Dane Gordon

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=120 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0ec8dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>FootHills Publishing 2009</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FootHills Publishing 2009"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FootHills Publishing 2009"><U>FootHills Publishing 2009</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Books 2009"><U>Books 2009</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Laury A. Egan"><U>Laury A. Egan</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cara Chamberlain"><U>Cara Chamberlain</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Caitlin Rice"><U>Caitlin Rice</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dorothy Bittner"><U>Dorothy Bittner</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bruce Bennett"><U>Bruce Bennett</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Craig Czury"><U>Craig Czury</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Karen Blomain"><U>Karen Blomain</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Colleen Powderly"><U>Colleen Powderly</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Charles Rossiter"><U>Charles Rossiter</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="doing time to cleanse my mind"><U>doing time to cleanse my mind</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Daniel Kerwick"><U>Daniel Kerwick</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Richard Garcia"><U>Richard Garcia</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Judian James"><U>Judian James</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Emily Vogel"><U>Emily Vogel</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ellaraine Lockie"><U>Ellaraine Lockie</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dorothy Holley"><U>Dorothy Holley</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="I Was Indian"><U>I Was Indian</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Karla Linn Merrifield"><U>Karla Linn Merrifield</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alan Casline"><U>Alan Casline</U></A>   |   <B>Dane Gordon</B>   |   <A HREF="id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Paulette Swartzfager"><U>Paulette Swartzfager</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Perry Nicholas"><U>Perry Nicholas</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Patrick Sugrue"><U>Patrick Sugrue</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Diana Woodcock"><U>Diana Woodcock</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ordering By Mail"><U>Ordering By Mail</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact FHP"><U>Contact FHP</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=360 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0ec8dfc3.jpg"> <div> <I>Dane Gordon</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> The Logic </div> <div> of Death</div> <div> Poems of War</div> <bR> <div> Dane Gordon</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="2082cdc0.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="476" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> (See also Dane's <A HREF="#anchor" TITLE="Dane Gordon"><U><I>St. Petersburg Poems</I></U></A>)</div> <bR> <div> <I>Author's Note</I></div> <bR> <div> These poems attempt to portray the hidden life of war: small incidents often not noticed in longer accounts.</div> <bR> <div> However technological war may be, it is not fought between technologies. War is between people. I remember watching a television news report of an attacking force shelling a town. Little puffs of smoke rose above the houses where the shells exploded. They looked almost harmless, but wherever a shell exploded it destroyed a home and often the family who lived there. The bland reporting that accompanied the footage was painful to watch.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>From the book:</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Logic of Death</B></div> <bR> <div> When the battle is over</div> <div> and the field is still</div> <div> the differences between</div> <div> those who lie there</div> <div> are reduced to quiet</div> <div> sameness.</div> <bR> <div> They lie (we say) in</div> <div> peace.</div> <div> That is what they</div> <div> fought for.</div> <div> But could it have been</div> <div> achieved</div> <div> other than by death?</div> <div> When we ask them</div> <div> they don't answer.</div> <div> They are dead.</div> <div> We are alive.</div> <div> We can ask ourselves,</div> <div> perhaps even answer.</div> <bR> <div> But enmeshed in our</div> <div> self-conflicted life</div> <div> we do not know.</div> <div> Could we,</div> <div> could we leap forward</div> <div> to the peace of</div> <div> death</div> <div> and bring it back?</div> <div> Could we carry it in</div> <div> our arms</div> <div> like a white figure,</div> <div> and place it gently</div> <div> at the heart of</div> <div> our life?</div> <div> Then we might live</div> <div> as if our animosities</div> <div> were over.</div> <div> Then we might be</div> <div> at peace.</div> <div> Or is the logic of</div> <div> death the only way</div> <div> to find what eludes</div> <div> us in the illogic</div> <div> of life?</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>He Tried to do </B></div> <div> <B>His Homework</B></div> <bR> <div> He tried to do his</div> <div> homework,</div> <div> instead, he drew a</div> <div> picture of a plane</div> <div> dropping bombs.</div> <div> He drew it again</div> <div> and again.</div> <div> One of the bombs</div> <div> killed his grandfather</div> <div> while he was fetching</div> <div> water from a well.</div> <div> The boy drew a plane,</div> <div> and another,</div> <div> planes and planes,</div> <div> and more planes.</div> <div> The boy loved his</div> <div> grandfather.</div> <div> He misses him</div> <div> terribly.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A Wrong War</B></div> <bR> <div> Soldiers will fight</div> <div> for what they</div> <div> believe.</div> <div> They will obey orders</div> <div> for what they don't.</div> <div> Loyalty is not</div> <div> indestructible if it</div> <div> is abused.</div> <bR> <div> Faith is not</div> <div> unshakeable when</div> <div> what is believed</div> <div> fails the believer.</div> <bR> <div> The tragedy of a</div> <div> wrong war is not</div> <div> needless destruction</div> <div> and death.</div> <bR> <div> It is the slash mark</div> <div> it leaves across</div> <div> human good.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Born in London, England, Gordon served in the Royal Navy during World War II, received degrees in history, theology, and philosophy from Cambridge University, London University, and the University of Rochester, New York. He taught philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY until he retired.  A Presbyterian minister, Gordon's publications have been primarily in the fields of philosophy and theology.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Georgia" >The Logic of Death</FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Garamond" > is a 104 page </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >hand-stitched paper book with spine - $16.00</FONT></div> <bR> <div> TO ORDER  ON-LINE                               </div> <div>       </div> <bR> <div> From the US         <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="The Logic of Death"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="09-20"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="16.00"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>  </div> <bR> <div> From Canada    <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="The Logic of Death"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="09-20"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="16.00"> <input type="hidden" name="shipping" value="2.75"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>  </div> <bR> <div> From Other Countries            <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="The Logic of Death"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="09-20"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="16.00"> <input type="hidden" name="shipping" value="5.00"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>       </div> <bR> <bR> <div>      <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ordering By Mail"><U>To order through mail click here</U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="anchor"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>*********************************************************</div> <bR> <div> AWAY #4</div> <div> Dane R. Gordon</div> <div> Saint Petersburg</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="20a2cd80.png" border=0 width="300" height="472" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> From the Book:</div> <bR> <div> <B>Potatoes</B></div> <bR> <div> The man at the vegetable</div> <div> stall in the market</div> <div> laughed so hard at my</div> <div> clumsy Russian, when</div> <div> I bought a kilo of</div> <div> potatoes on my way</div> <div> home, that he gave</div> <div> me a five hundred</div> <div> ruble note in change</div> <div> for a hundred.</div> <div> When I gave it back</div> <div> he stopped laughing.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>A Small Consideration</B></div> <bR> <div> For a small consideration</div> <div> she could take us in.</div> <div> We were part of a long</div> <div> line waiting to enter</div> <div> the Hermitage.</div> <div> It would be another half</div> <div> hour before we got</div> <div> to the entrance.</div> <div> Then a lady approached</div> <div> and spoke (in Russian)</div> <div> to two students who</div> <div> were with us.</div> <div> This lady works at the</div> <div> Hermitage, they explained.</div> <div> For a small consideration</div> <div> she could take us in</div> <div> directly.</div> <div> My puritan sensibilities</div> <div> were slightly troubled</div> <div> but the students were delighted,</div> <div> so I agreed.</div> <div> We went in through </div> <div> a side door, leaving the</div> <div> long line waiting.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>This City is Embraced </B></div> <div> <B>by its History</B></div> <bR> <div> This city is embraced</div> <div> by its history.</div> <div> Sometimes the embrace is</div> <div> gentle, sometimes iron</div> <div> bound.</div> <div> There are those for whom</div> <div> the white nights of</div> <div> St. Petersburg are a halo,</div> <div> the dark days of winter</div> <div> a shroud.</div> <div> These people wonder,</div> <div> as they try to understand,</div> <div> what phase of its history</div> <div> the city is passing through.</div> <bR> <div> Saint Petersburg</div> <div> is a 60 page hand-sewn book with spine - $12.00</div> <bR> <bR> <div> TO ORDER  ON-LINE </div> <bR> <div> From the US         <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Saint Petersburg"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="AWAY 07-4"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="12.00"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>  </div> <bR> <div> From Canada    <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="The Logic of Death"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Saint Petersburg"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="AWAY 07-4"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="12.00"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>  </div> <bR> <div> From Other Countries            <form target="paypal" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/sc-but-01.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!"> <input type="hidden" name="add" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_cart"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="fhp@foothillspublishing.com"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Saint Petersburg"> <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="AWAY 07-4"> <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="12.00"> <input type="hidden" name="shipping" value="5.00"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="USD"> </form>       </div> <bR> <bR> <div>      <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ordering By Mail"><U>To order through mail click here</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>