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This Poem was Submitted By: Rachel F. Spinoza On Date: 2005-04-06 17:58:14 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!

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Herzog

For Saul 1915-2005 Bellow, bellow, bellow against both huge injustices and daily lies You lifted us into an air most rarified. Discussions Bloomed, world wide, and teams of miners came to chip away at darkened caves until a trace of light appeared among the tiers The century’s obscenities boomed and bellowed in your ear. Your voice responded loud and near so powerful and pliable it pulled us clear into our minds to learn to cast a shield against the unrelenting din of times

This Poem was Critiqued By: Rick Barnes On Date: 2005-05-03 23:30:46
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 8.52941
Only you Roni...only you. What a great send off. He did indeed lift us into air most rarefied, and clear. Night Saul, oh..and thanks. Rick

This Poem was Critiqued By: Audrey R Donegan On Date: 2005-05-01 00:38:43
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 8.26087
Wow, so many great lines: 'boomed and bellowed' - grabs me 'against both huge injustices and daily lies You lifted us into and air most rareified.' - I sense s astong passion and commitment in this statement. Finally the last stanza pulls al the emotion together so well. Great work, Audrey

This Poem was Critiqued By: Claire H. Currier On Date: 2005-04-28 07:26:36
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.25641
Good morning Poet........as always, nice structure, word flow, feelings, emotions, images have all been created with the flare of your pen along with a nice tribute to such a man.......Herzog, most fitting title, and I like the way you take and use the authors name in opening stanza.....again a lovely way to give tribute to all he has done......thanks for posting and sharing, God Bless, Claire

This Poem was Critiqued By: Tony P Spicuglia On Date: 2005-04-25 09:59:53
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.69231
Rachel, in approaching this piece, it required additional reading by me. I presume that you are writing, as many believe he did, to the greater satirizing of the world, rather than precisely to the character “Herzog”. In that grander scheme, the choice of Moses in itself is an indication of the “redemption” that Saul Bellow believed the world needed. That said, there is enough of Saul in Herzog and Von Humboldt Fleisher that an accurate, (to one who has never met a person) mosaic can be pieced together of his personal travails, triumphs, and search for peace with this world, Judaism, and God himself. In your work, I think you did an excellent portrayal of the man, not Herzog, but the man who wrote Herzog. “Bellow against” what a fine metaphor to the entire works of this man. Although I had only read two pieces by him, I read Humboldt's Gift before this critique. I think, that although I have not read Sholom Aleichem, my research on your poem led me to order several of his works. ( I thank you for the discovery). Your “rarified air” certainly characterizes the men, “character and author”, for what is normally left as an external “whodunit” is internalized and given life aside from actions. Far more a matter of thought, than most the trash young people read these days (if you can get them to read). The “trace of light” in “darkened caves” is such a fine metaphor, for the searching in my life, as well as the characterizations by Saul himself. I wonder, (even though there is a resolution of sorts in Herzog, I am always left with the thought feeling that it is an uneasy truce with life), if such a resolution is the probable result of most such searches, including my own. Lastly, of the cemetery, the “shield” against the “din”, there is a simple feeling, when I read this verse (many times), that he would have sanctioned the piece. I can hope, without the propriety of future’s sensitivities, that someone might write such a piece concerning me. The craft is much different, but I understand the search, and you wrote to the man, and his mission, well. Alas, I wonder if Von Humboldt is closer to the majority of us than we like to feel. Excellent piece!!

This Poem was Critiqued By: Lennard J. McIntosh On Date: 2005-04-23 17:30:30
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 8.00000
Re: “Herzog” Herzog is a novel by Saul Bellows, a Nobel Prize winning author of remarkable renown. I haven’t read it or the very popular, “Augie March,” I’m sorry to admit. I say this because I read a hilariously funny short story by Bellows. It was about a married couple who were continually nattering at each other. The writing was superb, as I recall. Rachel wrote: “it pulled us clear into our minds to learn to cast a shield against the unrelenting din of times” *** My goodness, this is good stuff, Rach. This is no doubt in my mind that if Mr. Bellows were still with us, the power of these lines would impel him to contact you. It’s beautiful, Rach! Len

This Poem was Critiqued By: Gene Dixon On Date: 2005-04-21 12:50:05
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Rachel - (A long time ago you told me to call you "Roni" and I asked permission to continue to call you "Rachel" because I think it is such a beautiful name...may I continue?) Great poem and great tribute. Would that I could write like that (Saul AND you) and engender such admiration. First line is fantastic! "Bellow, bellow, bellow" - both an entreaty and an annoucment of the man...really sets up the poem superbly! And..because of the first line's effectiveness, I would remove the "and bellowed" from the third stanza. It feels like a weak redundancy to me. Minor glitch, though...as I said, Super!!! Peace - Gene

This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne M Uppendahl On Date: 2005-04-15 12:47:17
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Rachel: This tribute to a great man holds both sorrow and appreciation for all he meant to so many. Bellow, bellow, bellow )Wonderful play on his name and his outcry! against both huge injustices and daily lies The daily lies are the hardest to confront, I think. You lifted us into an air most rarified. Discussions Bloomed, --reference to Allan Bloom -- The Closing of the American Mind? world wide, and teams of miners came to chip away at darkened caves until a trace of light appeared among the tiers --Beautiful The century’s obscenities boomed and bellowed in your ear. --Connects L1 of S1 and L3 of S2 brilliantly, IMO Your voice responded loud and near so powerful and pliable it pulled us clear into our minds to learn to cast a shield against the unrelenting din of times That so great a voice is now silent is a great loss, though his writing is a permanent legacy. I remember reading "The Adventures of Augie March" as a teen-ager, hiding it from my parents who would have thought it too 'adventuresome' for this somewhat sheltered reader. Thank you for this -- it reminds me to go back and read with greater appreciation what was so easily taken for granted at the time. Best always, Joanne

This Poem was Critiqued By: Thomas Edward Wright On Date: 2005-04-11 08:52:41
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Many come, few see, fewer conquer. Where he pointed, we looked. Where he stood, we under-stood. When he left, we wept. He did for us that which we needed done. And his time is gone, though not his deeds. In his place another shall dig and bury us. And we will be grateful. And not dirty enough. Put the infants in your mind to those breasts of thought. Watch them grow.

This Poem was Critiqued By: Dellena Rovito On Date: 2005-04-09 18:56:16
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Dear Rachel,[a letter] Saul Bellow, author of Herzog. Said to be his best work. So clever of you to use his name for proclamation. Bellow bellow bellow. The story is full of meditations on understanding the state of Western Civilization, often strangely profound. A thinking man's philosophical novel. So your poem tells of light in the caves, clearing the mind. His effect on you and the world. Air/rarified nice Powerful/pliable Near/clear Pulling clear……casting a shield to protect the mind…[is great]. A nice tribute……good job Siincerely, Dellena

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