COVE

(Letter #1, photos 1 and 2)

Peter, 

Happy, happy graduation. It's all gone by in a flash, hasn’t it? Ever since you were little, you have always been drawn to art, be it on paper, in song, or on stage. Now that you have graduated high school, I hope you will take the words of this amazing poem to heart. 

In summary, 

“Live in the moment. Have our pleasures, since we will all be gone in the blink of an eye. Keep your happiness close, and you will never be lost.”

I found this edition in the thrift store when I was visiting London, and I thought you would love the green cover (I know I did!) and the rarity (1/525!) and the piece de resistance, the illustrator’s autograph on the title page. Your watercolor skill has done nothing but grow since that first preschool finger painting, and I want to see your work besides Pogany’s one day! How anyone decided to donate such an item, I have no idea! 

Happy graduation, 1977! 

Nana King

(Letter#2, photos 3 and 4)

Dear Peter Kingston, 

On behalf of McDonald School District, Ohio, we would like to thank you for the gorgeous edition of The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam. 

The alumni such as yourself have given so much to our schools, and this edition is by far one of the most magnificent. 

The illustration accompanying Stanza 11 says it all, we believe. The seniors reflected on this stanza and illustration in a closing assignment, and many of them noted that the idea that high school felt like the wilderness, much like the Wilderness mentioned in the stanza, and that the Paradise mentioned felt like their high school experience in the now. Moving from the safety net of high school to whatever their future holds is a scary thing for many, and Paradise is slowly transforming back into Wilderness. 

We hope that these seniors will hold this beautiful poetry in their hearts as they graduate and spread their wings. 

Thank you so much for the gift of The Rubaiyat, 

McDonald School District Staff, Ohio, 1982