Livingston Rossmoor
Rumi Inspiration
FEEDBACK FROM READERS OF RUMI INSPIRATION
G.K.
I agree with your quotes from Edison that many of our life failures resulted from giving up early. Often we did not realize how close we are to success.
In this book I discovered a gem titled "Aeolus." You depicted a raging forest fire in our worst nightmare like waves hurled from the sea, splashing mountain high and burying us in your billows. I finally understand the image you tried to piece together akin to H.D. It's a perfect style for post-imagist.
I also found joy of reading in "Stay Close." Life is not perfect because not all eyes possess vision nor is every sea full of pearls. How do we steer through every division?
Isn't it time to look into ourselves, to plant the seeds inward, find the oasis in the heart of the desert?
There is soil, there are roots.
And roots create life, life brings us hope.
To my surprise, you created your own style of poetry by combining the simple and direct description of lives in the countryside, using the keen observations of an imagist integrated in the traditional villanelle style.
No wonder where birds trill and dews will shine
This is why we can cure this pain.
Finally, in "Rumi Croons," regarding the threat in life: we may feel it is far away, yet it is close. When it comes, there is no direction to run and no place to hide.
After all burnt down,
how to start again to plow
and savage everything you've done.
"Escape from the black cloud that surrounds you"
Then you will see your own destination by radiant as a full moon.
B.Y.
Your poems are so very smoothly beautiful. After being inspired by Rumi, your words seem to flow in a different fashion, even with a taste of whirling in a breeze.
My favorite poems are: Spread Your Wings in the Air, Traveler, They Will Find You,
I Have a Friend (Rumi's verses were weaved into yours seamlessly, more so in this one),
and Is Today the Day?
L.R.
Congratulations on another well-done book! My favorite poems seemed to be the most simple ones: “Over” and “In”. Maybe because I like haiku so much…. "Like Every Other Day” was especially moving as well. I was also moved for “I am a Sky” and “Today Only One Face”, especially the surprise of the last line. Using the natural elements as you do gives added texture to the poems, as well as adding Rumi’s own words which brings the poetry to another level.
C.S.
I really liked the use of quotation as a vehicle for grounding your observations on present day life, in a classical past. The quotes you chose were very thoughtful and evocative. You were able to weave Rumi's words, Greek mythology and your own observations on the present Covid, wild fire, ravaged world in a really cohesive and natural manner. Simply put, the book just works. Your work honors Rumi's work and interweaves the past and present in a very enjoyable and insightful way.
FEEDBACK ON "TODAY ONLY ONE FACE." THIS POEM IS COLLECTED IN THE BOOK "Rumi Inspiration," ALSO PUBLISHED IN CHRONOGRAM, FEBRURY 2021.
Livingston gratefully received many inquiries about this poem, so he assembled some of the feedback to help readers attain their own answers.
Article, statement, declaration....confine thinking, bolt minds inside a cage, reach a definitive consensus, strike a conclusion.
Poetry opens the cage, lets the birds of imagination fly into the clouds. Each bird encounters their own sunshine, winds, storms....shade, colors.....and along the way, they paint and seize different pictures.
It seems, one thing a poet can do, in Livingston's thinking, is to unlatch the rusty lock, and in reality, he is just one of the birds. Flying, flying; capturing his own personal fantasy....while other birds encounter their own visions.
G.K. (Georgia)
Your voice and empathy speak for billions of us, white, black, yellow, brown in a year-long, endless struggle with the pandemic.
The earthlings are feeling tired and weary resulting insufficient sleep, prolonged mental stress from extended periods of anxiety. No matter who you are, young, old, and very old. Only one face appears with intense feelings of fatigue that engraves on everyone's face like the persistence of memory in Salvador Dali work of surrealism.
We are understanding that hope has arrived at last by seeing light through the tunnel. But nobody is certain about how long is the tunnel-- another light year?
Only through our inner eyes, we can examine the subconscious world and delve into the depths of human psychology. By observing many faces in a long journey, the readers can explore what lies beneath the human face in a stressful, desperate time. People need perspective and perspective brings hope.
N.S. (Texas)
Your poem reminds me of the many faces of our frozen city, so many freezing, cold, worried right now...
V.L. (Wisconsin)
I read your poem out loud and especially enjoyed its cadence. My favorite part is the line about the toothbrush.
J.C. (California)
Those words sent chills down my spine. Never realized all the blurry pictures could become clear. Very powerful.
C.H. (Washington)
You have dug deep, and have returned to the surface through your taproot to manifest the experience in words.
J.N. (California)
11/3/2020, election date? One face, one vote?
D.W. (Missouri)
Amen! I believe it.
2 Corinthians, 3:18
“But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.”
Yes！ Today only one face - His and His Glory.
H.D. (California)
Q: How many faces?
A: Ask Facebook.
Q: But Facebook does not know how many faces in each one of us.
A: Well, ask yourself.
W.D. (California)
Q: How many? How many more? Face? Boat?
A: If every grain of sand embedded in Ganges riverbed is a galaxy, how many galaxy in the universe?
Q: How do I know?
A: Ask Buddha or read Diamond Sutra.
J.R. (California)
"In the silence, conscience speaks out. Something in the throat." The idea of speaking one's conscience is powerful. Reading these lines made my throat catch, as if I had something difficult to say.
"Many voices, many colors, /many ages, many faces. /It has been a long journey. /Today, only one face."
These last lines are so beautiful, both the meaning and the rhythm.
FEEDBACK ON "AND THE SKY WILL BE BLUE." THIS POEM IS COLLECTED IN THE BOOK "RUMI INSPIRATION," ALSO PUBLISHED IN IBBETSON STREET, JUNE 2021.
Harris Gardener, Poetry Editor, Ibbetson Street
And The Sky Will Be Blue is a wonderful, polished word painting that almost sings! It is replete with beautiful imagery that paints a romantic, pastoral picture of a shepherd who is enticed by the allure of Nature's glory, all, while tending his flocks. I personally believe that he will be convinced that the grass is greener and that there is more beauty to behold if he makes the leap of faith and crosses the creek. I can imagine a troubadour adapting this poem to music.
G.K.
I visited the Auvergne region 11 years ago and stayed one night in the capital city of the region, Clermont-Ferrand, a university town and Michelin tire manufacturer. The region is dotted by 80 dormant volcanoes with many bowl
shaped craters and green valleys. After I read your new poem,
And the Sky Will Be Blue, I listened to the chants of Auvergne edited and composed by Joseph Cantaloupe. It sounds like music from heaven.
This is the region with the lowest population density in France; 1.3 million people live in the area of 26,000 square kilometers. No wonder it is the shepherd’s idyllic land. Thank you for the poem that intrigued my old memory and prompted me to search for new info and lore.
L.R.
I love this poem as well because it incorporates sound, smell, sight, touch.
J.S.
I love it, a great poem! For me, it also touches the feeling of 5th Movement of Beethoven’s 6th Symphony Pastoral.
Y.S.
When reading your poem, I can image the picture and also the music … it will be nice if you would do that.
Y.C.
As a photographer, I am most touched by the colors painted all over you poem.
L.M.
This is beautiful poem expresses peace and harmony.