Just recently, the BlogThis! banner ad has added Google search terms. Again, I assume these terms reflect themes which I circle around in these messages. Couple of days ago, the search terms had to do with my spiritual great-grandfather, Walt Whitman. Aside from throwing his name out (and citing the Barbaric Yawp blog), don't recall mentioning the good grey poet, but I don't mind.

Today, 8:31 am CST 9 July, the search terms are: "theology, structuralism, theory, positivism." I understand how "theology" and "theory" fit this blog; not too sure about "structuarlism" or "positivism." "Structuarlism" is a mid-20th century (primarily) literary theory, which I don't recall well enough to explicate here; I vaguely recall that I didn't cotton to it very well when we studied it in college. I'll literally have to do the search to learn whether I'm close to the philisophy of "positivism."

I appreciate having the search terms there. Think it's so cool, it's an argument against paying $5/month for the service. About the only thing I can't do now that I'd like to do is post images. And as "I Fought the Law" reflects (under "Name, Please" on June 26, the week of June 22-28), I've thought of at least one way around this challenge.

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Haven't talked much about how I did celebrate the fourth. Began by reading poetry (primarily Neruda, in translation) to Elsie. She was very appreciative. Pablo Neruda is one of the poets I'd have to take with me if stranded on a desert island.

Played a lot of American music — including radicals like Bob Dylan (e.g., Chimes of Freedom) and Peter, Paul & Mary .

As Elsie was preparing her portion of our picnic at her brother's house, I read an extended section of Steven Mitchell's edit of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself." As you may know, Whitman played with his poems throughout his life — he never perceived them to be frozen in time. Late in life, he somewhat bowlderized himself, taking out some of the "sexier" bits of the leaves. But, at times, he also added new lyrical bits. What Mitchell has done is edit a version of "Song of Myself" which incorporates what Mitchell considers to be the best of Whitman's various versions of that poem. Such a thing is a very personal call, but I like the final product. I'm no expert, though, as I only have three of the Leaves versions at hand.

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Afraid I kind of waffle on the "frozen in time" debate. For the most part, I don't fiddle with my old poems, in the belief that they more or less accurately reflect a place I was at when they were written. In many ways, I am such a different person now that it would be like editing someone else's work (not always a bad position). OTOH, when I was transcribing "Revolution Rape" (Sunday, July 6, below), I dropped a couple of lines or words that simply didn't work for me anymore.

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Recently took a trip through an old file which dates from high school. I still have all my assignments from "Creative Writing", which I took in the fall of my senior year. On one of the poems, the teacher wrote "Do you like Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself'?" Honestly, I had not read much of the Good Grey Poet (except for the typical anthology fodder) — and had not read "Song of Myself" at all. Just as honestly, the poem she wrote on was an absolutely wretched bit of teen-age high school drek.

Well, that's my humble unbiased opinion, with almost thirty years of hindsight to allow me emotional distance.