I created Poetical Journeys in 2001. I revised the website in 2010. To see the newly designed homepage, click here.

Our pictorial trip takes us on a visit to Midway's annual Swiss Days and a hike along the Provo River

Poetical Journal ©by Bob Casey

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Mission: To provide poetical and thoughtful comments on life

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PLEASE! Supporting the efforts of the Poetical Journal is greatly appreciated!
Any amount of donation is appreciated. To support, click on the link and scroll down
. click here.


Epic Journeys: Paperback $13.99 Kindle $3.50 and the Blast Series: $12 per book
To learn more, go to Amazon.

During the pandemic, I wrote two additional novels under the pen name Leon Pashi. Both are romantic and erotic. I especially like the second one, Zahin and Anoop. I believe it's my best. Regarding that book, here is a portion of a great review from M.L. of Kansas, "What a beautiful, eloquently written love story! . . . a welcomed diversion and bright spot during this time of isolation during the pandemic. The plot kept me interested and excitedly turning the pages to the end. . . hot, passionate intimacy with incredibly warm tenderness which validated sacredness. . ."

Janice M. regarding Blast Book Four ". . . I loved the book.  There were so many ideas floating around in my head from your writings, and I understood everything you wrote about.  I saw the visions while traveling through the pages.   Thank you for your inspiration. . . ."

 

Please click here to go to the Amazon link to learn more about my books.
Books 1 - 8 of the Blast Series are now available.

Supporting the efforts of the Poetical Journal is greatly appreciated! To support, click here. (Scroll down to the donate button.)

For Unique Poetical Gifts click here!

Questions? Email me.

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VOLUME XX – Issue 8: Sunday, September 26, 2021 (241st Issue)

Welcome

I am pleased to have you as a reader. If you enjoy the PJ, please encourage others to subscribe.

If your country is not listed in the demographic section at the end, please let me know so I can update the list.

The next Poetical Journal will be out October 31, 2021.

The mostly maaskless crowd gathers for the annual Swiss Days parade in Midway, UT. The event is always held on Friday and Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. The parade is always on Saturday.

Opening Comments from Bob

This Issue: Due to smoke and weather we stay close to home in this issue. Every Labor Day, the small village of Midway, UT grows from 2500 to 100,000+ from visitors who arrive to attend the annual Swiss Days celebration. (Midway was founded by early Swiss Mormon settlers.) It is a two-day event, Friday and Saturday. The 60-90 minute parade occurs on Saturday. Pictures of the event are below. Jan and I also hiked along the Provo River, considered one of the best trout fishing rivers in the world. The river runs less than a quarter mile from our home. I have included pictures from that hike. The poems, Rare Ones and Translation, speak on deeper issues. Vignette adds more details to the first poem.

Subscriber Residences: PLEASE let me know if your state, providence, or country is not listed in the demographic section at the end. There currently are subscribers in 27 states, 3 provinces, and 13 countries. See complete list near at the newsletter.

Next Month: The next issue comes out on October 31, 2021.

To become a friend on Facebook, click on this link.

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PLEASE! Supporting the efforts of the Poetical Journal is greatly appreciated! Any amount of donation is appreciated.

To support, click here.

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We live in the West so you would expect to see horses, cowgirls, and cowboys.

Two Poems this Month

Rare Ones

They enter the stage
   like a blazing light
   mesmerizing all
   privileged to witness
   this sight.

These souls
   rare to behold

In their presence
   no doubt remains
   to the specialness
   of their being.

One’s own soul rises
   to pinnacles seldom felt
   hoping to prolong
   these celestial feelings.

All long to bathe
   in their light
   like the warming sun
   on a warm winter day.

These moments become
   cherished jewels
   adorning one’s life.

Comments: One is lucky to experience even one such person in life. (See more details in the vignette.)


Translation

Thoughts within our minds
   become as if silent voices.
Kneeled in prayer or in meditation
   we sense the presence
   of the beyond.
We attempt to define
   with words.
Noble efforts doomed for failure.
The closest we come
    is with the word
   "Love."

 

 

 

Two youngsters reading until the start of the parade.

The sheriff motorcycle patrol always start the parade.

One of the floats

Bonus Poem Section: On Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram I have been running a daily series of my older poems accompanied with an appropriate picture. I will show a favorite in this section each month. This poem first appeared in Issue 13, Sunday, September 29, 2002 of the PJ.

 

Of course, every parade has a high school marching band

A walk along the Provo River

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Vignette this Month: Rare Ones

The poem describes very rare humans that in their mere presence you sense the Ultimate. For those who have had the privilege of such a meeting, the person often is related to their particular religious belief system. That was not the case for me. Many years ago, I was with a group who sat in the presence of the Dala Lama. I did not know what to expect. As we waited for the arrival of his Holiness, we bantered back and forth among ourselves. Suddenly, a hush fell over the room, almost if by magic, and he entered. A sense of deep peace enveloped me. Though I am not a Buddhist, the love that exuded from this being is even memorable to me twenty-three years later.

I have known many wonderful people over the decades that I would describe as loving, spiritual, and magnanimous, but only one that fits the description in my poem above, Rare Ones.

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The wild sunflowers are in bloom everywhere

Provo River Basin just outside of Midwy, UT

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Recommendation

Savor your moments.

Please take a look at the online book and gift pages.

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The walk along the Provo River is filled with an abundance of wildflowers.

Another view of the river further down

Quotable Quotes

"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn't live boldly enough, that they didn't invest enough heart, didn't love enough. Nothing else really counts at all.” – Ted Hughes

"The art of changing frowns to smiles is never old-fashioned.” – Louisa May Alcott

“At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.” – Plato

Provo River, one of the greatest trout fishing rivers in the world (more shots of the Provo below)
You can see Fall is arriving.

 

A Bit of Humor

A bit of laughter is healthy for the soul

Golf Joke

The bride came down the aisle and when she reached the altar, the groom was standing there with his golf bag and clubs at his side.

She said, "What are your golf clubs doing here?"

He looked her right in the eye and said, "This isn't going to take all day, is it?"

Compliment of A Joke A Day

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Tai Chi Corner

I recently helped with training some new tai chi instructors. (Picture
deliberately blurred.) Contact Bob for a name of an instructor near you.

PJ Forum

If you have comments, recommendations, or suggestions for the PJ, please e-mail them to bob@poeticaljourneys.com. I personally respond to all. (When editing the comments for publication, I eliminate very personal comments and edit for spacing.

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"Your wife's Zen Garden is a thing of beauty and peace. What a pleasure it must be to have this spot for relaxation and meditation. Your pictures are always fantastic wherever you happen to be...even at home!" - Bev from Ohio (Ed: Jan thanks you, and I thank you. It is definitely a peaceful place to sit.)

"Bob, are you still doing virtual tai chi? I feel ready to participate again." - John from Heber City, UT (Ed.: John participated in the past in my ZOOM tai chi classes and was referencing the Tai Chi Corner of the newsletter.)

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Reader Demographics

States - AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, NC, ND, NY, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, and WI     

Canadian Provinces - BC, ON, and QC;   

Countries - Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Turkey, UK, U.S., and Venezuela.

........Changes to this section will be updated each month.

If your state, province, or country is not mentioned, please let me know.

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Book Reviews

Blast Series: Review by Janice M. regarding Blast Book Four: . . . I loved the book.  There were so many ideas floating around in my head from your writings, and I understood everything you wrote about.  I saw the visions while traveling through the pages. Thank you for your inspiration. . . ."

General: JJG wrote: I've read Bob's "To the End of Time" trilogy twice, each time gaining deep and deeper insights into the human condition. The three small volumes hold their own as good stories but also provide a unique glimpse into a new religious paradigm. Would that it could come to be.

Specific Book: To the End of Time and Back: An Epic Journey

David from Utah: "The new novel, To the End of Time and Back is a skillful account of two lovers on an 'Epic Journey,' racing through time and history to learn life-changing truths. Their spectral mentor, Arundel, sends them through difficult travels, but their relationship endures and remains strong despite physical, and psychological stress. Powerful emotions such as fear, anger and happiness, combine with lust, pain and sexuality to help them learn. Written in verse form, the story is an epic poem, painted to portray the duality of mankind throughout dimensions of human history that is sometimes cruel and horrific. The reader will come to know and understand what is being described and will certainly enjoy the stimulating elegance of the story and the philosophy. A thoroughly enjoyable read that is certain to make you think."
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Jim from Mt. Vernon: "I finished your book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was much easier to follow by having the whole thing in front of me, and reading as much as I wanted at a time. I felt pretty weary after bouncing around in time for many hundreds of years, but I was relieved to know that at least part of the world survived 'Armageddon'. What a feat you have performed."
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Kimberly from Ohio: "Well, Bob! I am rather blown away by your book. Finished it yesterday, and it only took four days, which means I was intrigued and wanted to know how the book ends. I'm a slow, deep reader and since my profession is writing and editing, I edit continuously as I read. Can't help it! But this book was worth dropping everything for and reading to the end. I admit to cynicism about your claim that it would change me, and I don't know that it has just yet but it won't be leaving my heart and head for a long time, and change could happen. I'm impressed that the book actually lived up to your claims for it. . . . I'm intrigued by this book because it rings so true, and I am therefore tempted to believe you actually were given the gift of this dictation. But if not and this is fiction, you have written one hell of a book, masquerading amazingly as non-fiction ... which is indeed one of the goals of fiction."
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An Ohio Reader: "WOW! WOW! WOW! I read it in one sitting and found so many things you wrote about 'true' for what I know and feel about past lives I've lived. Actually, the chapter about the Holocaust was something I couldn't bear to read–too sad and painful. (I've always felt that way about that period of history.) . . . it was very well done, Bob. Just beautifully done. I'm looking for the movie. . . I'm sure others will feel connected to this book just as I did. AMAZING. Just AMAZING. I couldn't put it down. There was so much anticipation with each chapter it hooked me from the very beginning. . ."
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Specific Book: Adelyn: An Epic Journey:

Ohio Reader: "In his book, Adelyn: An Epic Journey, Bob navigates the reader through a challenging journey in the time space continuum while exposing both the weaknesses and strengths of humanity. As Adelyn is exposed to the infinite love of The Source, the reader is challenged to understand how personal beliefs and actions often have more to do with cultural rather than spiritual influences. In a time and world filled with political anger and personal indulgences reading Adelyn offers the open-minded promise. It would make a great book study."

Specific Book: The Tao of Momentary Thoughts

Doug from Ohio: ". . . I was not prepared for page 116 Should have been because of the extremely personal nature of the entire book. Please understand that the unusual length of time to finish your book (especially for a binge reader like me) was because it screamed to be read thoughtfully in increments. For me that was 10-15 pages every weekend, often in quiet . . .Thank you for "putting pen to paper" and sharing your soul. Those of us who have followed Poetical Journeys will recognize much of the content. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to share part of your journey really feel a part of it."

Charles from Park City: "Hi Bob….I just picked up your The Tao of Momentary Thoughts.  It’s wonderful . . I love your book."

Ed from Seattle: The Tao of Momentary Thoughts: "I was smiling all the way through the reading . . .I think I will reread it again during the next week."

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PJ Online

To read some of the back issues of the PJ, go to here.

The next issue will go out on Sunday, October 31, 2021.

Until next time - joy and peace,

Bob

 


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Bob Casey
Poetical Journeys
P.O. Box 319
Midway, UT 84049

bob@poeticaljourneys.com

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