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A Thought for Today
Poetry is elastic, but it should be
concise... a very tight rubber band that won’t break when stretched.
Rod is on the road for a
couple of weeks and will be back with you at the beginning of September.
Let me state right up front
that I am a great fan of Microsoft and their software products. As a
company they've achieved an astonishing amount in a relatively short space
of time, even if some of their methods have been somewhat unorthodox, to
say the least. From a product perspective they've produced some of the
best; I personally think MS Outlook is one of the the most stunning pieces
of software I've seen in quite awhile.
Not all their software
measures up, however, as you're about to see for yourselves.
A friend recently gave me a
Beta copy of the new MS Office XP, due for final release later this year.
Very nice it is too, even if some of the changes are fairly cosmetic. The
most noticeable addition to this this popular Office Suite is, however,
that of a Voice Recognition facility incorporated into all the programs.
I'm a sucker for new gadgets
so this I had to try! Besides, I've always been impressed with the
meticulous e-mail I receive from Rosalyn, one of our regular correspondents,
who I know uses this type of software for all her computing needs.
Installation took about ten
minutes and I then spent another half an hour training the thing to
recognize my vocal idiosyncrasies. And this thing works, let me tell you!
It's terrific at opening and closing documents via menu commands but I
experienced just a teensy hiccup when trying the dictation facility.
What better to test it on than
a recitation of one of Rod's new poems? Out came "A Safe Place To Land"
the book and I selected a poem at random for the acid test. What follows
are the original McKuen version and one which I'll call the Microsoft
version. The latter has not been edited in any way, shape or form.
Judge for yourselves!
Here's the original version as
penned by Rod:
Confession
I am still in love
with everyone I’ve ever loved.
Why negate that first delight,
devotion, affection,
election to care,
even if it ended with recrimination
or convenient quarrel ?
Those moments when the sun and
soul collided are as real as the final
parting.
Age often leaves you only memories -
but, oh, what sweet and real recollections.
Love arrives and leaves in its own time,
volition. Wishing will not make it come
or go, enhance reality. As reality will.
Never will a dream in or out of being.
Passion is not tempered or deluded -
mine for you and you and you never was.
Or will be. Know I loved you all the way,
and I have no contrition for how I felt
and feel.
Thank you for the arms and eyes
that never wavered.
Mine always matching yours.
- from "A Safe Place To
Land", 2001
Here's the Microsoft Voice
Recognition version:
Confession
One I’ve even though
Won the gate at first denied,
devotion, affection,
election decaying,
even if it ended with replenish
and convenient quarrel.
Those moments when the sun and
soul collided or as real as the final
on in H.
Often easier and the memories
of code works suite and real rate of actions.
Of our eyes and ease in its and time
of the show. Which she will not make it come
all goes in Hahn’s reality. As reality will.
Enable were dreaming in all out of the.
Patient is not tendered or deleted-
mind for you and you and your memo was.
All be. No I loved you all the way,
and I have no contrition for how I felt
and feel.
Thank you for your own zinnias
that memo waited.
My always matching yours.
-
© Rod McKuen & Bill Gates, 2001
People who know about these
things tell me I should work on my diction and re-train the software. So
be it. In the meantime, I'll go water the zinnias and collect that waiting
memo.
After today's little bit of
light relief, next week we'll be back to what we laughingly refer to
around here as normal. If you have a favorite McKuen song or poem you'd
like to share, drop me a line at
ken@mckuen.com and I'll publish your submission right here one
Wednesday.
- Ken, Johannesburg,
May 9, 2001
Rod McKuen concert and
appearance details can be obtained via the link below.
Concert & Appearance Details
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