Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Ray Bradbury, gone at 91

I don't know how many of you are aware of what a huge fan I am of Ray Bradbury, but I'm hoping the name of the blog will be a tip off. How  Ray actually said this varies a little from source to source, but my favorite version of it goes like this, "So much of life is about jumping off cliffs and building our wings on the way down." No one ever said it better. In fact, I'm not sure that anyone ever said anything better than Ray did.

Ninety-one years is a long time, but I sure wish he could have lived forever.

 Jumping off Cliffs
dedicated to Ray Bradbury

--M. Paddock

You were rocket ships in the backyard of the average man,
small boys in summer running toward fairs,
toward sunrise, not growing up, not staying.
And soft rainy days with ghosts clutching the mailman's shirt tails
as he sped down the walk on his bicycle, unaware.
You gave teachers a question to ask and students
a reason to answer,

At what temperature do ideas burn? 

You made Mars a place.

You changed dandelions for me forever, and autumn,
autumn will always taste of apples, thanks to you.
I have heard the toynbee convector humming in the corner
for years upon years, but I left it alone because you'd warned me
about unmade things. With you gone, I am tempted
to take it up now, travel to where you were and bring you back here.



3 comments:

Scotty said...

Yes, the world loses another great writer, sad indeed - my favourites were:

The Illustrated Man
Martian Chronicles
Fahrenheit 451

and a book of poetry called

When Elephants Last In The Dooryard Bloomed

which I read when I was about 14.

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

Yes. He will be greatly missed!

Brian Sibley said...

Two-and-half years later, I am leaving this comment to a fellow admirer of the Illustrated Man who was Ray Bradbury. Thank you for visiting my blog where, as I'm sure you've found, there are many references to him and his books...