheery-bye! skp

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Causerie \kōz-'rē\

The Surety of the Slow

Audio and Comment-

Tom and Irma Stories Sold in Uzbekistan

Filling in the Blanks

Audio and Comment-

The Causerie and Computers

Love Comes at Teatime

Audio and Comments-

Products Now Available in the UK

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