Zimmy Clerihew

Robert Zimmerman
adopted a persona as part of his musical career plan.
Given his singing voice
he might have thought it was his only choice.

I just saw part of the Bob Dylan bio movie, No Direction Home, and felt inspired.

Bruce Wayne Clerihew

 

Back in 2021 I submitted a number of clerihews to Gilbert. One of them finally showed up in the current issue! Patience is a virtue.

Bruce Wayne
will calmly eat soy, beans, and grain,
but serve him a veggie hamburger patty,
and he'll suddenly go batty.

I wonder if some of these other unpublished one I submitted then will make it into print some day? Here are three of them:

Dr. Bruce Banner
stopped to iron out some issues at Stark manor.
But when Pepper came on the scene,
he suddenly turned green.

With Adrian Monk

every case is a slam dunk.
He does, however, grow visibly grim

if after each one they don't disinfect the rim.  

Lord Peter Wimsey

was never deterred by evidence flimsy,

but his confidence suffered years of strain

when faced with the mystery of Harriet Vane.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

 

Tom Bombadil was one of my favorite characters in The Lord of the Rings. I was sorry when he got left out of the movies, though I understand why they chose to do so given the length of the movies.

So I was happy when I stumbled across The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J. R. R. Tolkien. The book was originally published in 1962. The edition I have, however, is the one edited later by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond.

The book is a collection of poems by Tolkien, only two of which are directly about Tom, and one of which seems to be about him. Tolkien had written the two poems before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Many of the other poems date before those works as well. Some were even included in those works. 

As is typical of Tolkien, for the book he revised the poems. Part of his tinkering was to make them fit in better with the world of the Middle Earth.

The way the edition I have is laid out is the first part of the book is the original 1962 book. In the second part of the book, Scull and Hammond provide the original/earlier versions of the poems, some of the variations of them over the years, definitions of some of the more obscure words Tolkien used, and commentary. The poem that seems to be about Tom but does not give his full name is in an appendix. It was not included in the 1962 edition. 

"The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and "Bombadil Goes Boating" are the first two poems in the book. They are delightful. There are other amusing poems in the collection, including ones from LOTR - "The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late" (sung by Frodo and the inn at Bree) and "Olipahunt" (recited by Sam). 

A happy read - and one of the books on my list of books to read this year.

Saint Tolkien

As I had noted previously, there is a page on substack devoted to "Saint Tolkien". It explores various aspects of Tolkien's life and writings. But it also promotes him as a "saint".

The latest installment begins: 

The legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) as one of the founders of modern fantasy literature is well-known. “The Lord of the Rings,” says noted Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey, “is the best-loved work of fiction of the twentieth century.” The fame of his works became even more noticeable with the trilogy of films based on The Lord of the Rings produced by Peter Jackson, bringing Tolkien’s world to a new generation. Since Tolkien’s death in 1973, there have also been several publications of his works, including his Letters, which have made many aware that he was not only a prolific fantasy writer, but a devout Catholic as well. The assertion of this profile, however, is that Tolkien was not only a devout Catholic, but a saint.

The author, Kaleb Hammond, seems convince Tolkien is a saint, and optimistic that some day the Church might recognize him as such.

After reading a number of installments, I think Hammond has done an admirable job of examining the very devout Tolkien's faith. He and Holly Ordway in her fine Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography point to the the importance of faith in his life and works.

Now one could argue that Tolkien did seem to lead a virtuous life, and may well be in Heaven or on his way there, hence he would be a saint. But as for formal recognition by the Church as a saint, I am not convinced. Neither am I with Chesterton.

But I am not a Church official. Nor am I privy to the workings of the Holy Spirit. 

As for Hammond, I enjoy his research and observations, and I urge him to continue. 

It would be wonderful indeed if some day the Church adds a St. Tolkien - and a St. Chesterton - to the declared celestial rolls.

A Child of the Snows

 

We have been struck by a snow storm that has closed all the local schools. With that in mind, and because we are just out of the Christmas season, a Chesterton poem:

A Child of the Snows

There is heard a hymn when the panes are dim,
And never before or again,
When the nights are strong with a darkness long,
And the dark is alive with rain.

Never we know but in sleet and in snow,
The place where the great fires are,
That the midst of the earth is a raging mirth
And the heart of the earth a star.

And at night we win to the ancient inn
Where the child in the frost is furled,
We follow the feet where all souls meet
At the inn at the end of the world.

The gods lie dead where the leaves lie red,
For the flame of the sun is flown,
The gods lie cold where the leaves lie gold,
And a Child comes forth alone.

Read in 2025, Goals for 2026

Every year, I set reading goals, and then keep a tally of books read.

Some of those goals include reading works by Chesterton, Tolkien, Lewis, etc, and books about him and them.

The tally for 2025 (76 works) included a number of such works:

The Poet and the Lunatics by G. K. Chesterton
The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton
The Surprise by G. K. Chesterton
The Judgement of Dr. Johnson by G. K. Chesterton 

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography by Holly Ordway

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers
Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers

And related:

Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Catherine of Siena by Sigrid Undset
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

The goals for 2026 include:

A book by G. K. Chesterton I have not yet read
A book about G. K. Chesterton
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J. R. R. Tolkien
A book by C. S. Lewis, possibly a reread.
A book by Charles Dickens I have not yet read (Our Mutual Friend?)

I'm sure there will be more read. 

Onward!

Happy New Year!

 

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. - G. K. Chesterton