Ships in the Night

Now that I am packing up and actually giving away books -- not all! But many. -- a number of people ahve come to my apartment sale. I've had wonderful conversations with several people. I wish I could have known them before. In particular a couple, he from Columbia, she from Russia, she's a poet and composer, I'm not clear what he does. They took most of the poetry books -- how rare to meet someone who even reads poetry! Let alone has published and loves discovering new poets. She gave me a copy of the play evolved from the libretto of an opera she is writing and it's fascinating, imaginative and visually vivid. And then there is a photographer who took almost all my travel literature books [I don't mean guides, I mean the travel records/stories/journals thoughtful travelers write and which I read voraciously.] We had a great talk last evening -- if I were 30 years younger I'd have flirted with him.

I don't imagine that I'd become regular friends with these people, but a friend who chats a bit occasionally would have been very nice. When one has nontraditional tastes and intellectual passions, it is very exciting to meet like minded people and share your interests, experiences, enthusiasms. I know some of those people will live on Cape Cod; I don't know how to meet them, but perhaps with serendipitously -- or with some attention to opportunities -- it will happen. I hope so. At this point in life, good conversation is a joy -- I'm not interested in parties or playing golf, sailing and such, just sharing experiences and learning from others like things I learned from those people.