Henry Miller, author of Tropic of Cancer - Poem: Saving the Hydrangeas

Do you remember the author Henry Miller? 



From Wiki:

Only 200 copies of Miller's 1972 chapbook On Turning Eighty were published. Published by Capra Press, in collaboration with Yes! Press, it was the first volume of the "Yes! Capra" chapbook series and is 34 pages in length.^[56] The book contains three essays on topics such as aging and living a meaningful life. In relation to reaching 80 years of age, Miller explains:

If at eighty you're not a cripple or an invalid, if you have your health, if you still enjoy a good walk, a good meal (with all the trimmings), if you can sleep without first taking a pill, if birds and flowers, mountains and sea still inspire you, you are a most fortunate individual and you should get down on your knees morning and night and thank the good Lord for his savin' and keepin' power.^[57]

Miller and Tokuda divorced in 1977.^[51] Then in his late 80s, Miller filmed with Warren Beatty for the 1981 film Reds, which was also directed by Beatty. He spoke of his remembrances of John Reed and Louise Bryant as part of a series of "witnesses". The film was released eighteen months after Miller's death.^[58] During the last four years of his life, Miller held an ongoing correspondence of over 1,500 letters with Brenda Venus, a young Playboy model and columnist, actress and dancer. A book about their correspondence was published in 1986.<sup>[59]R

RUTH DEMING IS BACK.

Why did I just eat hummus with pretzels dipped into it, loads of pretzels 
themselves?

I was low. Had Amy's Indian dinner at Scott's while we watched the
Nightly PBS News and injected too much.

One of the commentators on the Supreme Court's recent decisions
- a male of perhaps Indian American derivation - had a container of
blue hydrangeas behind him.

So when I got home I clipped the remaining hydrangeas and put em
in a huge pot in the kitchen, first washing them off in case of bugs,
ants in particular, and keeping it on the kitchen floor until I figure out
what to do with them.

The plants, not the ants.

SAVING THE HYDRANGEAS

Flop. They fall to the earth
like dying soldiers.
I run in the house and choose
a pair of shears to cut their drowsy
heads and see if they come
back to life.
The verdict is still out but
we do have hope.
Sadly, though, my George Schuler
and his wife Elinor are gone for good.</sup>