<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;" class=""> <b style="font-size: 36px;" class=""> One Hour to Madness and Joy </b><br class=""></div><div style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><div style="text-align: center;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="0CA1BB7E-5E4C-4376-884A-E51275021B67" height="242" width="240" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:ii_jjp5jbv40_164a6551c56021e7" class=""><br class=""></div></div><div style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;" class=""><font size="4" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><div style="text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: large;" class=""> </span><span style="font-size: 22px;" class=""><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial;" class="">You are invited to join us for a</span>n afternoon with Walt Whitman</span></div><div style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;" class=""><font face="Verdana,sans-serif" class=""><br class=""></font></div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" class=""><div style="text-align: center;" class=""><font face="Verdana,sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;" class=""> </font><font style="font-size: 14px;" class=""> </font><font style="font-size: 16px;" class=""> conceived, written and performed by Hari Meyers</font></div></font></div><div style="text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 16px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 16px;" class="">This is not a performance of the piece but a dramatic reading of the text Hari has prepared for the eventual performance. </span></div></div></span><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""></div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div style="text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 16px;" class="">It is an invitation and opportunity for friends and poetry lovers to have a preview and give the author/performer feedback.</span></div></div></span><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 16px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><blockquote type="cite" class="" style="text-align: start;"><div class=""><font face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" class=""><div class=""><div class="" style="font-family: helvetica, arial;"><div id="AOLMsgPart_1.2_576a9804-1631-4d9b-af8a-488a0042ff38" class=""><div class="aolReplacedBody" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><br class=""><div class="" style="text-align: center;"><font class=""><b class=""><font size="5" class="">September</font><span style="font-size: 20px;" class=""> 2, </span></b></font><b style="font-size: 20px;" class="">3:00 – 5:00 PM</b></div><div class="" style="text-align: center;"><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class="" style="text-align: center;"><font size="5" class=""><b class="">at the home of Rebecca Evert</b></font></div></div></div></div></div></font></div></blockquote></div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div style="font-size: 14px; text-align: center;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="text-align: center;" class=""><blockquote type="cite" class="" style="text-align: start;"><div class=""><font face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" class=""><div class=""><div class="" style="font-family: helvetica, arial;"><div id="AOLMsgPart_1.2_576a9804-1631-4d9b-af8a-488a0042ff38" class=""><div class="aolReplacedBody" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><div class="" style="text-align: center;">Seating is limited. To reserve a space please send a message to Rebecca at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:revert@sonic.net" class="">revert@sonic.net</a>.</div></div></div></div></div></font></div></blockquote></div></div></span></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">A child said, What is the grass?</div><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><p style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> hands;</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">How could I answer the child?. . . .I do not know what it</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> is any more than he.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> green stuff woven.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropped,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Bearing the owner's name someway in the corners, that we</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> may see and remark, and say Whose?</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Or I guess the grass is itself a child. . . .the produced babe</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> of the vegetation.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> zones,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Growing among black folks as among white,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">same, I receive them the same.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Tenderly will I use you curling grass,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">It may be you transpire from the breasts of young men,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">It may be if I had known them I would have loved them;</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">It may be you are from old people and from women, and</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> from offspring taken soon out of their mother's laps,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And here you are the mother's laps.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of old</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> mothers,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Darker than the colorless beards of old men,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">Dark to come from under the faint red roofs of mouths.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">O I perceive after all so many uttering tongues!</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And I perceive they do not come from the roofs of mouths</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> for nothing.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> and women,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And the hints about old men and mothers, and the offspring</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> taken soon out of their laps.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">What do you think has become of the young and old men?</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">What do you think has become of the women and</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> children?</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">They are alive and well somewhere;</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">The smallest sprouts show there is really no death,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> at the end to arrest it,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And ceased the moment life appeared.</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">All goes onward and outward. . . .and nothing collapses,</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class="">And to die is different from what any one supposed, and</div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""> luckier. </div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Walt Whitman </div></div></body></html>