Old School Character…by Robert M. Katzman

Filed under: Friendship & Compassion,Philosophy — Bob at 9:28 am on Thursday, October 25, 2012

By Robert M. Katzman Â© October 21, 2012

I hold coats for women

Open doors

Walk on the curb side

And push in their chairs

As they sit

Because they are

â€œFragile Flowers?â€

Moments of civility

In a

Savage world

I write letters

On paper

In ink

Using all of the

Alphabet

I call people

Listen to them

Can tell how they are

By the timbre of their voices

And they me

I read books

Turn the pages

Feel the paper

Hear their glued spines crack

As I progress my way through

The covers becoming

Warm and familiar

In my hands

I remember when

Tomatoes

Were

Wonderful

I read newspapers

Sitting in a soft chair

A light behind my shoulder

Hearing the flutter

Of the big pages

As I turn and fold them

Knowing the printed news

Is instantly â€˜old newsâ€™

Before I buy it

Seeing the increasing

Typographical errors

As print editors

Are winnowed

But to me

Reading a newspaper

Is like walking

Â A little slower

Next to an

Aging friend

Cherishing memories

Of their lost

Vigor

Not everything older

Is better

Persons of color

Or obscure religions

Will not long for

The evil hateful times

That swept them aside

Praying their childrenâ€™s time

Is this time

At last

But I, too, am

One of them

Free now

Free to remember

Free to choose

What is still worth keeping

What was rich and good

Once upon a time

Comments (3)

3 Comments »

19708

Comment by J Steve Adler

October 25, 2012 @ 1:09 pm

Your work is a reminder that pleasurable things are not necessarily found in front of a computer, on a PDA or in a Movie house. While you focus on enjoyment of “paper” things and their use environment, other moments, like enjoying the leaves color change, a sunset across a body of water, simple white clouds in a azure blue sky, etc are possibly “old school” too. This does not take away from your excellent presentation and your flair for prose and poetic expression. Good work!

19709

Comment by Tom Millstead

October 25, 2012 @ 3:02 pm

Splendidly put, Bob, as ever. Oh, for the days when the person sitting next to you on the CTA wasn’t jawing into a smartphone. Or when whoever you’re talking to didn’t constantly divert his/her eyes to read or post something on Twitter.

19715

Comment by Judy

October 27, 2012 @ 12:12 pm

I like this Bob. I especially like

“Reading a newspaper
Is like walking
A little slower
Next to an
Aging friend
Cherishing memories
Of their lost
Vigor”

I’m not sure I feel as confident as you do about what’s in the next-to-last stanza. I fear we are going backwards these days, with so many people trying to undo the good work that was done since the 60s.

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