Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Get Listed - August - Carpe Diem -- Real Toads

Robin Williams died this Monday. 
The headlines are saying, "Robin Williams dead.
at 63."  That was Monday. 
This is today, Wednesday, 
the headlines are saying many things.

We will miss him.
 
I like it best said and not lived as Sylvia Plath
put it in her now mortal poem, Lady Lazarus:
 
"Soon, soon the flesh
The grave cave ate will be
At home on me
   
At home on me And I a smiling woman.   
I am only thirty.
And like the cat I have nine times to die."
 
Sylvia Plath did not attain those nine lives, not even four. 
She took her life when she was 30 and
could not wear her skin again ever. 
Desperation
Only her poem is mortal.
 
Robin Williams died at age 63, he took his own life.  
Desperation.  
I suppose Robin Williams never read Ms. Plath's poem,
if he did he would see the folly.  Instead, he is dead today. 
 
The headlines of the tomorrows will have passed
pretty much over Mr. Williams,
will history remember him at all? 
Life goes on. 
Mainly noble persons, barbaric villains, and authors
will be in the encyclopedia, home to those remembered.
 
And mainly the generations alive today
will be the ones who remember Robin Williams. 
They will tell of their favorite movie they watched, perhaps
even bought.  My favorite was RV, a 2006 film, really funny.
 
The List today is dreary today.  A soul has passed,
passed from earth to who knows where. 
I believe there are only two, perhaps three places it can go: 
Heaven, Hell, Purgatory

May he RIP.  We are missing you.

- - - - - -
 
Poem copyright, ©  Jimmiehov 2009, 2014, all rights reserved
Robin Williams picture credit to Wikipedia, Robin Williams

- - - - -
 
Today I am linked with

Notes:
 
The List (of words I was encouraged to use here—I used four, dead, desperation, barbaric, and noble—I decided to write my first thoughts behind each of them):

worm - Wormwood, that junior temptor student to the Chief Demon Screwtape in C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. 
verse - Second verse, third line: TBD (i.e. you name it poem)
dreams - Broken, much crying and tears, hair pulling, ashes and torn clothes
suck - Life sucks
rout - Win the race, it's a rout, one way or the other for life
daring - Young man on the flying trapeze
caution - To the winds, 'p' on caution (have your ever driven 180 mph?  I have, on the German Autobaun)
seize - The moment, it may be your last
dead - These men don't talk.  Das ende, schluss (German, it is over)
desperation - Don't worry things WILL BE WORSE
barbaric - People with this propensity are presently trying to rule the world, their way only can be 
noble - This man may prevail.  Noble thinking at the least

Grapling's post: Get Listed - August - Carpe Diem
Theme: Robin Williams passed on August 11th, evidently a suicide.

Additional Reading:

Robin Williams was a 'genius so manic he said cocaine helped him keep calm' | Mail Online
 
References:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178961 (Sylvia Plath's poem, Lady Lazarus)
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110422174320AAK11gF (Does St. Peter really hold the keys to Heaven)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Screwtape_Letters

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9 Comments:

At Wednesday, August 13, 2014 1:55:00 PM, Blogger brudberg said...

the concept of a suicide is so hard to grasp.. and I Sylvia had only one extra life... I wonder how many really want to take that step.. the success rate is sometimes not that staggering..sometimes I wonder of purgatory is not a place on earth..

 
At Wednesday, August 13, 2014 6:21:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I like the catalog, Jim. I don't wonder if Williams read Plath; I'm sure he did... Thanks for adding your voice ~

 
At Wednesday, August 13, 2014 8:38:00 PM, Blogger Sherry Blue Sky said...

Well done, Jim. I like the thoughts that came to you from the list words. Cool.

 
At Wednesday, August 13, 2014 9:17:00 PM, Blogger Helen said...

Oh yes, we will remember the comic genius of Robin Williams ... the talented actor. Smiles, Mr. Jim.

 
At Wednesday, August 13, 2014 10:35:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

WHETHER FUTURE GENEATIONS WILL REMEMBER HIM IS A GOOD QUESTION>

Poetic Inspiration.

 
At Thursday, August 14, 2014 5:54:00 AM, Blogger Marian said...

yes, i too am certain that Robin Williams was a reader of Sylvia Plath's poetry. no doubt. if only that tree outside could have kept him, and her.

 
At Saturday, August 16, 2014 9:06:00 PM, Blogger Susie Clevenger said...

Sylvia and William forever connected by their chosen deaths....I too wish help could have arrived for both of them...that their demons could have been silenced.

 
At Saturday, August 16, 2014 9:15:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Jim, a very thoughtful piece and memory for Silvia as well.
Hope you are having a wonderful summer :)

 
At Monday, August 18, 2014 12:08:00 AM, Blogger audrey` said...

Robin Williams gave us so much laughter and joy. Yet, he was broken inside. RIP.

 

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