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Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Reflections of Hula Dancers)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I was up early. I can't say with the sun since it has not shown its face today and doesn't seem likely to.
CALLIOPE: How did you do with marketing yesterday?
JOE: I told you I planned to work on my marketing videos. I realized I am still somewhat disorganized after my move. I couldn't find my notes on either video.
CALLIOPE: Were you ultimately successful?
JOE: I was and am happy to report that I finished my outline for the first video, Are You Afraid of this Book.
CALLIOPE: Remind me what it is about.
JOE: Potential readers seem to approach The Pastor's Inferno much as the wolf did in the movie Dancing with Wolves, skittish for quiet a while but approaching gradually. My observations of this phenomenon served as the basis of a promotional video.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: At the end I suggest viewing the next two videos, Ten Reasons to Read The Pastor's Inferno and Ten Reasons Not to Read The Pastor's Inferno.
CALLIOPE: What's your plan for completing them.
JOE: They are my goal for the next week. I plan to have all three videos recorded and posted by next Friday.
CALLIOPE: Good luck.
JOE: Thanks. I fully expect you will be there providing inspiration. On to the next adventure.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Mini Conservatory)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I'm ready to get going on my writing.
CALLIOPE: What did you accomplish yesterday?
JOE: Less than I hoped. I wrote my journal entry, posted our blog and finished my newspaper column for Saturday. I was ready to get going on marketing but decided to check my calendar first to see if I missed anything. I almost did. I had fifteen minutes to get to Rochester for an arthritis study appointment. Needless to say I was a bit late.
CALLIOPE: When you got back did you get to work?
JOE: Sort of. I had some shopping to do in Batavia and decided a bedroom wall needed to be painted before our new bed was delivered.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like distractions.
JOE: I suppose so. But I at least took a little time to think about writing priorities even though I did not make any concrete progress.
CALLIOPE: And your plans for today?
JOE: Fortunately I have nothing on my schedule. My first task will be to develop a list of tasks, priorities and time lines for my marketing activities (once again.)
CALLIOPE: Do you have any general plans.
JOE: Yes. My marketing efforts have been sorely neglected with the exception of sprucing up my web site. I plan to lay out specific marketing videos and get them recorded and posted by the end of next week on My Space and You Tube at a minimum. I am also thinking of posting them on my Sliding Otter website. I would like them available but don't want to slow down my Commonsense Wisdom website. That's my current plan.
CALLIOPE: Sounds good. Keep me posted.
JOE: I will. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(My new work space)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I've missed you.
JOE: I've missed talking with you as well.
CALLIOPE: Is your move finally completed?
JOE: It is. Yesterday I finished cleaning my old apartment and handed in the keys.
CALLIOPE: And your new space?
JOE: Also fully functional. Tuesday the cable people people came to hook me up to the Internet, VOIP phone as well as television, such as it is.
CALLIOPE: So, back to work?
JOE: Yes. I'm ready and have been a little restless during my hiatus.
CALLIOPE: Where do you plan to start?
JOE: By getting specific. I know the general commitments I have made to myself- blog, newspaper columns, marketing and working on Marital Property as well as Commonsense Wisdom for Teens.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to get specific?
JOE: By laying out objectives, tasks and time lines.
CALLIOPE: Do you feel that is necessary?
JOE: Yes. Lately I have felt like I have been spinning my wheels with all the balls I'm trying to keep in the air. I often don't know what to do next. I need to get organized. That's one of my goals for today. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

(Joe and Carol at Mardi Gras World)

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JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Are you back with me now?
JOE: Not quite. The move is coming along well. I plan to finish on Sunday with a truckload of big stuff.
CALLIOPE: What about being online.
JOE: I will be off for a few days during the move. I hope to be back in regular touch with you on Wednesday, September 24.
CALLIOPE: I'll be looking forward to talking again. Good luck with the rest of the move.
JOE: Thanks. I am not expecting any difficulty. I'm looking forward to being back with you on the 24th.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

(Fishing Boat- Antigua)


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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Good. Before you ask, I didn't do anything literary yesterday other than to post my column.
CALLIOPE: You're forgiven considering the requirements of moving.
JOE: Thanks. I did spend some time working on my website.
CALLIOPE: What prompted that?
JOE: I have been reading about what makes for an effective sales site. I began to realize that although the site looked nice, it was too busy and difficult to navigate.
CALLIOPE: So how are the changes coming?
JOE: Quite well. I hope to finish and post the changes today.
CALLIOPE: Are you doing just Commonsense Wisdom?
JOE: No, I plan to revise Sliding Otter too but not today.
CALLIOPE: I'm surprised you had a chance to work on it.
JOE: I can't let my mind run entirely fallow while I am moving.
CALLIOPE: That's good thinking. When will I hear from you again?
JOE: I will be working in Leroy over the weekend. I'll try to contact you on Tuesday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 (Moro Castle, San Juan)


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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was yesterday?
JOE: Good progress. In addition to packing, I sold my washing machine. I'm getting there.
CALLIOPE: Did you make it to the concert?
JOE: Yes. We met friends there for Ruby Shooz, the last concert of the summer season at Charlotte Beach. They were the best I had seen all summer and played oldies which we all enjoyed.
CALLIOPE: Glad to hear it. Did you get your column finished?
JOE: Yes, and I had Carol read it last night. I kept putting it off until the last minute wanting to do just one more thing before I left. I finally finished it just in time to walk out the door.
CALLIOPE: You sound a bit rushed.
JOE: It's my own doing. I'm trying to do everything at once and would like to get back to a normal schedule, whatever that will be.
CALLIOPE: Any work on your writing?
JOE: I'm starting to feel the itch to write again which is good. I worked on my web site yesterday but could upload changes which can be read on Internet Explorer but not other browsers. Very Odd.
CALLIOPE: There's always something.
JOE: There is. I am exploring other web site development tools. I found a free one which I will consider further.
CALLIOPE: Good luck.
JOE: Thanks. I'll need it. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen


(Sunset- Dunkirk, NY)


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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. Before you ask, no, I didn't get my column done yesterday.
CALLIOPE: Let me guess. Too wrapped up in your packing and cleaning?
JOE: Exactly.
CALLIOPE: What have you learned from your packing?
JOE: A little about what's important to me.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: How much I can do without. The more I take out the door to the trash or give away, the freer I feel.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean less encumbered?
JOE: I do. It makes me realize how much our trappings tie us down.
CALLIOPE: A good realization. What's on your agenda for today?
JOE: I plan to get my column written and then get back to packing. Tonight I will go to Rochester for my final outdoor concert of the season with Ruby Shoes.
CALLIOPE: Which is the band I presume?
JOE: Just so. I'm looking forward to it but not to the close of the summer. I need to think of it as a cycle rather than the end of anything. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 


Slavery Museum- Curacao)


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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Well, thank you. I spent most of yesterday packing again. It is finally starting to look like I will be out of here eventually.
CALLIOPE: Did you learn anything about yourself while packing?
JOE: Yes, how little I actually need to survive. I once thought I needed to hang on to every book and scrap of paper I had.
CALLIOPE: And now you don't?
JOE: No. Things have changed over the years. Many books are available directly on the Internet. Many others are available through inter-library loan. I don't need everything immediately available as long as I can find it somewhere.
CALLIOPE: What about papers?
JOE: They aren't critical either. Things I wrote in the past are in the past. I am making an effort to live more in the moment. The past can clutter my life.
CALLIOPE: Do you think there might be times when you wish you had kept your past writings?
JOE: It's only happened once so far. I wish I had kept my position papers from my last years in the monastery. They would have been helpful in writing my memoir. But alas I didn't and the memoir turned out okay without them. I had to rely on my memory of those days. The book was probably different than it might have been on that account, but I don't think it suffered significantly.
CALLIOPE: Then maybe you are doing the right thing. What's up for today?
JOE: I have a column to write for Saturday which I think I will write about moving. I plan to at least start it today.
CALLIOPE: Will we talk tomorrow?
JOE: Probably not. I will be working in Leroy and away from the computer and staying in Rochester tomorrow night. I will contact you again on Thursday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Curacao waterfront)


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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Gook morning Joe. How's the move coming?
JOE: I did some packing Saturday but was busy socializing and attending church yesterday.
CALLIOPE: What did you get from church?
JOE: A chance to reflect on my life, how it has progressed so far and where it is headed.
CALLIOPE: Are you satisfied with your progress?
JOE: I learned some time ago that we only have limited control over our life paths. I have no major complaints but wish I had done some things differently in hindsight.
CALLIOPE: Would that have made a difference in your life?
JOE: Maybe, but then I would have missed some of the experiences I have treasured.
CALLIOPE: I think of what Frost wrote about the two paths in the wood.
JOE: I have been thinking of that quite a bit lately as well.
CALLIOPE: You only have one life to live.
JOE: I agree. All we have are the experiences and choices which face us from moment to moment. We never get a chance to go back and relive our lives.
CALLIOPE: Quite true.
JOE: I am busy trying to make the best of today's opportunities. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 


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(In a sculpture garden- Curacao)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today
JOE: Starting to get used to my new digs. I sat on the deck this morning writing in my journal to the tune of cardinal songs. Very relaxing.
CALLIOPE: So you now think of Leroy as your home?
JOE: I do. My apartment is becoming more sparse by the day. Pretty soon it will be empty.
CALLIOPE: How do you feel about all this?
JOE: I'm not sure the whole thing has sunk in yet. I feel like I am between my old and new worlds, suspended on the verge of a new existence.
CALLIOPE: What will you miss?
JOE: Lots of space which has been my own for the past twelve years. I have developed a routine here which no doubt will be different in Leroy if just not having to drive here to write every day. I will just go downstairs or out in the back yard.
CALLIOPE: What are you looking forward to?
JOE: A less busy place to walk and ride my bicycle, not having to commute, fewer expenses and probably a lot more I haven't even considered.
CALLIOPE: It sounds like a positive move all told.
JOE: It is. I am especially looking forward to being part of a more complete couple with Carol.
CALLIOPE: Do you think it will change your relationship?
JOE: Not if we keep talking about things which arise. So far we are doing very well in that department. It will be a change for both of us but I think we are both ready and prepared for it. Talk with you Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Clown graduation)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Busy as usual. Moving is in full swing, or at least preparation for it.
CALLIOPE: What did you work on yesterday?
JOE: Notifying everyone who needs to know about my move.
CALLIOPE: How did that go?
JOE: Many places seem to have gone to automated interaction. I find it most frustrating to deal with automatons and would prefer actual people.
CALLIOPE: Technology isn't quite up to snuff in this area?
JOE: Not as far as I'm concerned. The most frustrating was Social Security which wanted to know my favorite vacation spot which it insisted I have them before. After trying the Caribbean and Hawaii, I had only one more chance before I was in danger of not being able to communicate with them at all.
CALLIOPE: How did you handle it?
JOE: Logged off and finally found a live person to take action. After some frustration, I found a few people who handled my request very quickly and efficiently.
CALLIOPE: So there was a happy ending?
JOE: I'm not quite done yet and have a few people on my list for today.
CALLIOPE: The rest of the day is for packing?
JOE: It is. I'll talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Niagara Falls)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine, but busy.
CALLIOPE: Still sorting and packing?
JOE: Yes, although I'm beginning to see a dent in the pile.
CALLIOPE: Any literary progress?
JOE: A little. I started on ideas for the video Are You Afraid of This Book.
CALLIOPE: Tell me the premise again.
JOE: I have a suspicion that many people don't read The Pastor's Inferno because it scares them off.
CALLIOPE: Have you thought that it could just be your writing?
JOE: That occurred to me, but I think it's more than that.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: The topic of sexual abuse, the darkness of the subject, more information than they want about the human condition.
CALLIOPE: What do you think people look for in fiction?
JOE: Escape, entertainment, reaffirmation of their views on society, a good story.
CALLIOPE: So you think you challenge people's thinking too much.
JOE: Maybe so. Let's talk a little more about it tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Waiting for the music- Taste of Stafford)


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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Doing well.
CALLIOPE: What's going on?
JOE: I am taking a friend for a colonoscopy today. My job is medical driver.
CALLIOPE: Generous of you.
JOE: Just returning a favor.
CALLIOPE: What happened yesterday?
JOE: More packing. I had lunch with my daughter Becky,helped her with her computer and found some things in my out pile she could use. The pile is starting to diminish, but I still feel like I'm living in a mess.
CALLIOPE: Any writing progress?
JOE: I thought some about the video we discussed yesterday but didn't get to any actual recording.
CALLIOPE: Why do you think that is?
JOE: My theory is that my mind patterns itself on my environment. Once I get my trappings back in order, I will have a more ordered mind.
CALLIOPE: An interesting thought. So what's your plan?
JOE: To get my situation back to normal or at least as close as possible as soon as I can. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Fuzzy the Clown- Oatka Festival Parade, Leroy, NY)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Aren't you running a little late?
JOE: No. I've just been busy. I moved my chair to Carol's house yesterday and decided to write my journal entry in the back yard before coming to Batavia.
CALLIOPE: What was it like?
JOE: I had the pleasure of listening to cardinals in the background while I was writing rather than the roar and fumes of great trucks and speeding cars. Very relaxing.
CALLIOPE: Maybe the move will enhance your concentration and creativity.
JOE: My thoughts exactly. I am looking forward to getting settled there.
CALLIOPE: And in the meantime?
JOE: I am quite busy with packing and letting everyone know of my move.
CALLIOPE: That must make it hard to concentrate on your writing.
JOE: It does. My mind has been on the move and not on anything literary.
CALLIOPE: What's up for today?
JOE: More moving related activities. I would also like to write out an outline for Are You Afraid of This Book. I know I keep promising to get to it. No excuses. I just haven't yet. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

(Dewitt Park- Batavia, NY)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday. Too busy?
JOE: Yes. I did not have time to talk with you in the morning and did not get back from the writers' retreat until late.
CALLIOPE: Nice to have you back this morning. How was the retreat?
JOE: Very good. I got a chance to meet some new writers from the Western New York Meetup Group which met with members of the Lift Bridge Writers Group. I found the day very stimulating.
CALLIOPE: What was the best thing about it?
JOE: I think the enthusiasm of other writers and the mutual support for each others' writing. I also liked being with a writers' group I was not in charge of.
CALLIOPE: How did that help?
JOE: I did not feel responsible for the group and could concentrate on my own writing and interactions.
CALLIOPE: Glad you enjoyed it. Anything else happening this weekend?
JOE: Yesterday I attended a memorial service for a fellow member of Unity Church in Rochester. She was most alive just before she died and was fully prepared for her next phase of existence after physical life.
CALLIOPE: How does that strike you?
JOE: As a good example. I have been thinking about mortality lately. I find the prospect daunting. Donna's example will be helpful to me in living the rest of my life and being ready for the next phase of my existence when the time comes, or more properly, when my time ends.
CALLIOPE: An interesting prospect. Do you feel any different because of this realization?
JOE: I feel more at peace. I was beginning to become anxious about mortality.
CALLIOPE: That's a welcome change.
JOE: I hope that being freed from this anxiety will help me concentrate on what I can do rather than on what I might not be able to do in my life. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

(Into the Woods)


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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A bit discombobulated.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I finally got my computer back from the shop yesterday. Now I have the task of reinstalling my programs which can be a challenge.
CALLIOPE: How's it coming?
JOE: Slowly. I think I will need the day to get set up again.
CALLIOPE: No literary activity today?
JOE: Probably not.
CALLIOPE: How about over the weekend?
JOE: Tomorrow I am scheduled for a writers' retreat at a farmhouse in Albion. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people and recharging my creative batteries.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun.
JOE: I hope so. I also plan to meet some new contacts, particularly from the Linkup writers group in Rochester.
CALLIOPE: What do they have to offer you?
JOE: I hear they focus on publishing more than my group. I am hoping they can be helpful in my search for a home for Marital Property once it's finished. I have to leave early tomorrow. I'll talk with you if I have a chance. Otherwise we'll talk on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Spanish Moss- New Orleans)



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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Less burdened by possessions.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I recycled bags and bags of old papers and am packing up boxes of old books.
CALLIOPE: Where did they all come from?
JOE: My years as a psychologist. I had file after file of information which might come in useful sometime but seldom did. I also have a collection of early psychology books documenting the past hundred years or so in my field.
CALLIOPE: Do you think you might use them sometime?
JOE: Hard to say but these days many old books are available online if I should need to consult them. So far they have mainly taken up space.
CALLIOPE: How do you feel with a leaner collection of possessions?
JOE: Leaner. It feels like I have been dragging things around for years which clutter my space. I'm glad to have more room. My mind has more space too.
CALLIOPE: What's on your agenda today?
JOE: More sorting and packing. I think I am ready to get back to work on publicity for The Pastor's Inferno and plan to work on my video "Are You Afraid of This Book" with the equipment I have available rather than waiting any longer to get my video camera back in operation.
CALLIOPE: You can always update it in the future if you aren't happy with it.
JOE: My thoughts exactly. Time for work. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Tumblers- New Orleans)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. The sun's out and it's warming up.
CALLIOPE: Enjoy it. You mentioned working on a new column a couple days ago. How is that coming?
JOE: Done. I wrote it about Russ's eightieth birthday party and how I wish everyone in the world could get along the way people did at his party.
CALLIOPE: That would be nice. Do you think it's possible?
JOE: Possible- yes. Likely- realistically I'm not so sure. It seems people have been at each other's throats since Cain and Abel. We don't seem to have the patience as humans to cooperate with each other.
CALLIOPE: Humans don't seem to get it.
JOE: I can't argue with you there. It seems like we can get along for a while, at least some of us can. Then we dissolve into conflict. Having our own way seems to trump living with each other in peace.
CALLIOPE: So what's the answer?
JOE: I wish I knew. I have been searching for it as long as I have been writing. There probably isn't one answer or someone would have discovered it by now. The answer doesn't seem to lie in logic, emotion or belief. I don't know what's left.
CALLIOPE: How about the arts?
JOE: Maybe there's a better chance there. But the arts sometimes express and even incite conflict.
CALLIOPE: I can't argue with you there.
JOE: Maybe peace is the ultimate challenge for humans and it will only result from our combined efforts on all fronts. We shall see. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(With Carol at the Mardi Gras Museum- New Orleans)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine, but a little preoccupied.
CALLIOPE: With what?
JOE: I am planning a move from Batavia to Leroy in the next month and have been busy preparing.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about the process.
JOE: Since I moved here twelve years ago, I retired as a psychologist and began writing full time. Much of the detritus of my former life still fills my apartment. Now as I prepare to move, I am sorting through the remains of my past life and preparing to move on.
CALLIOPE: How does that feel?
JOE: A little strange. I don't often stop to look back over past chapters of my life. I just close the volume and move on. Deciding what to throw out and what to pass on to others makes me think of what I have accomplished and what I still want to do.
CALLIOPE: Have you come to any great realizations?
JOE: I now realize I have been motivated mostly by achievement and helping others. I have become a little unbalanced, letting go of the opportunity to make sure I enjoy life in the process.
CALLIOPE: How are you planning to become rebalanced?
JOE: By making sure I spend more time with people and also making room for painting and photography.
CALLIOPE: My sisters will be proud of you.
JOE: Please put in a good word with your sister muses for me. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

By Joseph Langen

 

(Tower of London Gate)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday.
JOE: I'm glad someone did. The weekend was very busy with a family reunion and a birthday party. I am doing my best to stay socially active. Sorry I missed you.
CALLIOPE: Being more social was one of your goals as I remember. Any literary progress?
JOE: I wrote in my journal and was inspired for a column this Saturday.
CALLIOPE: What's the topic.
JOE: I planned to write about the birthday party for my eighty year old neighbor Russ. At first I just wanted to do it as a tribute to him.
CALLIOPE: And it developed further?
JOE: It did. I thought of how a large group of family members and friends could come together with no conflict. I wonder whether it would be possible for the world to do this rather than being at each others' throats so often.
CALLIOPE: Good question. What do you plan to say?
JOE: I don't have have any particular ideas for what to say. I planned to just start writing and be open to your inspiration.
CALLIOPE: Thanks for the vote of confidence.
JOE: That's what you're best at, isn't it?
CALLIOPE: It is my job and I will be glad to help if I can.
JOE: Thanks. I'll get out my pen tonight. Talk with you tomorrow.
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