5 Comments
Apr 10Liked by Joseph Bottum

As far as I can remember I had never even heard of this guy. Can't say I'm motivated to see out more of his work, but this is interesting.

"F. Scott Fitzgerald would insist that the Jazz Age was over by 1923" Reminds me of hippies saying that hippie was over by 1967.

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Apr 3Liked by Sally Thomas, Joseph Bottum, Joseph Bottum

WOW!

Wonderful descriptions of the affair with minimal words to stir the air.

Like an outline yet leaving no detail undone. Quite amazing.

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Apr 3Liked by Sally Thomas, Joseph Bottum

I think the third stanza in the last selection has an error. It says, “ Flat on their back:” and I think it is supposed to be “backs” — not only to correspond with “wax” but also it refers grammatically to “figures”.

Aside from that, it’s quite the depiction of sex without love which takes takes takes. The wiser among us know that sex with love not only gives, but allows us to be co-creators with God, primarily in the form of children but also in unitive emotional connection. The power of this poem is to honestly depict a world without morals without moralizing. It’s pretty effective.

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author

Got the typo. Thanks.

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Apr 3Liked by Joseph Bottum, Poems Ancient and Modern, Joseph Bottum, Sally Thomas

It’s good to be useful for something. 😆😂

And also proof that I read your posts closely. 😃

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