Thursday, April 2, 2009

Beneath Ice, The Hermit Side Of Me

But on the other hand, look at it this way...Here are back to back poems, not a half hour apart, written over lunch on Dec. 19. To me they are definitely related. The idea came from Lucy K., a lovely expat English lady who lives in Britanny, and who writes the most amazing poetry and other things. As well she posts breathtaking photos. I would be gushing if it weren't simply true. Check out her blog, box elder if you have the time. There was a wintertime photo of a lilypad under ice.

Beneath Ice

I woke up so cold,
Looked above my head, saw ice.
I float beneath ice,
In an awkward state
Of mind, like a lily pad
Turning red in shame.

Why I should be shut off so,
Is this somehow my choosing?

*******************************
I do live alone. It's true. I am a sloppy but not dirty housekeeper of a house with too much stuff in it even though I do get around to using all of it. I don't hoard things, but I have exercise machines, and a computer station :) and across from that I have my music keyboard, a Yamaha Motif ES6 and all the accoutrements, and I have books all over, and I have three guitars, each a different kind of instrument, full electric, acoustic/electric, and acoustic. I have too much stuff and no room really for guests. My house is small, a two bedroom but only one bathroom. I already know if I partnered up we would have to live elsewhere. And if I don't, somewhere down the line I will have to move into the back bungalow, a large studio, and rent this bigger house out. I will have to get rid of good stuff! Right now it's the other way.

It's not quite true that I seldom go out but that is not what you might think, because I go to daily AA meetings in a daily meeting room where many of us know each other very well and love each other pretty much. Most people would say I don't often go out, meaning like to dinner, or to a show, or some other event. I don't go out of town for the fun of it. I trained up as a broke married man and I still am most comfortable going home to my marriage even though it doesn't exist anymore.

And of course now there's this daily blog :)

The Hermit Side Of Me

I praise the hermit
Side of me for keeping house,
Makes me feel at home.
The right music plays.
The lighting is not too harsh.
No one comes near me.
My home is not large,
Has the things I need in it
I seldom go out.

Then you come by, grin
As you evict me, tell me
It's good for my soul.

You say I live in my head.

7 comments:

  1. I can relate to both, the second is my man to a T :)

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  2. I can relate, too. I'm a hermit, though I live with my kids and way too many animals, and we go out every day, but rarely for social reasons. We go out to breathe the fresh air and relish in nature. That's when we aren't being driven by work and school. I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping the company of musical instruments, computers, and books.

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  3. Beneath the Ice is wonderful, even without the explanation of having seen the photo.

    As to house -- I've had the urge to rid myself of things lately. We have entirely too much STUFF. We still live in the house where we reared our brood and still have many of their things, things they don't want but don't want me to get rid of.

    I think of myself as a hermit, too, although the call of obligations takes me out way too often. I crave solitude.

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  4. Y'all seem to crave solitude. I can't unfortunately share mine with you :)

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  5. Solitude

    I find this moment
    on the porch
    sitting even
    as the cars go by
    I shut my eyes and remember
    all the days alone
    in the woods so quiet
    even the drip of snow melt
    off the eaves
    sounded so loud

    what I once thought
    was loneliness
    is tucked now
    in my heart
    as longed for
    solitude

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  6. Thank you, Faith. You are getting it right, I think.

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  7. Thanks so much for all the nice credit. I loved that poem when you put it at mine, and now every time I see that photo again I think of it!

    I really like and fully understand the hermit poem too. Sometimes I think I'm lazy, but it's not that, is it...

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The chicken crossed the road. That's poultry in motion.


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