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Harrison's avatar

Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking. Dm me if interested in a recommendation swap — we’re growing fast!

check us out:

https://thesecretingredient.substack.com

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Peter Gimpel's avatar

BS"D The idea of seeking out those who are "warmer more often than we are" certainly is an uncommon way of putting it, but is it truthful? Do we base our life-giving, warmth-seeking decisions on statistics? You're a natural poet. You think poetically without even trying. But these seasonal poems seem somewhat forced to me. I'm betting you'll revisit these 4 poems in a few months or a year and come back with something really breathtaking.

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Chris's avatar

Oh - I really don´t think so. My favorite seasons are the early springtime and the autumn. In both of them are movements in growing and changing, and there are so adorable different colours. Summer - there is stagnation, in comparing. Only few poor words for this...

(This should be an impulsively reply to the forego comment. Don´t know why this didn´t worked)

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Dan Hunt's avatar

This is lovely. But why can't you recognize that summer is the very best season!

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

I'm working on a poem about summer and how I still have a sense of poor kid PTSD—summer was always the reminder of the shit that I didn't get to go: camps, vacations, etc.

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Dan Hunt's avatar

That makes a lot of sense.

Further, as lots of people point out it can be easier for poor kids to eat during school year than in the summer.

As an upper middle class kid, not only did I never have to worry about feeding myself, I also got to enjoy the camps, the vacations, and the benefits of swim lessons.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Yes, and in high school, I didn't to see my Reardan friends during the summer.

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Sarah  Merkel's avatar

This is the first time I have listened to one of your poems. So much more powerful hearing it in your voice! Thank you for doing that and offering it out to the world. 💛

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Sarah.

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Linda Loegel Hemby's avatar

You write so concisely and beautifully, puttting so much meaning in so few words. Thank you.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Linda.

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Randall Van Nostrand's avatar

Lovely! Have been keeping this post open for re-readings.

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Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

The thing about poetry, or some poetry, or good poetry--I guess that's it--is that not a single word is superfluous. Biomimicry in writing. Thank you, Sherman.

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Juanita Washington's avatar

Awesomeness!

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Tom Voorhees's avatar

Absolutely beautiful, I am so grateful for your poetry here. you always remind me of what memories are important. At the end I was thinking of my mother.

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Define Nice - Liz Getty's avatar

Untamed; thank you for reminding us that change is the only constant!

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Imola's avatar

Beautiful! I can certainly relate to these lines: “By the time Spring arrives

in Seattle, it's already summer” same in Montreal!

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Nancy Ulin's avatar

You achieved exactly what you set out to do. There are no cliches here; your four seasons are palpable.

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Amanda Wald Rachie's avatar

little gods

who, with epic power,

transformed river

water into a baptism

that saved them

for a few hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZXfDxikwWA

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Amanda Wald Rachie's avatar

Wow. Yes to all the seasons. To all four poems.

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David Ericson's avatar

Wow, Sherman! I won't choose a favorite of the four, and you need not respond. But I found myself reminded of another great US poet, one of the most gifted in the last two generations.

And I echo the thanks for reminding us of James Wright!

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