[Janice D. Soderling]

Yes, I did. I wrote my first version when I saw the BBC link on the Internet on March 15, and made a few minor changes a few days later, punctuation and one change in a word.

The "background" I wrote today. I am familiar with it since I live in Sweden and have long been interested in neighboring Finland and its history, esp. as it coincides with Swedish history. The "background" didn't have bearing on the poem when I wrote it. But as I started the tale of Longfellow and Kalevala for a post here, I got carried away and didn't know when to stop.

[Susan McLean]

Congratulations, Janice. It is hard to turn the news into a good poem. Taking a wildly different perspective on it, as you do, is one of the more successful ways to make it work.

Susan

[Martin Elster]

Excellent poem, Janice. Excellent!

I have performed Finlandia many times and love it. I saw that youtube a couple of months ago (and just watched it again). The most exciting scene among all the beautiful moments are those fledgling ducks (starting around 3:35), risking life and wing leaping from a hollow at the top of a lofty tree to get to the lake. Also, just before that, the young bear scratching his back on a tree trunk is humorous. The nature footage throughout is spectacular, especially that osprey at the end diving into the water.

[Janice D. Soderling]

Warm thanks, Susan and Martin.

[Charlotte Innes]

Janice, as you know, I saw this on Facebook first, and loved it. So I'll just say again what a great poem this is. I love the language--"boom-booms!"--the lyrical, melancholy quality of it, and the lightness of touch about a truly scary subject.

Congrats!

Charlotte

[Rob Wright]

Janice,
Great poem. I get a daily Rattle Poem and was delighted to see it was one by you. I enjoyed it very much.

RobW

[Janice D. Soderling]

Thanks Charlotte and Rob.

I urge all and sundry to enter this Poets Respond feature at Rattle.