TATRANEWS - August Newsletter

Hello, my friends: We are enjoying another beautiful summer here in Vermont, so I will keep this note short. Bookstock at the end of July was a very happy and successful one for me once again. On Friday, July 26th, I presented my third memoir, THE FENCERS, to a wonderful audience of around 40, while on Saturday, on the Green, I read several poems from my latest volume EXTINCTION and CELLO'S TEARS, my very first one. As in most previous years, I had a table in the local authors' tent and met many interested and interesting readers and authors. For those who were not able to attend and hear me read, I will leave you with one of my favorite poems from EXTINCTION: When I die When I die, who will grieve for me, who will shed tears when the bell tolls? When I am no longer conscious, no longer feeling and loving, will you, dear, kiss me one last time, hold my ice-cold hand to your heart? And when my body burns to ashes or decays, devoured by maggots, how long, love, before you forget my face, my voice, my touch, my laugh? When you walk through the fall forest, swim in our pond below the falls, will you remember our delight, sharing such sunny summer days? And when you lie alone at night or naked in another’s arms, will you still evoke our great love, the ecstasy of our coupling? When our children come from afar, over dinner and lots of wine, will you smile as you reminisce about my quirks, faults and foibles? When you play with our grandchildren, sing them a song, kiss them good night, will you gently remind them, dear, that I loved them with all my heart? And as you read these my poems, my Cello’s Tears, sotto voce, will you try hard to remember the joy of our life together? For there will be no more of me, only what is left in your heart. Enjoy the rest of the summer and happy reading, Geza