<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><header id="page-header" style="margin: 0px auto 25px; padding: 0px 0px 25px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, Times, Georgia, serif; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 1040px; text-align: center; overflow: hidden;" class=""><hgroup id="masthead" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; float: left; text-align: left; width: 774.796875px;" class=""><h4 class="rubric" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: ny-irvin-text, 'Times New Roman', Times, Georgia, serif; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5rem; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(223, 51, 49);">Dear Gordon,</h4><div class="">Thank you for your uplifting and life and death affirming letter.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">This poem by Clive James comes to mind. He is an Australian poet, </div><div class="">bon vivant and academic, living in Cambridge, UK and dying. </div><div class="">This poem appeared last year in the New Yorker. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Paul</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><h1 itemprop="headline" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: ny-irvin-heading, 'Times New Roman', Times, Georgia, serif; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 4rem; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 22px;" class="">Japanese Maple</span></h1><h2 itemprop="alternativeHeadline" style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.8rem; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""></h2><h3 style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: neutra-face-text, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Segoe, 'Segoe UI', 'Segoe WP', Calibri, Arial, clean, sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.4rem; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); letter-spacing: 0.08rem; text-transform: uppercase; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal;" class="">BY <span itemscope="" itemprop="author" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/contributors/clive-james" title="Clive James" rel="author" itemprop="url" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: inherit;" class="">CLIVE JAMES</a> </span></h3></hgroup></header><div class="non-solid-rail module-container-rail" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, Times, Georgia, serif; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; box-sizing: border-box; width: 1040px; display: table; table-layout: fixed;"><div class="module-container-stacked post-content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(149, 149, 149); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: top; box-sizing: border-box; width: 1040px; display: table-cell; float: none; max-width: none;"><div itemprop="articleBody" class=" articleBody ad-container" id="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 350px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; float: none; overflow: hidden;"><div class="poetry" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline-block;"><font size="3" class=""><a class="tny-slot" name="/2" data-total-words="0" data-smart-underline-link-background-position="-1800" data-smart-underline-link-color="rgb(0, 0, 0)" data-smart-underline-link-always="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.03em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.03em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0.03em, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px -0.03em, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.06em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.06em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.09em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.09em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.12em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.12em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.15em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.15em 0px; background-image: linear-gradient(rgb(255, 255, 255), rgb(255, 255, 255)), linear-gradient(rgb(255, 255, 255), rgb(255, 255, 255)), linear-gradient(rgb(0, 0, 0), rgb(0, 0, 0)); -webkit-background-size: 0.05em 1px, 0.05em 1px, 1px; background-size: 0.05em 1px, 0.05em 1px, 1px; background-position: 0% -1800%, 100% -1800%, 0% -1800%; background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat, repeat-x;"></a><a class="tny-page" name="/1" data-total-words="0" data-smart-underline-link-background-position="-1800" data-smart-underline-link-color="rgb(0, 0, 0)" data-smart-underline-link-always="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.03em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.03em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0.03em, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px -0.03em, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.06em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.06em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.09em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.09em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.12em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.12em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0.15em 0px, rgb(255, 255, 255) -0.15em 0px; background-image: linear-gradient(rgb(255, 255, 255), rgb(255, 255, 255)), linear-gradient(rgb(255, 255, 255), rgb(255, 255, 255)), linear-gradient(rgb(0, 0, 0), rgb(0, 0, 0)); -webkit-background-size: 0.05em 1px, 0.05em 1px, 1px; background-size: 0.05em 1px, 0.05em 1px, 1px; background-position: 0% -1800%, 100% -1800%, 0% -1800%; background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat, repeat-x;"></a><p word_count="35" data-wc="35" style="margin: 0px 0px 28px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.8rem; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Your death, near now, is of an easy sort.</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">So slow a fading out brings no real pain.</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Breath growing short</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Is just uncomfortable. You feel the drain</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Of energy, but thought and sight remain:</span></p><p word_count="35" data-wc="35" style="margin: 0px 0px 28px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.8rem; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Enhanced, in fact. When did you ever see</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">So much sweet beauty as when fine rain falls</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">On that small tree</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">And saturates your brick back garden walls,</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">So many Amber Rooms and mirror halls?</span></p><br class=""><p word_count="32" data-wc="32" style="margin: 0px 0px 28px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.8rem; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Ever more lavish as the dusk descends</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">This glistening illuminates the air.</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">It never ends.</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Whenever the rain comes it will be there,</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Beyond my time, but now I take my share.</span></p><p word_count="40" data-wc="40" style="margin: 0px 0px 28px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.8rem; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">My daughter’s choice, the maple tree is new.</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Come autumn and its leaves will turn to flame.</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">What I must do</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Is live to see that. That will end the game</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">For me, though life continues all the same:</span></p><p word_count="38" data-wc="38" style="margin: 0px 0px 28px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 2.8rem; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Filling the double doors to bathe my eyes,</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">A final flood of colors will live on</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">As my mind dies,</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Burned by my vision of a world that shone</span><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-indent: -1em;" class="">So brightly at the last, and then was gone.</span></p></font></div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><font size="3" class=""><br class=""></font></div><font size="3" class=""><br class=""></font><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><font size="3" class="">On 14 Nov 2015, at 02:50, Timothy Wegner via Dialogue <<a href="mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net" class="">dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net</a>> wrote:</font></div><font size="3" class=""><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></font><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><font size="3" class="">I'm posting this for Roxanna. See attachment for Gordon's November update.</font><div class=""><font size="3" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><font size="3" class="">Gordon wrote:</font><div class=""><font size="3" class=""> "OK, here's my latest--and final--version"<br class=""></font></div><div class=""><font size="3" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><font size="3" class=""><br class=""></font></div></div></div>
<font size="3" class=""><span id="cid:D82A2D9D-C090-45A0-82D5-5F1409F1ABA7@home"><NovemberUpdate.pdf></span>_______________________________________________<br class="">Dialogue mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net" class="">Dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net</a><br class="">http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/dialogue-wedgeblade.net<br class=""></font></div></blockquote></div><br class=""><div class="">
<div class="">Paul Schrijnen</div><div class="">13 Bloemfontein Avenue</div><div class="">London W12 7BJ</div><div class=""><a href="mailto:paulschrijnen@gmail.com" class="">paulschrijnen@gmail.com</a></div><div class="">+44 7973 206 766 </div><div class="">skype: paulus.schrijnen</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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