I'm still thinking about it.

"keeps me mellow" sounds better when said aloud.

It was "sits beside me, smiling mellow" until about 15 minutes ago, when I had stared at it too long to know better.

What do you mean?

How dare you? HOW DARE YOU!!!!!11

The story (which is of course unconfirmed,) is that the book was under consideration for Oprah's Book Club, which would have been a tremendous boon to the already fabulously wealth Proud-Stocking estate, until progress was brought to a near-complete halt by the powerful American Shepherders and Wooldarners Lobby, which believed it portrayed Jodhpurs in an unflattering light as merely the toys of the (as aforementioned) fabulously wealthy.

That said: Ghosts are very interesting, though overused. I think the huge ghost-related entertainment output of America misses some interesting questions about ghosts - such as, why do ghosts always have to appear in some scary or at least startling manner, even if they're friendly ghosts just trying to right some wrong, or appearing to their former loved ones? Even more important, why do ghosts always want to right wrongs and get revenge anyway? You'd think being dead already would put a little perspective on the whole I-must-avenge thing and they'd just, I don't know, hang out instead. My wife and I have a plan, should one of us die, to appear to each other in the least startling way possible. It involves a bright sunny day and a very non-cryptic telephone call well in advance. I think Jefferson and Hamilton had a similar plan, sans telephone.

To elaborate: there is no unity of imagery or tone, except inasmuch as it's predictable eternal vibrations and stuff. Even worse, there's no gimmick. Poems NEED NEED NEED a gimmick - they're like country songs in that respect; the rest can be trash, as long as there's that memorable line or turn of phrase. That's callow and unpoetically hawk-eyed, true, but it works (ie, all your best poems have gimmicks.) The 'feeling the rain' part is close, but a little short of the proverbial cigar. If you had to try to pull it off, I'd at least introduce rain a little earlier in the poem - which you know already. And if I write any more, I'm afraid I'll be taking longer commenting than you took writing this poem. One more thing: while trying to think of another expression for hawk-eyed, I became fascinated by the term 'pie-eyed' for 'drunk.' I currently think it's amazing and beautiful.

I thought the film was excellent. Haven't finished the book yet.

I fear the _Compleat Annotated Jodhpur Manuscripts_ have been withdrawn from amazon owing to a devastating misprint, in which Lord Proud-Stocking had accidentally advocated the use of streamlined jodhpurs for female riders. Clearly an assertion that runs contrary to every fibre of instinct and conviction in a Gentleman's conscience.

I've met him once on his speaking tour right after Cold Mountain, but if he still teaches in NC it's not here. I remember being more impressed by his person than by the book, which I found a trifle dull the last time I read it. Incidentally, I can see the actual mountain from my front porch. It looks a lot like the movie (which is surprisingly good, by the way.)

I don't know anything about recent sci-fi. What's he like? I'm reading all his reviews on Amazon and getting intrigued.

Do you know Charles Frazier? I believe he has taught at the University of North Carolina.

Good point. It should also be said that good content often excuses poetically licensed form; but weird form almost never makes up for lack of content.

yes, Bleach was quite underestimated

That's great crit. Thank-you. I feel like reduxing now. :)