[Oe List ...] Just Wanted to Share

[Mari Crocker]

Dear Milan,

What artistic gifts you have been blessed with.  I love your song Earth—For Life — It is reminiscent of the powerful folk music that nurtured and emboldened us as the movement in the 60s (both the civil rights and spirit movements).  The singers are masterful — are you one of those voices?

And the poem, Great Expectations,  is powerful as a personal witness to your (and others of us) being part of and viscerally experiencing all the pain, distain, diminishment we have seen scrolling in newsreels before our eyes of late.

Today I began reading the Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, a kind of 21st century Loren Eiseley, exploring this complex, intelligent and spirited creature — and its possible consciousness.  All creatures are included in your song Earth—for Life.

Thank you, dear colleague.

Marilyn

> On Feb 12, 2026, at 7:20 PM, Milan Hamilton via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> 
> When I get depressed about what is going on in the world, I tend to write poetry and song lyrics. I've been writing a lot of poetry lately. I am attaching one I have been working on for about a week called Great Expectations. I read it to my writing group today after which there was a definite period of silence. No response either from Marvin, my MAGA friend/nemesis on my right. It came out of a memory of a poem written by Thich Nhat Hanh during the Vietnam war, which brought up thoughts of our departed colleague Larry Ward. 
> 
> The song came up because Linda has been after me to write singable lyrics for some of our Song Book songs. It is called For Earth--For Life. The lyrics are actually singable with the Tune Country Roads (aka All the Earth Belongs to All). But I tried to get something still singable that wasn't tied to the "good old songs" we all sang. So I just wanted to share these with those who care. It can get lonely out there sometimes. 
> 
> Mellow Milan Hamilton
> 80 North Center Street
> Redlands, CA 92373
> Phone: (909) 943-1667
> email: mellowmilan2 at gmail.com <mailto:mellowmilan2 at gmail.com><Great Expectations.docx><For Earth.docx><For Earth! For Life! v.2.mp3>_______________________________________________
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