Always beautiful images. And your description of foggy days, so different from our Northern California heat and clear skies reminds me that we live in change. Changing climate, changing politics. And Poet Carl Sandburg’s simple poem, FOG, my students easily memorized, and had a name for the changing weather, the quiet fog that only hides…
Always beautiful images. And your description of foggy days, so different from our Northern California heat and clear skies reminds me that we live in change. Changing climate, changing politics. And Poet Carl Sandburg’s simple poem, FOG, my students easily memorized, and had a name for the changing weather, the quiet fog that only hides what’s right in front of us.
The poem FOG sings to me. I’m from San Francisco and every day I could see the huge fog bank roll in off the Pacific. You could set your watch by it coming in around 4:00 p.m. The fog would be around all night and it would be somewhat drizzly all the following morning until it dissipated around 10:30 a.m. It looks so beautiful and would blanket the east bay – Berkeley- Oakland - and the Peninsula to the south, and parts of Marin County to the north. From my place in the hills in Berkeley, nothing can compare to the sight of fog completely covering the Golden Gate Bridge, It looked like the bridge had completely disappeared.
This poem brings back a memory of a wonderful friend I had who was given homework in the third or fourth grade to write a poem. He looked through some books and copied out Fog, putting his name to it. The next day, the teacher asked him, "Did you write this poem Jimmy?" And he replied, "Yes ma'am." She said, "Well, it's a very good poem." And just left time to teach him the rest of the lesson.
Very appropriate. 'Changing climate, changing politics.' We must be aware of both challenges and that is what honest media sources are for, to speed the clearing of the fog.
Thank the Universe that we had Lincoln when we did. A remarkable man. I have a coffee mug on my desk with the photo of him in the tent with Little Mac taken after Antietam. You can see him thinking "If you don't go after Bob Lee tomorrow with this army, I'm going to fire your ass and keep at this until we find the right man to finish the job."
That was a good quote from Lincoln. There's so much irony around Antietam. Mac was not an abolitionist but gave Lincoln enough of a victory to issue the preliminary Emancipation. If AP Hill had not arrived when he did in the late afternoon, there's a possibility the Federal left flank could have cut off Lee's retreat route, or rolled up Lee's right flank....ending the war in the north east. Lincoln may not have had to issue the Emancipation...thoughts to ponder.
Thank you. Having remembered only the first three lines, living in Chicago near the lake, I have thought them (from 8th grade) many times. Now I have a huge extension to follow, plus the sudden realization that I have moved from the land of Washington and Jefferson to the land of Lincoln. Perfect trajectory in an American life.
And when I think of Sandburg I always hear his poem Chicago which I did once for a speech class on the fly. I had planned to do Johnson's Creation, but the prof used that as an example, so I was stuck to find something else quickly. And I was so nervous that I got the pace of the poem right. Chicago was my big city growing up as my mother graduated from high school there and we visited her best friend often. Could never keep up with her even when she was older. We went on a trip to Chicago many years later on a tour and we had a hard time keeping up with our tour guide who was not exactly young.
Thank you. I did have a little time to prepare and I can't remember if I could read it or had to memorize it. The prof used the poem I was going to use as an example to us and I had that one memorized from a high school class. I was so nervous that I got all the emphases right because I think I rushed through it. I guess I did OK because the prof then wanted me to take oral interpretation. I was in a no credit speech class that I had to take because I was going to be a teacher and I didn't do well in a speech we had to do. I am a terrible public speaker and to my eternal regret I didn't take the class in oral interpretation.
Always beautiful images. And your description of foggy days, so different from our Northern California heat and clear skies reminds me that we live in change. Changing climate, changing politics. And Poet Carl Sandburg’s simple poem, FOG, my students easily memorized, and had a name for the changing weather, the quiet fog that only hides what’s right in front of us.
FOG by Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
in silent haunches
and then moves on.
The poem FOG sings to me. I’m from San Francisco and every day I could see the huge fog bank roll in off the Pacific. You could set your watch by it coming in around 4:00 p.m. The fog would be around all night and it would be somewhat drizzly all the following morning until it dissipated around 10:30 a.m. It looks so beautiful and would blanket the east bay – Berkeley- Oakland - and the Peninsula to the south, and parts of Marin County to the north. From my place in the hills in Berkeley, nothing can compare to the sight of fog completely covering the Golden Gate Bridge, It looked like the bridge had completely disappeared.
I miss my City By The Bay!
Karl, the Fog
This poem brings back a memory of a wonderful friend I had who was given homework in the third or fourth grade to write a poem. He looked through some books and copied out Fog, putting his name to it. The next day, the teacher asked him, "Did you write this poem Jimmy?" And he replied, "Yes ma'am." She said, "Well, it's a very good poem." And just left time to teach him the rest of the lesson.
Very appropriate. 'Changing climate, changing politics.' We must be aware of both challenges and that is what honest media sources are for, to speed the clearing of the fog.
I haven't seen that poem for years and had forgot all about it. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank the Universe that we had Lincoln when we did. A remarkable man. I have a coffee mug on my desk with the photo of him in the tent with Little Mac taken after Antietam. You can see him thinking "If you don't go after Bob Lee tomorrow with this army, I'm going to fire your ass and keep at this until we find the right man to finish the job."
Lincoln to McClellan, "If you don't want to use the army I should like to borrow it for awhile."
That was a good quote from Lincoln. There's so much irony around Antietam. Mac was not an abolitionist but gave Lincoln enough of a victory to issue the preliminary Emancipation. If AP Hill had not arrived when he did in the late afternoon, there's a possibility the Federal left flank could have cut off Lee's retreat route, or rolled up Lee's right flank....ending the war in the north east. Lincoln may not have had to issue the Emancipation...thoughts to ponder.
I was born on his birthday and grew up in Illinois...where my every birthday was a holiday off from school...best present ever. Thanks, Abe!
How wonderful to once again see how “everything” is connected. From one Poetry lover to another.
Thank you. Your Sandburg sketch and invitational link ..like little cat feet... delighted.
Thank you. Having remembered only the first three lines, living in Chicago near the lake, I have thought them (from 8th grade) many times. Now I have a huge extension to follow, plus the sudden realization that I have moved from the land of Washington and Jefferson to the land of Lincoln. Perfect trajectory in an American life.
And when I think of Sandburg I always hear his poem Chicago which I did once for a speech class on the fly. I had planned to do Johnson's Creation, but the prof used that as an example, so I was stuck to find something else quickly. And I was so nervous that I got the pace of the poem right. Chicago was my big city growing up as my mother graduated from high school there and we visited her best friend often. Could never keep up with her even when she was older. We went on a trip to Chicago many years later on a tour and we had a hard time keeping up with our tour guide who was not exactly young.
Thank you. I did have a little time to prepare and I can't remember if I could read it or had to memorize it. The prof used the poem I was going to use as an example to us and I had that one memorized from a high school class. I was so nervous that I got all the emphases right because I think I rushed through it. I guess I did OK because the prof then wanted me to take oral interpretation. I was in a no credit speech class that I had to take because I was going to be a teacher and I didn't do well in a speech we had to do. I am a terrible public speaker and to my eternal regret I didn't take the class in oral interpretation.