posted January 02, 2002 10:35 AM         

Page One, Linda describes her definition of poetry. How it is what squeezes out of you when you've been squashed by Life, like a bug. Her greatest writing emerged from her deepest sorrow, and we are all better Blessed for it. She says she would have chosen a safer career had she known this.

My favorite passage is on Page 2:
I died unexpectedly while I was sleeping
and the last thing I remember is the sound of angels weeping
as they mourned my loss in Heaven, whispering a final blessing
to protect my immortal soul on its descent down into hell
a lonely prison of three dimensions...on a spinning ball called Earth

To those who have read Gooberz before, the importance of the next passage cannot be overstated:
then, from out of the darkness and dearth..of the night
that followed my death
immersed in the floating sensation of falling, sans all conscious will
I thought I heard, through the mist, a familiar voice calling...
"be still, my love, be still
somewhere..a clock is timing us"

Of course, that's her Twin calling out to her! I find it a bit foreboding to see Linda write that she died in her sleep from the other side, when she also "died" in her sleep here on Earth.

Then Linda tells of her birth, and how she was sickly at the age of two months, almost dying again (this time, down here)--looking like a dying baby robin, but her mother wouldn't listen to the doctors and fed her miracle milk from a nanny goat named Sue. She goes on to tell of her "ugly" straight hair and how much she wanted curls. I can't help but to laugh when I see Linda talk of pee-nee-monia, or cry when her Nanoo dies and her cheeks once warm like feather pillows become cold, as Linda thinks she should be covered with more fluffy conmforters and cozy grandma quilts or she would certainly catch pee-nee-monia. How sad. But we see the innocence of a child and how Linda first tasted death. There's a lot of death in Gooberz. Linda describes her early views of Jesus and of the Trinity. Her first religious indoctrination involved the Episcopal Church. Canto One is very important to the story, but one might have missed all the important passages had one not known the ending. That's why Gooberz should be read at least twice. Linda gives such delightful stories about her Nana and Dadoo (who rhymes with Boo and I Love You). Dadoo was the only one who ever told her that her straight hair was pretty. Linda bared her Soul in Canto One, and it sets the stage for the MAGIC that will follow. Her Nana would tell her, "now, just remember who you are" as she pondered just who she was if she wasn't her.

We see Linda's first experience at smelling the heavenly scent of SWEET PEAS after a storm, and she was levitated during the experience (by her Aunt Maud) as she saw her first rainbow after smelling the peas. This leads us into the most important part of the Canto (IMHO). At the very end, she writes:
the second time I felt myself levitate or lift from the ground
was years later, in another season - winter
and for a somewhat different reason
to do with lost and found

I won't ruin the ending for those reading it all the way through for the first time, but the words LOST AND FOUND have a very important meaning to the whole story. To those who have read it before, you get it don't you?

posted January 02, 2002 06:28 PM         

"there is ... out there ... somewhere ... a golden haired and magical messenger of the gods, named Victor Z. who is from the OOber galaxy of stars, by way of Mars ... a galactic poet and sculptor of truth, who knew that I would write this book and when and why - what it would tell - and much more too long before I ever guessed or knew"

"...and the light shineth in the darkness
and the darkness comprehended it not...John 1:5

"I believe that he - or that part of him who knew has returned to his own asteroid ... so I take this way of telling him that I do know now ... yes, I know who ... an dalso when ... and how ... why it took so long for me to learnt ... and to let him know, in druid talk tha the Little Prince will soon return"

posted January 03, 2002 12:00 AM         

I just love Linda's descriptions of her childhood. I can sense it so clearly and dinstinctly.

Strange, too, that she should write so happily (for the most part) about her childhood since i know that she did not consider her youth in West Virginia to be times to be looked upon with fondness.

But she certainly paints a magical time. So much that I find myself envying her childhood magic, just being able to faintly re-member my own.

posted January 03, 2002 03:22 PM         

which had belonged, he said to his mother, Ella, when he was just a little fella..."

posted January 03, 2002 05:21 PM         

What I discovered, and loved first about reading GOOBERZ is how Linda made her words, separately and collectively, form an image on the page ... which also became the Conductor of her symphony of prose as it keeps perfect time to the tempo, or rhythm of her heart, at any given emotion

posted January 04, 2002 08:00 PM         

The first "hint" of sadness I get is when she tries to remember being on the train when she talks about being born in another town. Everyone assures her she doesn't remember that because she was not on a train till she was 6.
And what "illness" did her mother suffer from?

posted January 04, 2002 08:30 PM         

Well, you got me started on re-reading Gooberz again. I have literally
made myself create some free time in order to do this. It isn't easy, with
my work schedule, but it is probably something the Universe is telling
me to do, because it seems to be very compelling.

Anyway, I wanted to share this, it is the letter I received Sept. 1989 as
a subscriber to Linda's Star Notes.

"And what is Gooberz? It's a book for all those who have lost love....
temporarily. A book for those still searching for their twin soul or
Twin Self. A book of magnificent confort for all who have suffered
the bereavement of death, with an awesome cosmic surprise to turn
grief into joy. A book for those questing for the Star of Truth about
philosophy, astrology, and religion. Gooberz has a mysterious
chameleon essence which causes it to become, as you read it, your
own personal biography. It can manifest miracles, and you will find
yourself reading it again and again. Gooberz is an epic of romantic
love, a catalyst to open parts of yourself you may not have known
existed. Long-awaited, and eagerly sought, Gooberz is here and you
can order it by sending in the attached form. Don't wait any longer."

And I didn't, I sent the order form in and received my copy via mail
very shortly after that. The minute Gooberz arrived in the mail, I
couldn't put it down. I read it from cover to cover with every free
minute I had. It was and still is my most favorite book by Linda. The
back of the book had a very similar, but not quite the same, as the above
quote from the letter I received.

This is just the greatest idea and it is so much fun to read what everyone
writes.

I thought it interesting when she wrote "all's well that end's well as Shakespeare,
Newton or Bacon, whichever one was the plagiarist once wrote" on page 4 of
Cantos One. My grandfather used to tell me the same thing, which is so Rosicruician
(AMORC).

Love,
Donna

posted January 05, 2002 01:35 AM         

From the first where she spoke of leaving heaven, I felt the tears come. There were times I just had to put it down and really cry. GOOBERZ was like sitting in the same room and listening to Linda tell her story...like 'sharing' with a good friend.

posted January 05, 2002 06:04 PM         

...always somewhere.

ROYA

posted January 07, 2002 04:33 PM         

Funny that I didn't remember the 'flying mountain' reference being made so early in the book.

The poem about Peggy speaks volumes about how adults treat children.......
I thought I heard her say

"goodbye....I'm sorry I had to be so dumb as to die"................
....but I do remember later, the next day
when I told my teacher what I had so clearly heard Peggy say
that she didn't really want to be so dumb as to die
and how I was certain I had heard her whisper, "goodbye"

my teacher said - "no wonder the boys
all call you Crazy Daisy"

posted January 08, 2002 11:26 PM         

I find myself looking for other physical clues as well as the esoteric ones. Have any of the rest of you found some?