Murray was released from the Army, and therefore from Washington, D.C., in early 1946. They made their way home to Puget Sound, with a few journalistic stops along with way, where other recently demobilized friends were waiting.
from Jean and Gene Elliott, 1946
Dear Rosa and Murray -- you'll feel dazed for a long time. We still do. And Harry said that for a month after he was out he was afraid to cross streets or enter any situation which might threaten the rediscovered sweetness of his life. We are all very happy for you, have composed a ditty on the theme of "Murray is out, Murray is out" to the tune of "Carmen's in love, Carmen's in love" (Carmen Jones, not Fett). St. T a K. will be in May when you come to Port Ludlow.
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| Pt. Ludlow mill in 1918. Wikipedia |
And please come soon. You can have chess, writing, oysters, a burned-down, debris-covered mill to photograph, hills to climb, fish to catch, bays to kayak in, music to listen to, sun to lie in (I think), our dog to play with (I've tried to teach him to enjoy having his ears bitten a la Haj but he keeps losing his temper -- he's only four months old), our cat to play with and anything else we can think of between now and May. Beer and conversation are understood ("Have a little wine of the country, Rosa" -- oh, Rosa, I've learned to make fudge -- chocolate and peanut butter -- although I haven't learned it very well because it never gets completely hard).
...We'd love to have the split bamboo blinds. We're making a trellis-work and grass and tree (one) sidewalk café effect outside our back door and the blinds would be useful. I also want (please) the top to the Mexican bean pot which you gave us for Christmas 1943 sans top because Murray thought all packages with ribbons were for him. But don't worry if you can't find it because I have another one that fits. Bring your (Judy's) cats if you like -- we're making an animal-and-children compound. The only items which are at all important, really, are your sleeping bags. We have many beds, little bedding. (Dorsey maintains that we can sleep nine guests comfortably at once but I think seven is our top limit unless a lot of them are in love with one another. ...)
Dear M and R, this will be just a note because we want to get in the mail tonight. This is David talking now, and not sleeping D or Sick D or even Mildred, but the real David. I'm just back from a week-end in the city and it’s the first wk end in the city I've spent that hasn't been Angst-voll. All the major creature needs were taken care of and I feel like a clean vessel once more. Ludlow has no floating female or male population to minister to the body's needs, which is probably a good thing. All the same one
does need what he needs. Miss Stein once said this more or less repetitively in a poem called "Needs be needs be needs be near." Today I attended the lecture given by Joseph Warren Beach or whatever his name is, the Walker Ames man who is teaching contemporary poetry. His lectures are enlivened by phrases like "As Robert (Frost) said to me ..." He is very urbane and exceedingly charming and somehow made me feel like becoming a poet. The novel is really a bore and I keep thinking of more attractive things to write about. Rosa I'm glad you liked the ending. Murray, a friend of mine tells me that he saw in a recent Harpers a story called I think, "A Little Oversight" about two GIs n Wash D.C. in the hottest part of summer wearing full Class A woollens and being arrested for taking off their blouses or blice. I immediately thought of you. About being a poet, the best poem I've written is very simple:
GHOST
In the night
All in white
He don't care
If he is a fright.
Why I'm burbling like this I don't know. Perhaps Bill James was right about celibacy. You know he was celibate for a week once and got enormous quantities of writing done. Here is an anecdote a friend of mine who is taking Giovanni's Philosophy of History course told me. Miss Pierson did Marx for her paper and in reading it got all involved with a middle-aged Russian in the class who asked several pointed questions. Their conversation got rather heated and was abruptly terminated by the Russian's jumping to his feet and grabbing his coif and shrieking, "I, who have been through four revolutions, am forced to listen to this stuff!" It fair panicked the seminar.
...
from David -- Port Ludlow -- 1946
Dear Murray,
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| Charles Olson and Howard Lewis, shucking oysters |
loves, ruins an incipiently good baritone by refusing the heed the advice of competent teachers, continually violates his own integrity by taking jobs which he is gradually cutting himself down to fit, and ends by staying in the navy as a commissioned officer--a success by what has become his own measure. You will agree that it is a degrading and ignominious end, but there is a lot of sex to compensate.
If you could write me a letter asking me about the state of the work and telling me the idea has possibilities, etc. etc. I should be most grateful. You probably know more about it than I anyway. Please include news about your own productions. I am curious, and besides it would look impressive. It would be nice too if you would begin one paragraph with a phrase like "A person of your ability".... Do not be too Pollyanna, but I do not trust the govt.
Our house is taking a little more time than we hoped it would, but it's a nice house and is quite beautiful. We would all like you to come and see us. Good luck, and give my best to Rosa.
David
Are you going to join the AmVets Committee?
[the GI Bill allowed self-employed people the difference between their monthly earnings and $100 a month for a maximum of 52 weeks in two years after discharge. Since the difference between being a self-employed writer and being unemployed is often hard to parse, aspirant veterans asked more established ones to vouch for them.]
