“A.J. Meerwald at East Point Light” by Nancy Patterson nancy-patterson.art istwebsites.com

Courtesy of

Haddon House Press

Spring 2014

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What’s in a Name? Mark Twain’s real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. When he was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, he liked the words that rivermen called when they measured 12 feet of water. This much water had a depth of two fathoms, so the rivermen called out, “Mark twain.” The phrase meant, “Note that (or mark) there are two (or twain) fathoms of water.” Since two fathoms of water were deep enough to be safe for the steamboat, the pilot could heave a sigh of relief. Many years later, Mr. Twain took his family for a trip on a steamboat, and he stood on the deck listening to the cries of “Mark twain” coming from the rivermen. His daughter Clara came up to him and said, “I have hunted all over the boat for you. Don’t you know they are calling for you?”

The Loon By Mary Oliver

Not quite four a.m., when the rapture of being alive strikes me from sleep, and I rise from the comfortable bed and go to another room, where my books are lined up in their neat and colorful rows. How magical they are! I choose one and open it. Soon I have wandered in over the waves of the words to the temple of thought. And then I hear outside, over the actual waves, the small, perfect voice of the loon. He is also awake, and with his heavy head uplifted he calls out to the fading moon, to the pink flush swelling in the east that, soon, will become the long, reasonable day. Inside the house it is still dark, except for the pool of lamplight in which I am sitting. I do not close the book. Neither, for a long while, do I read on.

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Steve Jobs on the original iPod

When engineers were working on the very first iPod

and completed the prototype, they presented their work

to Steve Jobs for his approval. Jobs played with the

device, scrutinized it, weighed it in his hands, and

promptly rejected it. It was too big.

The engineers explained that they had to reinvent

inventing to create the iPod and that it was simply

impossible to make it any smaller. Jobs was quiet for a

moment. Finally he stood, walked over to an aquarium,

and dropped the iPod in the tank. After it touched

bottom, bubbles floated to the top.

"Those are air bubbles," he snapped. "That means

there's space in there. Make it smaller."

- from Quora - http://dandemeyere.com/blog/5-most-inspiring-

steve-jobs-stories

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For My Son by Morris Shepherd From the confines of my heart I hear the voices of a past taunting me calling me pleasing me faint yet distant echoes of laughter, giggles and sniggles in harmony with a heart that sustains me comforts me nourishes me as I sustain comfort and nourish the likeness of me. Yesterdays rush forward reminding me of special days and special times of a special pride and a special love for a special son reaching touching but not touching the beauty of a past that remains out of reach standing like colossal pillars of freedom in a state of perpetual silence. My tomorrows beacon me to a future of father and son reminiscing of the glory that paved roads through battlefields to peaceful valleys forever shadowed by hope proclaiming peace to burdened hearts with a heart full of love I await your safe return.

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Dr. Seuss – The Untold Story

Bennett Cerf was the co-founder of Random House.

As part of his duties as publisher, he also had an

enviable job — he was Dr. Seuss’ editor. On March 12,

1957, Random House published Dr. Seuss’ masterpiece,

The Cat in the Hat. At 65 pages, the book is notable not

only because of its well-deserved fame, but also because

Dr. Seuss used only 225 unique words in writing it. Cerf

was impressed — so much so that he challenged Seuss

to do one better. He wagered that Seuss could not

author a book — a meaningful one — using fifty

unique words or fewer.

On August 12, 1960, Seuss won the bet. Random

House published Green Eggs and Ham, 62 pages long —

and containing merely fifty different words and of those

fifty words, only one — “anywhere” — has more than

one syllable or five letters.

The limited vocabulary did not make Green Eggs and

Ham less popular. In fact, according to Publisher’s

Weekly, as of 2001, it was the fourth highest selling (in

volume) children’s book, ever. (The Cat in the Hat rings

in at #9.)

http://nowiknow.com/fifty-word-masterpiece/

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A.J. Meerwald by Dolores Hoffman O the dedicated wind onboard the A.J. Meerwald!

as the breeze hits gentle my face.

O the sway of the dancing hull

as my feet steady the deck.

O Delaware Bay day

with planks of oak under canvas sails.

O the tide that swells to meet my embrace

and the sunset to gesture a farewell,

in timeless yellow and black.

O envious me

of the deckhand’s contented slot in life.

O happy my soul to be among the salt marshes

…O happy my soul!

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How Potato chips were invented

If you can't eat just one potato chip blame it on Chef

George Crum. He reportedly created the salty snack in

1853 at Moon's Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New

York. Fed up with a customer who continuously sent

his fried potatoes back, complaining that they were

soggy and not crunchy enough, Crum sliced the

potatoes as thin as possible, fried them in hot grease,

then doused them with salt. The customer loved them

and "Saratoga Chips" quickly became a popular item at

the lodge and throughout New England.

Eventually, the chips were mass-produced for home

consumption, but since they were stored in barrels or

tins, they quickly went stale. Then, in the 1920s, Laura

Scudder invented the airtight bag by ironing together

two pieces of waxed paper, thus keeping the chips fresh

longer. Today, chips are packaged in plastic or foil bags

or cardboard containers and come in a variety of

flavors, including sour cream and onion, barbecue, and

salt and vinegar.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/9-

things-invented-or-discovered-by-accident7.htm

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"Composition" By Karen A. Fazzolari When I succomb to the veil of dusk and sleep steals in, as I know it must, And the children are nestled, all snug in their cages, My mind slips back to by-gone ages, When my skin was young and fresh as dew, And my bod was supple and trim as new, Now I gaze into the glass and wonder, alas.... Why do crows feet have to appear on this face which is so near? Why does one chin have to gain a twin? Why, Why, I do ask. But I would not trade what I have gained for that which is taut and wrinkle free, For my husband, children, and wrinkles are what compose me....

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IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the "good" living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather rambling about his youth. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment, realizing that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle. When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." . . . but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute . . . look at it and really see it . . . and never give it back.” ― Erma Bombeck

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The KEY to BE by Todd C.C. Evans The son of Black What is the key that unlocks the soul of a man to face that which often brings us fear? Fear of change. What is the key to change from your present and undesirable position to achieving and while your soaring and roaring above over and through your adversity. What is the key that unlocks integrity? and wisdom to one who had none that which made martin special and Malcolm unique while making Angela courageous and strong. What is that extra drive that made Jim Brown? get up slowly to run fast again or the flare that made Ali dare and Wilma succeed? All these people places and things are part of the keys to be. The powers to be all you want to be and even overcome what you haven’t been. What makes you strive when you feel like you’ve died. Grace is the key we each possess. It’s up to us to search, find and put this key to use. Each key to its own person and each person his own key to unlock their destiny The search for that key must be made before you succeed or fail It’s a necessary trip, this journey to becoming, and constant state of change and discovery, that makes us who we are and who we want to be.

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Words from Maya Angelou

“There were people who went to sleep last night, poor and rich and white and black, but they will never wake again. And those dead folks would give anything at all for just five minutes of this weather or ten minutes of plowing. So you watch yourself about complaining. What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them”

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The Cries of Trees By Christopher Ney Twisted limbs rest on rooftops Nature’s ferocity rending and tearing A reminder that we are not without risk Living among our arboreal companions Yet, out of fear we make hard choices To placate ourselves and prevent natures course From violating our own We destroy them before they fall And end their ceaseless rebirth and death I watch the wounds incurred by well greased chains Listening to the resounding thud as they are hacked And masticated in a fury of shredded limbs and severed branches I try to make myself believe I am doing the right thing After all they, like us, also have an expiration date But why am I so haunted? By the questioning cries of trees

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Featured Poet

Karen Fazzolari from Vineland, NJ Karen was born and raised in a beautiful area of Virginia. Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River were always available for her viewing. As a young woman Karen moved to Southern NJ and has remained, finishing her education in the area and working as a social worker for the state, until her retirement five years ago. She is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Karen has always enjoyed playing with words off and on throughout her life. “Writing some rhymes through the years is good therapy for me.”

You can read her poem “Composition” on page 9

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Just a Thought

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Steve Jobs

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Dolores Hoffman, Editor & Publisher Vineland, NJ

Please feel free to send your

comments or submissions to:

collectionpoet@aol.com or visit the website at www.haddonhousepress.org