The "lotus eaters" poems

On Thursday, April 26, 2007, I was walking alone in Rideau Centre, an upscale indoor shopping mall in downtown Ottawa, wondering what my next poem should be, hoping that I would see something that would move me to write. Knowing I would have this opportunity, I had tried but been unable to find my notepad before we left home; so I was wondering if I would need a notepad. There were a great many people in the mall, as usual. It struck me that most of these people we talking on cell phones or listening to MP3 players or keypadding on Blackberries or similar instruments: very few were just taking in what was going on in he mall.

That was the genesis of the "lotus eaters" poems, of which I have written and posted three at this date. I shall not explain the poems here, just indicate the impetus. I chose the title from Tennyson's poem, "The Lotos-Eaters" of course. I am going to write several of these poems, because I think this is an important subject. I am still wondering whether I should use Tennyson's spelling. Let's see what happens.