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July 10, 2020
Reading your page is a great pleasure for me and I especially like the Aphorisms which say so much in so few words. I own a bookstore and meeting people with stories and surprises is part of the life I enjoy in this business.. Sometime ago, a young man, about 35 or 40, came into the store with a box of beautiful books, all on poetry, many of them obscure poets, which he sold to us at a very reasonable price.
We didn’t see him for almost a year and then one day, he came in, in a vibrant mood. We had a nice conversation about nothing in particular….he had no more books to sell and wasn’t looking to buy any of my books either. We didn’t see him for another year.
It was a beautiful cold but sunny day when he came back. I still say “he” because it took quite a long time before I learned his name – our conversations were pleasant but impersonal. I asked him about the books he had sold to us. Yes, he said, it was a great sorrow for him as those books were well-loved, read and went with him everywhere he lived. “Poetry is my thing,” he said, “and it isn’t easily shared with anyone.” His favorite poet was W. H. Auden.
On the next visit, I found out that he also wrote poetry. What kind? Is he a strict “meter” poet or a free-form poet? “Well, it’s kind of hard to explain – most people don’t know much about the kind of writing I do and I don’t like having to explain it.” It turned out that his real passion is writing aphorisms….and to finally get to the point of this long story, I was thrilled to be able to tell him about Vagabond Pages – it was a connection just like finding two parts in a world full of complexities – two parts that just simply go together. And now you see, that even in the wordy preface and tiny details, it all points to a story that belongs in your world. Congratulations.
(signed)
Thank you for taking the time write! — I wonder if you had a chance to see any of his aphorisms? NJ