Finding Peace in Dresden

 

     As 2005 began, I knew my deployment to Würzburg, Germany, would likely end in a few months. I would be able to return to my family in our new home in South Carolina; they had moved soon after my deployment began. However, I knew I would need to seek employment.

    I was a bi-vocational Lutheran pastor, teaching high school for my primary employment. My concern was whether or not I would be able to look for a position in the spring or early summer. While I could do some things online and my wife did what she could for me, there were a lot of unanswered questions.

     In January I figured I could take one last trip with my BahnCard 50. Without waiting a week to book a train with a 50% discount, I could go on the spur of the moment. I made a quick trip to Dresden, deciding against Leipzig. It was a difficult choice but I think the right one.

    "Florence on the Elbe" the Saxon capital was called. It suffered a horrific bombing in 1945 weeks before the war ended in Europe; Kurt Vonnegut was a POW working underground and survived to write Slaughterhouse Five and much more. The city was gradually rebuilt with the restoration of previous buildings alongside newer neo-Stalinist buildings.

     I saw the Zwinger, the Albertinum art gallery walked around and rode the S-Bahn, went to the exhibit in the basement of the Frauenkirche, finally being rebuilt, and even saw a movie. One afternoon I saw an Orthodox church and went in. 

    St. Simeon of the Wonderful Mountian was built in the 1870s. I admired the icons and the rest of the architecture, and saw an icon of St. Irene (her name means peace in Greek). Peace is what I needed right then. I lit a candle, said a prayer, and bought an icon pictured above. When I left I felt that everything would work out, that all would be well, all manner of things would be well, as Julian of Norwich reminded us. 

     My unit redeployed in early April 2005. On April 15 I came to my new home to stay. by the end of that month, I had several interviews and a job offer.  Peace had come to me. 

    A friend and colleague recently was in Dresden, and I thought back on my brief time there.

         

Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

Deletion- For Artocalypse Blog Carnival

 https://aspenwrites.blogspot.com/2024/09/introduction-to-october-blog-carnival.html

   This is my entry for the Deletion 2024 Artocalypse Blog Carnival.

    For me, it is not so much about deletion as revision. If I handwrite a poem, I revise it when I actually type it. Maybe my meter is wrong, or I find a better word. Same thing if I type it; my handwriting is not the best.

    I really distrust any artist in any genre who thinks the first draft/attempt is the best. It might happen sometimes, but to me, it reminds me of students who say "This is how I write poems." I want to say, "This is how you think you write poems." 

   

Kris Kristofferson, RIP

 

     Not only a singer-songwriter (actually that should be reversed), but he was also an actor, activist, and musical pioneer as a Country Outlaw. In addition to impressive music, his songs contained outstanding, poetic lyrics, a rare combination.

     His life had glaring opposites. Born into a military family, he became an Army helicopter pilot after being a Rhodes scholar at Oxford but wished to be a novelist. When he turned down an opportunity to teach English at West Point and left the Army, his family strongly disapproved. 

     Heading to Nashville, he wrote songs and worked as a janirot for Columbia Records, being in the studio as Dylan recorded Blonde on Blonde.

     One can read the rest of his biography in many other places. Here I want to highlight Kristofferson's literary background and the importance of reading no matter what someone does in life. Obviously, he was uniquely gifted in more than one form of art. Most of us are not; we are fortunate to have ability in one form.

   His love of literature served as a springboard for the rest of his life. I cannot stress the importance of reading good things when one is young. It saddens me to see English curricula that spurn the Classics (and not all are worth reading, but only a few) and introduce things that are "easier" to read but will not stand the test of time.

    Who out there will rise to be like Kristofferson and J.D. Souther, the subject of a reason blog post?

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Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

     

     

The Boss Turned 75- Happy Belated Birthday, Bruce Springsteen

     N

                           . .ɓ  . B  

 

     With Helene paying the Southeastern US a visit, there has  been a lot going on. Belated 75 75th birthday to Bruce!

     In 1975 I started at UC-Irvine as a teaching assistant in German. My life had improved, mainly because of a regular paycheck, but also because I began my teaching career. Living 3,000 or so my my Pennsylvania home, I was getting used to California, but still missing some things from my past.

    Whatever the Los Angeles radio station it was escapes me. I remember the DJ introducing a new song by someone from New Jersey. I snickered. "I bet this will be good." 

     Two minutes into "Born to Run" I was hooked. Next payday, I went to the record store that was next to my bank and bought the album. About 25 years ago my wife gave me tickets to the E Street Band tour in Madison Square Garden- 14th row even!

     When I taught, every 9/11 I would play his "Into the Fire" regardless of whether I taught German, English, or Mythology. We discussed the song and its meaning, along with its application to our lives.

     Bruce revitalized Rock and Roll in the 1970s so overwhelmed by Disco (do not get me started). Over the years he has morphed into an electric Woody Guthrie, advocating for freedom from hunger and for democracy. Musically, he has also expanded his horizons. Or better put,  dne some things he always wanted to do. 

    Bruce is still touring! And that is good news.

---

Links to my books:

https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur+Turfa

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

     

Healthy Growth Cycles- Artocalypse Carnival Blog

 

https://heatherandbone.com/artocalypse-blog-carnival-september-2024-healthy-growth-cycles/

 My entry for the September 2024 Artocalypse Blog Carnival.

    During the pandemic, I was asked to join the Artocalypse. It is a very creative group, and I am learning the ropes about a Carnival Blog.

    To this month's topic: Healthy Growth Cycles. My contribution to the topic concerns how some of my poems are written

    Wordsworth said that poetry is "emotion reflected in tranquility". Emotions of course run the entire range from ecstasy to rage. I'm focusing on the latter. Years ago I observed something at a faculty meeting that disgusted me. It was watching the "in crowd" celebrate one of their own for some achievement. Instead of saying anything, I wrote a poem about it, which eventually became my first book.

    Healthy? For sure! I did not say what was on my mind then, and I channeled it into a creative peace.  Wordsworth would be proud. 

 That's the book!

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

J.D. Souther, RIP Singer-songwriter

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/jd-souther-best-songs-eagles-linda-ronstadt-1235105243/don-henley-the-heart-of-the-matter-1989-1235105467/

     John David Souther may not be known to most music fans, but the songs he wrote or collaborated in writing are familiar. The above link has a dozen of the most familiar. If some musicologist has not written a book or dissertation on LA singer-songwriters, when it happens Souther will play a prominent role, along with Jackson Browne, various members of the Eagles, and others.

    If my guitar playing had reached a much higher level than it did, I would have loved to have written songs. My singing voice would only have worked for a very few of them, but I would have loved to have written the words and music. Actually, I am fine being a poet-writer. 

     Souther was invited to join the Eagles but decided the band was excellent as it was. His peers respected his talent, and he constantly worked. I suspect he realized that his true talent was in composition, not being a rock star. Later on, he had some acting roles as well, such as in the TV series Nashville. 

   Another musical giant has left the house, but the music remains. Enjot!

   

   

"Saluda Reflections" from Finishing Line Press My Most Recent Poetry Book

 https://www.amazon.com/Saluda-Reflections-Arthur-Turfa/dp/1635345480?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jHfdZLygoGH7FjDYvN8-Z81mTS7zeZ--qe54HGMkhxq17oGcB617pl2JF8MoTPzTkx6ad73LhWeV4_qNaRmLUTrZWkCc2c8JvwwezkoGEjtSvDhQ9htGMlvWbpDXSZ6B.2U2Jasn2H7NhioixZDkJVeyVIJ06jR4-NcabV3Xppi0&dib_tag=AUTHOR

     In this one, I talk about some things going on in the world today. At the time we lived in Saluda County, South Carolina, on a lovely 2-acre wooded lot off the beaten path.

      By far is is the best-received poem from the book:

      One Morning You Will Decide

 

One morning you will decide

that this is the day to escape:

 

time to load the car, leave

the madness and mayhem.

 

Soon we will drive along

mesas, snow-capped mountains,

 

along the Natchez Trace

and the Appalachian chain.

 

Maybe we will leave the car

at the airport and fly to

 

that city on a cliff in Spain

you saw online or Vienna

 

where I will lure you to Sopron

and show you the family homestead.

 

Tell me when, my love and I will

get the bags from upstairs.

Arthur Turfa, ©2018 Finishing Line Press

My novel:

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

My other poetry books and short story collection:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Arthur-Turfa/author/B00YJ9LNOA?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true