"The Hopi Indians of Arizona believe that our daily rituals and prayers literally keep this world spinning on its axis. For me, feeding the seagulls is one of those everyday prayers." - Brenda Peterson
________________________________________________
For me, feeding a neighborhood cat is like this.
________________________________________________
"The poem is a little myth of man's capacity of making life meaningful. And in the end, the poem is not a thing we see -- it is, rather, a light by which we may see -- and what we see is life." - Robert Penn Warren
__________________________________________________________
Robert Penn Warren is a poet. So am I. I agree with him.
__________________________________________________________
"The moment of change is the only poem." - Adrienne Rich
Adrienne Cecile Rich (born May 16, 1929) is an American poet, essayist and feminist. She has been called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century."
How To Handle Pain
I heard you speak so
low, just above a whisper
of pain, sharp as ice,
and my first thought was
we should run, steal a fast car,
rob the bank nearby,
head to Mexico
and not look back, not at all
no matter who calls.
January 27, 2010 10:40 PM
"picking mushrooms at the edge of dread..."
ReplyDeleteThis is heavy. I've never heard Rich before. Thanks for sharing this Jim.
"How to Handle Pain" -- I can relate so much to this. You've described the fear so well. ...no matter who calls. Wow!
Though I think my reaction would be a bit different (and after all, I'm pretty far away from Mexico; Canada would be the wiser option), I love who quiet and precise pain is in this. Not explosive, not consuming... perfect.
ReplyDeletebut you wouldn't run, would you, christopher? not now. you would stand and face it, even if you happened to be in mexico.
ReplyDeletexo
erin
Yep, I've thought of packing it all in and taking off before...but then, you know that saying--wherever you go, there you are.
ReplyDelete(((Erin))) Sometimes I feel you want me to be at my best. I guess you are right, robbing banks and going on the lam is probably not the best way to handle pain. :D
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, wherever you go, there you are.
this is a moment. a poetic moment.
ReplyDeletei like penn warren as well.
hope you are as well as you can be, Christopher... sorry for the couple of weeks of silence.. i have been terribly ill.
glad to be back and reading your many posts since i last was able to get to the blogosphere.