Happy Holidays everyone! Being the resident geek here at Quarto, I usually have a look at many gadget blogs, and this morning I was happily surprised to see there’s something in it for all writers out there. If you’re looking for some good advice on getting a gift for that special writer someone, or even thinking of what to ask for yourself, here’s Crunchgear’s guide to gifts for writers:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/11/24/gift-guide-for-writers-and-those-who-support-them/

I decided to have a look at the 1966 Spring Edition of Quarto and stumbled upon a lovely short poem -The Blue Beret, by David Lukashok, which left me with a sense of loveliness. The strength of his use of color throughout the poem was impressive, and interesting that he chose to use two colors that were at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first time I read it I was left with an ineffable sense of beauty and simplicity, pure and basic, and intensely visual. I decided to try my hand at it and wrote a pastiche of it, but changed the age and sex of the subject in addition to changing the colors Lukashok used. Maybe the different colors might invoke a different feeling to the poem as a whole, I don’t know, but I hope you’ll let me know how differently you felt after reading Lukashok’s original**and after reading my imitation of it. Enjoy.

The Green Sweater

(An interpretation/imitation of David Lukashok’s “The Blue Beret”, by Amital Isaac)

Like a young fellow, a student

My budding beau in green,

Green woven wool

With a sea of waves across his chest

On a knit of soft olive green

And his eyes like clouds of gray hanging above

Piercing and calm as he looked over his shoulder

And then the other way

But both of them O so gray

Where did I see him?

When waves began crashing in my ears

And silver gray specks turned away

All I was left with

All but

His green gray eyes

** Lukashok’s original piece here on Page 48:

http://blogs.cuit.columbia.edu/quarto/quarto-1966-spring-issue/