The Little Boats Of Charles Fort

[poliphilo]

THE LITTLE BOATS OF CHARLES FORT

 

The little boats of Charles Fort

Bob in the seaways above the Bronx

They’re ready to go.

 

                             Bob on, brave  boats,

You carry glad tidings.

 

                             Actually,

We’re talking boxes not boats exactly

But each is freighted with hundreds of notes

On joyous things that actually happened

But couldn’t have done.  For instance, the times

When seafood tipped from the sky in summer.

 

The world is not explicable.

The world in fact is extremely odd.

Let guns go off and a very big flag
Be loosed to the wind as the boats bob out.

Comments

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

How beautifully optimistic and cheerful! Is it based on something that happened? I liked "the world in fact is extremely odd". It truly is!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Charles Fort (1874-1932) was an American guy who combed through the newspapers to compile a huge index of weird and unexplained facts- mainly with a view to making the scientific establishment look silly. His books- which are rather well written and extremely good fun- are still in print.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

oh - FORT as in Fortean. I understand now! One can buy his Times.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's right!

[internet-sampo.livejournal.com]

Fortean Times!

http://ievil-spock-47i.livejournal.com/73466.html

[internet-sampo.livejournal.com]

Great!

As a several-decade follower of Fort, I love it!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Yes, I count myself as a Fortean too.

[happydog.livejournal.com]

Most excellent. I am a fan of Charles Fort's works as well.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

He was a great man.

[sovay]

The world is not explicable.
The world in fact is extremely odd.

Amen!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I have to keep reminding myself of this because it gives me hope.

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

hey friend, i know i haven't been around the internet much, but i was wondering if you could tell me anything about norwich. i've been accepted at the university there, but i don't know anything about the area, so i'd be grateful for any thoughts you'd be willing to share. hope all is well with you and yours...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

With pleasure.

Norwich is the county town of Norfolk- a rural area on the east coast. It's a bit isolated. But then nothing in the UK is all that far from anything else. The comedian Steve Coogan did a couple of shows where his character Alan Partridge was gigging as a DJ on Radio Norwich- which gave him scope for satire on Young Farmer's Associations and rural backwardness etc. I've been there once or twice- but only as a tourist- and not recently. It's a fine old city, with a great cathedral and (I believe) more medieval churches to the square yard than anywhere else in England. The sea's quite close and I should imagine it gets bleak and cold in winter. And that's about all I know. It's not on the way to anywhere else, so the only reason to be going there is to be going there (if you see what I mean).

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

i see what you mean. thanks; this is helpful. one more question: how do you imagine the public transit is? could one manage well without a car?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I can only guess.

Most British cities have pretty good bus services. Getting round the immediate area shouldn't be a problem.

There's a direct rail link to London- and a link to Cambridge in one direction and Great Yarmouth in the other. British rail companies don't have a very good reputation. Services are unreliable and over-priced.

I've only recently had the use of a car. Before that I made my way about Britain by bus and train. It can be done, but a philosophical temperament is definitely an asset.