Post #219096 by ikitnrev on Sun, Mar 5, 2006 9:38 PM

I am going through a de-cluttering process in my home, and came across a 1962 book titled 'The Three Lives of Helen Keller', which contains lots of photos of perhaps the most famous deaf, blind, and mute celebrity.

From the book, Helen Killer writes about her experences with leis in Manila.

Of leis, she wrote, "Their blended fragrances intoxicated me - gardenia, pekokee (very much like scented wisteria), plumeria, mock orange - so that I forgot the weight and heat of the flowers on my neck.

But when she entered her hot stateroom and found leis piled up high on her bed, "I could have screamed. I was so surfeited with sweet smells and crazy to stretch out. I simply threw the wreaths to the floor. I understood as I had never before the painful effect of a dazzling spectacle too prolonged upon the eyes of those who see."

That night she dreamt of being smothered with sweetness.

It makes me wonder if she ever sipped a mai-tai in her life - who knows, maybe they could have titled the book 'The Three Livers of Helen Keller."

By the way, The Who's 'Tommy' rock musical LP, about the deaf, dumb, and blind kid, premiered in 1969, one year after the deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller passed away.

Vern

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2006-03-05 21:40 ]