The “weeds” bit is in the first section, but the whole thing is worth reading–all about the move from chaos to order. Water’s big, too, going from mud and bog, to holding life, to supporting a boat with a rower, to the final image of water in a vase “still holding and feeding the stem of the contained flower.” Fabulous. I think of this a lot in spring; the last part in summer, too, going outside in the mornings with “To have the whole air!” in my head.
poems
Dappled Things
So all this talk of paint horses, and spotted animals (did we all like the alpaca’s ear pom-poms?), coupled with constantly wiping ups drips of latex paint, made me think of the Gerard Manley Hopkins (great name) sonnet on spotted things. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Bug Poem
It turns out I misremembered yesterday’s poem (not the haiku, the other one). It’s by Ginsberg (in the middle, above; Neal Cassidy is second from left) and I first read it in The Little Zen Companion. Yes, I own The Little Zen Companion. I’ll admit it.
What’s this little brown insect
walking zig-zag
across the sunny white page
of Su Tung-po’s poem?
Fly away, tiny mite, even your life
is tender–
I lift the book and blow you into
the dazzling void.
Sparrows
There are many birds outside the office. There are starlings, finches who live in the loading dock, a pair of mangy pigeons, and lots of sparrows. I’ve started feeding them (or “creating a dependency,” as C. says) and will bring in stale bread, baking misadventures, or birdseed. The sparrows are the tamest.
I had The Lovely Susannah read the poem today’s quote comes from last night, and while my shipmates scoff at the idea of literature improving your life, she genuinely liked the poem and now wants to read more Roethke. Here’s the quote:
I belive! I believe!–
In the sparrow, happy on gravel;
In the winter-wasp, pulsing its wings in the sunlight;
I have been somewhere else; I remember the sea-faced uncles.
I hear, clearly, the heart of another singing,
Lighter than bells,
Softer than water.
(from “Praise to the End”)
The image caption tells us these are “Sparrows of Palestine.” Our sparrows outside are not from Palestine.
Office Snack of the Day: potato salad.