Stolen Pleasure of the Poetic Kind(s)

A poetry thief on the loose in Friday Harbor!

Imagine my surprise to find all four of my books disappeared from the Whiteley Center Library! One book might be misplaced, a second could be lost --- but all four? Doesn't seem likely. My poet friends think this is a first-class problem to have --- someone loving poetry so much they need to steal it --- like jewels or gold. Like a bank heist! Put that way, it does sound quite romantic, a little like a film noir: "Disappearance at Friday Harbor" or "The Case for Poetry."

Call me cynical but the issue could just as easily be that someone decided to scoop them all into the trash --- do a poetry cleansing if you will. Maybe there's a poetry hater among us. Could be. There are a lot of scientists roaming these grounds --- even a historian or two. Anything is possible.

I read today that facts don't change people's minds --- we construct the story that best fits our fears and desires. In that case, on the eve before Christmas Eve, I'll tell a story of hope and redemption --- how poetry saved a life --- and will keep on saving lives in impossible and unexpected ways. I know this has happened to me.

May the poetry force be with you --- and yes --- I've replaced the books and am interested to see if they will be here next year, or not...