(Lack of capitals in the title intentional...)

I think you expose the strengths and weaknesses of the poem very well. What you say has a lot of resonance with me. There is something about this poem that reminds me of the hills east of the San Francisco Bay, and of Napa and Sonoma Counties (despite their being wine country, not ranch country, by and large -- leaving aside the soruce of the famous Sonoma Jack cheese).

You remind me of something related to my trip to Jerusalem, Israel and the West Bank last January. In a land like that, in antiquity to be sure, you could have the best of both worlds: the intellectual and social stimulation of your own local walled town (and at least three times a year, that of the capital city), yet right outside the walls would begin farms, grazing land and wild country (all often on rolling hills) which nourished the town. And guess what -- part of that land was yours and your family's, free and clear. We don't divide up our vast acreage in this way. For the mental and physical health of our people, we should.

I hope you'll visit my parody and its attached serious comments -- and leave some comments of your own.

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