> If S. is, as Buddy contends in S:an I, to join the > "three or four *very* nearly nonexpendable poets" America has had, they had > better be pretty damn great poems. >...It's that, well (am I being just cruel here?), JDS, at > least in 1959, wasn't up to writing the poems himself. Writing poetry of a > Seymour Glass-level is a daunting task. I'm hoping it's modesty. I'm hoping JD realizes there's simply no way he could, in person, live up to the magic that he's conjured in our heads, regarding Seymour's poetry. I'm hoping JD hasn't written these poems and looks at them and thinks he's one of the essential American poets. Let's face it: As readers of this work, would there be anyway to avoid disappointment? Or at least any way to avoid giving a sidelong glace to the JD shrine in the corner of our bedrooms, thinking, "I can't believe he actually attempted this"? There's no way Salinger could pull it off, although I'm confident he has tried--sitting up late at night, glancing over his shoulder--and then bashfully tearing the attempt into shreds, which he promptly uses to feed the fire in his fireplace. --Brendan _______________________________________________________ Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/