The Writer's Almanac from Saturday, December 9, 2000 “I Ride Greyhound,” by Ellie Shoenfeld, from Screaming Red Gladiolus (Poetry Harbor). ORIGINAL AUDIO - 2000 ORIGINAL TEXT - 2000 It's the birthday of poet John Milton, born on Bread Street in Cheapside, London (1608). After earning B.A. and M.A. degrees at Cambridge, he lived outside London with his parents for 6 years, writing verse and "turning over the Latin and Greek authors." He traveled to Italy and met Galileo, then returned to England as civil war loomed. There he wrote propaganda pamphlets favoring the execution of King Charles. Doctors warned that if he insisted on continuing to write, the effort would blind him—as it did, when he was 43. His masterpieces came only after physical blindness permitted spiritual visions. Seven years after going blind, he began dictating the 12 books of
LOL 😆
Excellent poem!