Erratics

Granite Glacial Erratics at Home on a Farm – photo by Jack McConnell

they walked a long way to find sunshine

escaping from frigid hard whiteness

for warm soft embrace of the greensward

old souls of stone who remember creation

immigrants holding their alien dignity

standing their ground against xenophobe

cries of uncomfortable winds with their

freehold convictions of personal liberty

handsome with self-possessed strength

pleased to anchor an everlast change to

traditional notions of peaceful community

Dear Readers

Dear Readers,

It’s time to take a brief pause from poetry in order to acknowledge this amazing WordPress community. I am quite blessed to have found so many followers and friends here, and I am sincerely and deeply appreciative for meeting each and every one of you.

The statistics associated with my two-and-a-half years as a poetry blogger frankly overwhelm me. I’ve made more than 3,000 blog posts, which have attracted 182,000 of your reader visits from 130 countries. More than 7,000 of you have chosen to follow this blog, leaving 37,000 comments, and you have honored me with 93 reader awards. Against the stunning background of this
enormously gratifying activity, your enthusiastic support has also given me the courage and wherewithal to publish eleven books.

It is impossible to adequately express just how much this all means to me. I promise to continue writing poetry, as best I can, and hope you will continue to enjoy what you read here.

Meantime, I take this moment to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have already given to me.

Affectionately,
Paul
August, 2015

Thank You WordPress Community

It’s time for me to take a brief poetry pause so I can once again thank all who pay me the honor of visiting this blog. I am profoundly grateful for your kind consideration and attention. It moves me to realize my poetry is reaching so many people, in so many places around the world.

When I began this blog in January, 2013, I had no idea if my poetry and occasional prose would hold much appeal, especially in this WordPress environment that I long admired for its strong population of talented writers. But you showed me there is indeed appreciation for my work, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I’m especially grateful for the many new friends I have acquired along this journey.

At this sixteen-month juncture, WordPress stats reveal that “Poesy plus Polemics” has generated over

1,700 posts (almost all are my original poems)
78,000 visits (from 132 countries)
18,000 comments
4,000 followers
66 reader awards

WordPress doesn’t seem to tabulate “likes” but those I’ve received easily number in the tens-of-thousands. This success, all of which is thanks to you dear readers, has encouraged and enabled me to publish 8 books. All of them are full-length volumes of collected poetry.

Such numbers humble this retired old businessman who earned a living with statistics. But today, I have luxury that most others do not, namely time. My days are no longer busy with the life I once led, and I use chunks of that time to read and contemplate as much of your work as possible. I follow many of you, and comment whenever I can. And I’ve purchased many of your published books.

I hope I can continue to find words and forms that interest you. My only guarantee is that whatever you read here will be real; real in the sense that it will genuinely express my thoughts, ideas, emotions and beliefs. Even in pieces of pure fantasy, you will always find telling glimpses of me.

Here’s to seeing you all on the “reader.”

– Paul F. Lenzi
June, 2014