Couple of modest little poems

No perfect poems,

I don’t write them,

Don’t expect them of others.

I just want poems showing the work of human hands,

Dirt in the fingernails,

Tongue, touch, sound, imperfect mind,

Passion—

They don’t have to be perfect.

Perfect is the enemy.

Perfect paralyzes perfectly.

Perfect is the end

Of poetry.

[Bob Coughlin / September 10, 2014]

The above poem is in response to a brilliant friend who is almost too good a critic. I would think he would be paralyzed in his own writing! The idea for the poem also came from Anne Lamott's brilliant book, Bird by Bird, the best book for someone hoping to become a writer.

A Letter from Jesus: I’m Not Your Damned Lord and Personal Savior

Listen:

I’m tired of you saying that I am your “Lord and Personal Savior.”

First of all, I’m not your damn Lord.

There are no more Lords, thank God!

The feudal system is dead, and good riddance. I’m not your Lord.

And this Personal Savior crap.

I’m no one’s Personal Savior.

Didn’t I make it clear that salvation is about community—

Family, tribe, community.

Remember “when two or more are gathered?”

That was one of my clues.

I lived and died for the Community.

So enough of this crap already.

I wish you’d just hold hands in a circle

And say, “Thank you for my family, friends, co-workers . . .

We bless each other.”

Yours Truly,

Yeshua

[Bob Coughlin / September 3, 2014]


Well, I haven't written many poems like this! At first glance, it seems blasphemous. But underlying the poem are some serious theological ideas. It was fun trying to write in the voice of Jesus (and a Jesus not too often seen in Church). I am not a blasphemous person; I'm serious about religion. Let's just say that Jesus and I had something important to say, and we put those points into this poem.

Sunday Breakfast in a White Oak at Lakeside

Still groggy, carrying my morning coffee to the pier,

I notice something strange in the periphery—

Then my eyes lock on to a bald eagle,

Just twenty feet above my head,

Flying slowly over the Lakeside Pavilion,

A small bunny in its talons, still writhing.

For a second I can’t believe what I am seeing,

Wonder if some kid is flying a kite.

But no, it’s an eagle, in an unexpected place,

Now climbing to the big white oak on the shoreline,

To eat breakfast.

[Bob Coughlin / September 7, 2014]

This poem is based on something I actually saw one recent Sunday morning at Lakeside, Ohio's Chautauqua, on the Marblehead Peninsula, near Sandusky and Port Clinton.

Lakeside's Pavilion, where I saw the bald eagle

More on Lakeside, Ohio's Chautauqua

I posted about 14 photos of Lakeside in yesterday's blog entry. Today I want to talk about the place a bit. Lakeside began as a Methodist camp on Lake Erie in 1873--141 years ago. It is located on the Marblehead Peninsula, between Sandusky and Port Clinton. From the lake shore you look across to Kelleys Island. If you look to the west you can see Catawba Point, Mouse Island, and South Bass Island, and a bit of Middle Bass Island. On South Bass you can see the gigantic Perry Monument in the village of Put-in-Bay. The place feels unique, very different from the lake shore of Cleveland, Mentor, Geneva, Ashtabula, or Buffalo. Maybe it feels a bit like the special environment of Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania. Anyway, the Methodists found a very special place for this summer camp.

The community occupies about a square mile of land. There are 2 hotels, including the historic Hotel Lakeside, built around 1874, many Bed and Breakfasts and other type of lodging houses, and private homes. It is estimated that there are about 900 structures in the community. During the summer season, thousands of people will be present, living peacefully in community, with very little crime. I like to describe Lakeside as a "college campus for older adults." It is a model for what the world could be like, what our communities could be like.

Lakeside calls itself a "Chautauqua," very similar to the Chautauqua Institute in New York State. It has a busy 10-week summer season, filled with lectures, concerts, church services, and lots of recreational and cultural activities.

We first encountered Chautauqua by accident, some 20 years ago. We were camping at East Harbor State Park, about 8 miles from Lakeside, when a ferocious storm hit and scared us, soaking wet, out of the campground. We had heard about Lakeside and headed there to see if we could stay in the hotel. They allowed us to stay in a room, the kids sleeping on the floor. The next day we explored the place and fell in love with it. The children especially loved the free shuffleboard and the miniature golf, as well as the swimming and fishing pier. We all loved the concerts and remember fondly John McCutcheon and many other wonderful performers.

So many funny things have happened over the years--a lot of them involving Hotel Lakeside. Hotel Lakeside is very old, and nothing works exactly right. For years there was no air conditioning there. And in many small rooms there was no bathroom. The rooms have bathrooms now and air conditioning units (most of them), but a few rooms still don't have showers and you have to use a common shower room across the hall. We have been there 2 or 3 times when the electricity went out because of storms. And in our recent visit, there was no hot water at all in the hotel--so only cold showers or no showers. We love this quirkiness, this specialness. I know they want to modernize the hotel, but it's the imperfections that make it dear to us--along with the lake views, the beautiful fountain out front, the breezy porch, the antiques everywhere. There is no place I know of like Hotel Lakeside.

I love the whole place. It is one of Ohio and America's treasures, just like the original Chautauqua Institute in New York. Lakeside presents a vision of community as it could be, as it ought to be!

Lakeside: Ohio's Chautauqua--A Treasure

Lakeside's Gate, near Marblehead, Ohio

Me, by Hotel Lakeside--about 120 years old (the hotel, not me)

The Pavilion, right on Lake Erie

On the pier, looking toward the Pavilion

Inside our lake-view Hotel Lakeside room--Shower across the hall!

Looking out our Hotel Lakeside room

Boats along the lake shore (Hotel Lakeside in background)

View from the Pier

Some of the beautiful homes along the lake shore

Rock cairns--Great idea!

Linda by the Marblehead Lighthouse

Me by the Marblehead Light

Sunset, as seen from Lakeside's Pier

Fun Day at Put-in-Bay

We have been going to the Lake Erie Islands area for a long time now. When I was a little kid my family came to the Marblehead Peninsula--that was probably in 1958 or so. At that time we might have swum at East Harbor, which is on the mainland, in view of Kelleys Island and South Bass Island. It wasn't until about 1972 or '73 that I returned to the area. I was at Bowling Green State University visiting some friends when I decided to walk to East Harbor State Park. Now that is a healthy walk of about 50 miles! Turned out I hitchhiked part of the way, but I did walk at least 25-30 miles. I then camped out on a little island in West Harbor (within East Harbor State Park), in a one-person tent. Only the birds knew I was there, and they made an incredible squawk for hours at the person invading their territory. My first impression of the Park was very favorable; I hoped to come back! And I did come back, around 1977, with Linda. She loved the place, and we would come back again and again from then until now.

The Miller Ferry from Catawba Point to South Bass Island

Me with my coffee on the ferry

Linda at Put-in-Bay; behind her, "The Boardwalk"

Put-in-Bay docks, with the gigantic Perry Monument in the background

A fine band playing in "The Boardwalk"

What the hell were these people doing? De Rivera Park, Put-in-Bay

Linda swimming at the State Park Beach

Saunders Cottages--where we stayed with our family back around 1992. South Bass Island, near the State Park

The beautiful Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Put-in-Bay

Our supper on Saturday, August 23rd: fresh peach and strawberry sundaes at Brown's Dairy Dock, Marblehead

When we got off the Miller Ferry at South Bass Islands Lime Kiln Dock, we got on a bus that took us the 2 miles to downtown Put-in-Bay. When we first came here with our girls, we'd walk the 2 miles (having almost no money!). When we got downtown, we walked through De Rivera Park over to the The Boardwalk, where we had a perch lunch. Even a perch sandwich is expensive there, but we got it anyway. And it was good. While at The Boardwalk, we marveled at the wealth all around--beautiful, huge new boats, by the hundreds. One guy was fueling an 80-foot yacht. That boat must have cost a million dollars or so!

After lunch we rented bicycles, and slowly rode to the other end of the island, to the State Park. We were among the few who rented bikes; almost everyone else rode in golf carts. Seemed so sad, such a waste, such a missed opportunity.

Linda and I swam at the rock beach at the State Park, in view of the campgrounds up above the limestone cliff. Out about about a mile from the beach was Green Island. It was wonderful.

After swimming, we headed back to downtown Put-in-Bay, and made a brief visit at the beautiful Catholic church, built from local limestone, known as Our Lady of Sorrows. We stop there on every visit to the island.

As we rode back to the bike rental place, we noticed how happy everyone seemed to be on the island. And we also noticed that many people were drinking heavily. I thought this place could get crazy by night, with the rowdy crowds and all the drinking. I was glad I was going back home. But there was one last thing to do.

When we got back to our car, we traveled slowly down the peninsula that is Catawba Island (it's not a real island), and then headed east toward Marblehead. We saw so many old "friends" on the way--the beautiful and ugly sights of the Marblehead Peninsula. We passed the Lakeside Community, one of Ohio's great places, home to our own version of Chautauqua. We weren't going to get to it this year--but we will be back next year for sure. We finally came to Brown's Dairy Dock, the great ice cream place in Marblehead, where we each ordered our favorite--me, a fresh peach sundae; Linda, a fresh strawberry sundae. We sat at a picnic table, in sight of the big Lake. The end of a wonderful day.