Thanatopsis in times of Plague

So what's on my mind? Thanatopsis: poem by the guy the park behind the NY City library is named: William Cullen Bryan. The word is from the classical Greek and means "Thoughts of death". Along with that I reflect on all the poetry I stumbled on that brought joy and thought to me. Poetry is the long, centuries long, whine of the human race, a whine about dying and uselessness, about lost love, lost life, lost hope. And then there is "Do not go gently into that good night", Dylan Thomas. Pretty good read. T.S. Eliot tells us "We are the hollow men, we are the empty men, head piece filled with straw, alas". The First World War brought some good poetry with it. I liked "Patterns": a lady lost her future husband to the war. Good poem, good "whine".

There are many short stories about death and dying, even about "The Plague", a book by Albert Camus, 1957 Nobel prize winner. And Tolstoy's story "The Death of Ivan Illytch".

There are the stories of heroism: Socrates refusing to plead guilty to corrupting the youth of Athens and taking the hemlock. There is Horatius at the bridge holding back the attacking army. The three hundred of Sparta at marathon. Etc, etc.
Christ on the Cross saying "Forgive them, they know not what they are doing". Bt they did know. They were killing him.

Here I am, in front of my computer with thoughts of death, memories of poems and books celebrating and whining with a mild sense of pity, perhaps even a touch of self-pity.

My personal philosophy is that mankind is perfectable, can and will get better; with better defined as physically bigger, faster, stronger; morally better, more caring, less selfish, more in touch with "turn the other cheek", love thy neighbor, love thy enemy, give to the poor, help make the world a slightly better place for having walked upon it. i wish you a good day, good memories, good loves, good loses, good wins, good friends and family, good tolerance when you don't have those things.

Live! Live, love, dance and be merry, for tomorrow you, and me, may die.Love it all.Love each other. And lend me $20.