<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Add this one to the poetry collection<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><p class="p1" style="margin: 0px 0px 4px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 25px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-weight: bold;">ON THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION" BY DENISE LEVERTOV</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 24px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2"></span><br></p><p class="p3" style="margin: 9px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2">It’s when we face for a moment</span></p><p class="p4" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 108px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2">the worst our kind can do, and shudder to know<br>the taint in our own selves, that awe<br>cracks the mind’s shell and enters the heart:<br>not to a flower, not to a dolphin,<br>to no innocent form<br>but to this creature vainly sure<br>it and no other is god-like, God<br>(out of compassion for our ugly<br>failure to evolve) entrusts,<br>as guest, as brother,<br>the Word.</span></p><p class="p4" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 108px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2">Denise Levertov</span></p><p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 24px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2"></span><br></p><p class="p5" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2">December 21, 2021</span></p><p class="p5" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s2"><br></span></p><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Jim Wiegel</span><br><div>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“…the long work<br>
of turning their lives<br>
into a celebration<br>
is not easy. Come </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 19pt;">and let us talk</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 19pt;">“. </span></p><p class="p1"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 19pt;">The Sunflowers. Mary Oliver</span></p></div></div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Dec 24, 2023, at 11:45 AM, jstanfieldica <jstanfieldica@gmail.com> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"><div dir="auto">Thank you John. A very powerful Christmas poem.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Merry Christmas.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Jeanette Stanfield</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div id="composer_signature" dir="auto"><div style="font-size:12px;color:#575757" dir="auto">Sent from my Bell Samsung device over Canada's largest network.</div></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div><br></div><div align="left" dir="auto" style="font-size:100%;color:#000000"><div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Lynda C via OE <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> </div><div>Date: 2023-12-24 12:19 p.m. (GMT-05:00) </div><div>To: "OE List (OE@lists.wedgeblade.net)" <OE@lists.wedgeblade.net>, "Jim and Judy Wiegel (jfwiegel@yahoo.com)" <jfwiegel@yahoo.com>, Gene Marshall <gwesleymarshall@gmail.com> </div><div>Cc: Lynda C <lynda860@outlook.com>, "John II Cock (jpcock2@gmail.com)" <jpcock2@gmail.com> </div><div>Subject: [Oe List ...] FW: Santa poem, Gene Marshall? </div><div><br></div></div>
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<p style="margin-bottom:12.0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">From:
</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">John Cock <jpc2025@triad.rr.com><br>
<b>Date: </b>Saturday, December 4, 2004 at 12:12 PM<br>
<b>To: </b>llc860@triad.rr.com <llc860@triad.rr.com><br>
<b>Subject: </b>FW: Santa poem, Gene Marshall?</span></p>
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-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Lynda Cock [<a href="mailto:llc860@triad.rr.com">mailto:llc860@triad.rr.com</a>]<br>
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2000 11:38 AM<br>
To: Cock, John I<br>
Subject: FW: Santa poem, Gene Marshall?<br>
Importance: High<br>
<br>
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN<br>
<br>
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT<br>
YOU BETTER NOT CRY<br>
YOU BETTER NOT POUT<br>
I'M TELLING YOU WHY<br>
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN<br>
<br>
HE'S MAKING A LIST<br>
AND CHECKING IT TWICE<br>
HE'S GOING TO FIND OUT<br>
WHO'S NAUGHTY OR NICE<br>
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN<br>
<br>
<br>
IT IS SAID OF OLD, THAT THE BAD BOYS AND GIRLS GOT NO GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS--<br>
ONLY A SWITCH TO LASH THEM WITH. BUT SO FAR AS ANYONE KNOWS, NO SWITCHES<br>
HAVE EVER BEEN LEFT AT CHRISTMAS. SANTA CLAUS TAKES GOOD GIFTS TO EVERY<br>
HOUSE, TO EVERY PERSON IN THE WHOLE WORLD.<br>
<br>
THIS IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION. THIS IS THE WAY THE STORY READS. EVERY<br>
PERSON, EVERY HOUSE. IF A CHILD RECEIVES NO GIFT FROM SANTA CLAUS, THAT IS<br>
A DEVASTATING BLOW. NO MATTER HOW MANY GIFTS ARE RECEIVED FROM MOM, DAD,<br>
BROTHER, SISTER, THOSE GIFTS CANNOT REPLACE THE GIFT NOT RECEIVED FROM THE<br>
ONE WHO TAKES GIFTS TO ALL. YOU SEE IN THIS STORY, ALL GIRLS ARE GOOD<br>
GIRLS--FOR ALL RECEIVE GIFTS. AND ALL BOYS ARE GOOD BOYS--FOR ALL RECEIVE<br>
GIFTS.<br>
<br>
NOW I ASK YOU: IS THIS A TRUE STORY? HAVE YOU EVER MET THAT WHICH GIVES<br>
GOOD GIFTS TO ALL? INTO EVERY HOUSE? BY ANY CRITERIA YOU AND I HAVE<br>
CREATED, WE ALL DESERVE SWITCHES. YET, IN SPITE OF HOW WE SEE OURSELVES,<br>
THERE IS THAT EXPERIENCE IN OUR LIVES OF THE ONE WHO BRINGS GOOD GIFTS TO<br>
ALL.<br>
<br>
ST. NICK, SANTA CLAUS, OR WHATEVER OTHER NAME IS USED, THEY ALL DEPEND UPON<br>
OUR COMMON LIFE EXPERIENCES OF THE ONE WHO BRINGS GOOD GIFTS TO ALL, TO<br>
EVERY HOUSE. THE STORY DOES NOT SAY HOW THIS IS DONE OR WHY. IT SIMPLY<br>
SAYS THAT IT IS DONE.<br>
<br>
"YOU BETTER WATCH OUT. . . I'M TELLING YOU WHY! SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO<br>
TOWN.!"</p><br>
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