Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather in the eyes,
In looking on the happy autumn-fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.

Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.

Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.

Dear as remembered kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!

And a link to vanderleun which had me in tears today:

http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/grace_notes/something_wonderful_my_be.php

Upon the suffering we all share it is astonishing how many wish to add more, deeming it a good for all, when it is only good for themselves.

Just as Obama did in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The right thing’s going to mean something else for america in a bit.

Back in my college days in Taiwan, one of my professors was a refugee from mainland China. He was the only one of his family who “got out” back in ’49.

He came to class one day with a huge grin and cheery step; for you see, he had just stopped by the Post Office on the way to class and in the huge stacked of mail was a letter from his father still in mainland China. The way it worked was that a “clearinghouse” in Hong Kong would forward their mail to each other as direct mail was not allowed.

Needless to say, when he explained the situation we students didn’t mind if he started class late so that he could read the letter.

I didn’t keep in touch with him; but, I’ve always hoped that his father lived long enough so that when travel was finally allowed between Taiwan and China he was able to go visit.