the Rumi so didn't work for me, but it reminded me of a conversation I had
with a friend on the weekend.
I live in Manhattan, and my friends, my friends' friends and I have all
tried to donate blood, volunteer at the Red Cross etc, and have been
rejected. When I went, the woman at the desk said they were only looking
for mental health professionals licensed in the state of NY. I was like,
<suck my teeth>, I'm way better than any social worker, I could buy the
person a drink, put my around his/her shoulder, recite Invictus...
So my friend and I made a list of the poems that really did give us some
solace in trying times. My list was embarassingly butch -- Invictus,
Landor's Epitaph, Bronte's No Coward Soul is Mine. At least I didn't say
If!
My friend said Auden, and I read September 1st again that night, and was
surprised by how apt it was...
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