yes indeed, Rilke is great. i remember accidentally stumbling upon some of his work last year while searching the internet for information on the music band "Rainer Maria" (which is beautiful in case you havent heard them)for some music project. the first poem i read was "Going Blind" and that was enough to get me hooked. Thomas Wolfe is another favourite, with all his talk on how men are forever strangers to one another, and how we are always alone and trapped in that insoluable prison of being which we can never escape from, no matter what. and as for the children, i tend to think that they know who's got IT and who doesnt. why else would a child walk directly up to a "big kid" in a chapters bookstore and touch thier pants? they're actually not afraid to look someone in the eyes and just stare at them for as long as they please, and get away with it of course(until they are told by adults that staring is not polite). it sort of makes you wonder. most times its seems that adults are just too busy to even look anymore. maybe they simply dont want to connect with others, cause then they would feel bad about slamming doors in the faces of others, and "forgetting" to say thank you after the employee at tim hortons pours them their morning coffee. ahh, heck i dunno. no point in searching my brain for the answer cause it just doesnt exist there. have a lovely new years all, angie. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com