Full of news some good, some bad, some awe-ful. The fool with ‘Daddy’s Money’ is back in the race for Governor against ‘SkyBox’ Davis. There’s a ship which may be radioactive off of New Jersey. Bush gave a damn good speech, and the hopes in my letter below seem to be being supported.
Close to home, some terrible news about Warren Zevon, who I don’t know, but who is a friend to Brian Linse, who I do. I’ve been glancing at my poetry books, trying to readjust my attitude, when this came to mind:

He said it doesn’t look good
he said it looks bad in fact real bad
he said I counted thirty-two of them on one lung before
I quit counting them
I said I’m glad I wouldn’t want to know
about any more being there than that
he said are you a religious man do you kneel down
in forest groves and let yourself ask for help
when you come to a waterfall
mist blowing against your face and arms
do you stop and ask for understanding at those moments
I said not yet but I intend to start today
he said I’m real sorry he said
I wish I had some other kind of news to give you
I said Amen and he said something else
I didn’t catch and not knowing what else to do
and not wanting him to have to repeat it
and me to have to fully digest it
I just looked at him
for a minute and he looked back it was then
I jumped up and shook hands with this man who’d just given me
something no one else on earth had ever given me
I may have even thanked him habit being so strong

— “What The Doctor Said”, By Ray Carver.