Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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The Softness of the German 'Trost'. I was chatting one evening on the phone with Marianne, A Swiss-German speaker; her mother tongue. Somehow the word 'Trost' came up and She could not remember its English meaning. After some discussion, we sussed out its meaning. COMFORT -- general relief from distress. CONSOLATION -- for something that alleviates. SOLACE -- a formal poetic term,           finding peace in religion, nature, or art. When spoken, this word is soft in its feeling and sound. There are those who claim German to be harsh-- Not true and if spoken from the heart as if to a lover, Elicits passion, and depth, and solace to the listener. This is a word to be spoken by any and many And if correctly understood, would bring peace As well as compassion for the world. Frank Maurer 16 January 2026 0125 Hours.