Dickinson on love and life

I argue thee that love is life. And life hath immortality.  - Emily Dickinson

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Thought For Friday

"Uniformity, in its motives, its goals, its far-ranging consequences, is the natural enemy of poetry, not to mention the enemy of trees, the soil, the exemplary life therein."  — C.D. Wright

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Sometimes you have to find humor

 

Technorati Tags: BP Coffee Spill,humor,UCBComedy

Confession Tuesday - Indignant Edition

It’s lunch time on Tuesday and I’m off to the confessional. Are you following me?

Dear Reader:

During my years of active involvement in the Democratic Party I was exposed to an elected official who often said we must never lose the capacity to be indignant. I think it was likely a paraphrasing of someone else’s remarks but I thought about it then and again these past few days. At the time I first heard it, I believed it to a wise axiom, for when we become complacent with actions that are reprehensible we do ourselves a disservice.

I do confess that I have become tired of the bitter and hateful discourse that has come to pollute our daily lives. And it would be easy to say that enough is enough! Lighten up a little. But this axiom has come back to me recently and I confess that in particular that I am incensed by the recent remarks by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) about the oil spilling (still) in the gulf. It seems Representative Young believes (and I quote) "This is not an environmental disaster, and I will say that again and again because it is a natural phenomenon." Perhaps Rep. Young believes this but drilling a deep sea well from a platform in the Gulf and suddenly after an explosion, the gushing of some 39 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf (and counting) has nothing natural about it. It is not a part of nature.

I confess that I'm also incensed by a political ad run by Rick Barber, a candidate for Congress in Alabama’s second district. The ad is a representation of Barber ranting on the Internal Revenue Service, Health Care, etc., and shows an angry Barber pounding his point all the while a pistol lay beside him as he preaches to our founding fathers. In the end, we hear the rather threatening phrase "Gather your armies." Barber’s ad is incites insurrection. He too may be indignant. But I confess that even indignation must be tempered with responsibility. At a time when many openly carry firearms strapped to their side in plain sight, even as drinking their coffee at Starbucks, there is a responsibility that comes with our political system that asks of each of us the civility that makes peaceful political change a desirable end of our democracy.

I confess that I did not intend to sound preachy today, but I stand by everything I’ve said.

I also confess I will not preach next Tuesday. Unless I get indignant again. ;)


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Linking to Another Place or Time

 

 

I love this quote from Merwin… it’s sort of how I see poetry. A poem can be the link between another place or time. It’s a stone.

"The story of each stone leads back to a mountain." — W.S. Merwin

 

Technorati Tags: poetry in theory

Klaus Update

[Klaus on the ride home tonight]

K-man (one of the many names Klaus has picked up over the years) is doing better in his recovery process. In case you missed it, Klaus sustained serious injuries about three weeks ago. We were fearful that he had a spinal cord injury because he suffered paralysis in his legs. He had feeling in them but for the most part was unable to control any movement in them. He is using them now, the front more then the back. He struggles to upright himself and has some range of motion as we do physical therapy with him.  He has his sassy attitude back.  He gets lots of attention because he still requires much help.  It’s so good to see his determination and yes at times his frustration because that tells me that he is pushing his limits. One day he’s going to be able to stand again all on his own.  Soon the cats food dish will not be safe.

Few Journal Bits

I feel like we’ve already had more rain this year than all of last. I wake up mornings and I wring out my water logged brain and reinsert it in my head cavity and start the round all over. It has become insane!

At the left is a shot of the evening sky – the view westward from our neighboring Target. Yes it appears to be clearing. Long term however, we have showers in the forecast again tomorrow and Tuesday.  Who knows beyond that. It’s just like Chinese water torture only on a larger scale.

Some writing success during the past week. Some things I’m happy with as draft starts.

A few journal bits from this past week-

• 6-13-10  “eyes of emerald / a woman’s face / lashes like passengers / lined at the rail of an ocean liner / waving as she departs”
• 6-11-10 “Oh my God Klaus has improved. Last night he was trying to get up on his own. He cannot yet stand on his own but we can actually see this happening in due time.”
• 6-09-10 “I am watching my to-do list grow faster than I can attack it.”  :(
• 6-07-10 “it was well within the probability / you don’t think of / even when the thought occurs / a buzz that you wave off”
• 6-07-10 “that’s where you were— / the wild card I never used / the coupon that stayed on the refrigerator / well past the expiration”
• 6-07-10 “you remained an uncashed coupon / till the day you expired”

Couple of quotes I saw this past week that spoke to me:

"The first task of the poet is to create the person who will write the poems." -  Stanley Kunitz  Thanks to Susan Rich

“The two most engaging powers of an author are, to make new things familiar, and familiar things new.” - Samuel Johnson

 

Technorati Tags: Journal Bits,Stanley Kunitz,Susan Rich,Samual Johnson