Ultimately, after all, the bell tolls for thee, as Donne expressed so well. And so it is with the siren. While the siren, this time, may be cyring in its nightmarish human wail for someone else, it will, one time, cry out for thee.

And then? Then you will recall the sins, the crimes, the failures of your life, regret them, call for their return, request requite, respite.

Alas, when your house is in cinders it is too late to put it into order; when you are clutching at your purple poorly pumping heart, it is too late to ask for time to atone.

I enjoyed this one much. What it says has been said before, but is a message that deserves retelling time and again: take the time to smell the roses, take the time to put your house in order, take the time to make your peace with the world.

I should've looked at the headlines more closely (wait, I could not, I was posting from the column's front page). Someone did pick up on the link with Donne's devotion already; and probably there are others who have before me also.

I hope you'll read my own review, as Donne's reaction to the bell and Breslin's narrator's reaction to the siren -- beyond their common link with the human condition -- come from completely different worldviews, and this shapes how they react to human suffering and to their own pasts.

wr ()()

a felt the cool breeze of autumn

blowing in from the north

a genlte breeze a little tease

since we all know what is in store

August hot hot August is just days away
football is being practiced

at high schools everywhere

worried moms are sending extra juice sprots drinks and cups the band needs refreshments too go to the store and stock up

august is surely the hottest time the meanest time for any mom who knows

a coach can be in the shade of the trees

sipping cola on ice and watch

your 14 year old takes on

the defense line and still be

the strongest but you wiill be the one when the news shows the pro foot team getting iv's due to the heat moving the camp up north to cooler air

that it is just too hot and football couches need to say

take a rest and do not die

for it is the moms who will cry and cry

a real warning to everyone in this hot time of year wear cool clothes tak a break every 20 minutes cool down know the warning sign s of heat stroke

and know the local paramedics number

also if a quick cool down is needed use a kid wash or cold water to wet your head first that will cool you down

all football players band members all high school age and college age kids out in the sun all day at fotball and band camps

mow early or late in the evening all outdoor work