Swans and Su Tung P'o

At a moment of clearing sky, while the moon was yet near meridian, I heard the sound of birds -- trumpeter swans, I think -- calling from the nearby air. I could distinguish at least four overlapping calls, and at times there were too many to separate. It must have been a large flock. Their voices boomed through the night as they flew northeast, heading for the reservoir, or perhaps one of the other lakes farther up the mountains; some place where fish might leap from dark water into moonlight, shedding drops to flash in the still, cold air. I strained to see the birds as they passed overhead, sounding very close, but the light was too dim to reveal even shadowy shapes.The sound of their beating wings joined their calls for a moment, then faded, and the calls themselves faded soon after. The patches of cloud then drew together once more, and I stood earthbound in the empty silence, feeling as I might had found that a page been torn from a book, and I would now never know what was on it.

( Sunday Verse )

Commentary

If people who write posts designed to elicit many comments are called Comment Whores, then what are those of us who have posted far more comments than we have received? Currently, I'm at 5,876 posted and 2,882 received. Does that make me a Comment John? Since no money changes hands, the metaphor is imperfect (as metaphors commonly are.) Maybe it would be more accurate reversed. Maybe I should be considered a comment slut, just giving it away to everyone. But then, what would the receivers of those comments be? Rakes? Frat boys? Rock stars? Hmmm. Again, unless they are actively seeking those comments, the metaphor doesn't work, and if they are actively seeking those comments, we're back to the original unsatisfactory metaphor. I guess that LJ just isn't analogous to sex.

So why do some people receive many more comments than they post, and others get far fewer? I've decided that, in my case, I receive fewer comments than I make because my posts are so amazing that they leave everyone speechless. And I make more comments than I receive because I'm very, very helpful, and like to share my vast store of information, and not at all any sort of know-it-all busybody. Yeah, that's it. Those of us who leave many comments are Comment Mentors, and the fortunate recipients of our wisdom are our Comment Acolytes! That explanation definitely works for me.