Comment From Paul Kaszynski

myself, a brat who vaguely gazed
on the knee high nineteen fifties
and the waist high nineteen sixties
and couldn't figure numbers worth a damn
was always a chancer
and given three lines to add I'd put the middle row
down as the answer
but I would read all day if I could get away with it
and all night too with a flashlight under covers
of Merlin of the borders
and in seeking out the stories of Britain's ancient lineage
I delved
on days subtracted from the blackboard's paltry tyrannies
among dog eared authorities, back shelved in libraries 

I absolutely loved this comment which arrived yesterday from Paul Kaszynski. In the Comments section of the blog it arrived as a normal paragraph, however in my e mail box it was jumbled up as in the above extract-I think it's a startling piece of poetry which resonates with me with fantastic imagery-made me think of the great Polish poet, Czeslaw Milosz-check out his poem Encounter. Thanks Paul!

Paul Kaszynski

Yesterday was a red letter day as I received e mails from Paul and Douglas Blades and a big, big surprise-a lovely update on the Douglas family from Ali Douglas who has featured so prominently in The Stair. I don't think I've see Ali for forty years, but I hope to remedy that!

For Paul's full e mail comment (slightly edited), see below:

Hi,
I was pleasantry surprised after dropping down the internet rabbit hole to find my self remembered.on Sturmey-Archer; Zen; and Lance v Boo-Boo + The Hoffster v Eastern Scottish! My sons stay in Firrhill Loan and I still take a walk round the area usually Colinton Dell. We moved up to 6/3 Oxgangs Street from Slateford Village about 1962. Yes, I'm still cycling just the same but never as a sport-it's the freedom and the means to be. 

All these names, some forgotten some not-I can think of a few more that have not appeared in your blog and if you wish I could add. I now live in Livingston-its a bit like Oxgangs Woods with a view to the hills which is great. As for myself-a brat knee high in the nineteen fifties who vaguely gazed to the hills and then waist high in the nineteen sixties; and couldn't figure numbers worth a damn; was always a chancer and given three lines to add I'd put the middle row down as the answer; but I would read all day if I could get away with it and all night too with a flashlight under the covers of Merlin; of the Borders and seeking out the stories of Britain's ancients lineage I delved on days subtracted from the blackboard's paltry tyrannies among dog eared authorities, back shelved in libraries 

Thanks Paul Kaszynski,on Facebook. I'm now going to prove I'm not a robot , I like that ..lol!