A Christmas tree with corncobs??? I love it!
I know solstice isn't officially here until tomorrow, but it sure feels DARK out there, really dark. And gray. Have I mentioned how GRAY DC is at the moment?
I always think of this poem at solstice. Love and light to ya'all.
In a Dark Time
In a dark time, the eye begins to see,
I meet my shadow in the deepening shade;
I hear my echo in the echoing wood--
A lord of nature weeping to a tree.
I live between the heron and the wren,
Beasts of the hill and serpents of the den.
What's madness but nobility of soul
At odds with circumstance? The day's on fire!
I know the purity of pure despair,
My shadow pinned against a sweating wall,
That place among the rocks--is it a cave,
Or winding path? The edge is what I have.
A steady stream of correspondences!
A night flowing with birds, a ragged moon,
And in broad day the midnight come again!
A man goes far to find out what he is--
Death of the self in a long, tearless night,
All natural shapes blazing unnatural light.
Dark, dark my light, and darker my desire.
My soul, like some heat-maddened summer fly,
Keeps buzzing at the sill. Which I is _I_?
A fallen man, I climb out of my fear.
The mind enters itself, and God the mind,
And one is One, free in the tearing wind.
-- Theodore Roethke
13 comments:
The photo is excellent. The thrill of hope against the darkening night.
I cried last night about Obama's Inauguration choice.
I decided to begin a shoe project to send pairs of shoes to OBAMA--shoes of people who walked for him, who worked for him, who so wanted change in this country and who are so hurt by his invitation to a man who equates their sexual orientation with godlessness and pedophilia.
Symbols ARE important--we can label the soles of these shoes with the soul of America, so joyful at his election and crying together last night.
We need him to show how leaders who make terrible decisions can retract and change those decisions--we need change from belief systems which dismiss people from the tent, from the table of American families.
We need those of us to Love Obama, to have him see what hatred and labels do to those who look to him for love and acceptance and change.
If not the shoe project--then write, as I have today, to ask him to revoke this invitation and provide the leadership we expect from him.
I love you.
squirrels of course will love an outdoor christmas tree decorated with corn cobs!
along with deborah, I too was shocked over obama's choice of warren given warren stand on prop 8.
lots of wisdom in that ol' saying: you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
politics...guess no one is immune...not even the o man....
A nice photo.
Obama's choice of Warren is mystifying.
Thanks Reya, a perfect poem to wake up to...the day's on fire!...
xx
The Roethke poem reminds me of Dylan Thomas' adjuration to "rage against the dying of the light". Although I am not sure about the nobility of soul thing, getting into the mind/body split there...
Merle? I agree. Mystifying.
He did warn us that we wouldn't like all his choices.
Who is Warren? I did not get that!
I love that poem, thank you! And your photos always make me sit up and think. I am thinking of you and the wonderful toughtful post you wrote about Jake. Yes, went through something similar with my old lady cat last year. It is hard. I send big love to you both.
Tanvi xx
I like "I meet my shadow in the deepening shade".
Thanks for thinking of me at the concert. You're right. I would have thoroughly enjoyed it! :^)
Hey, that corn looks different than the corn here ; )
Well, in one respect I can understand choosing someone other than who most of us would expect, but this choice was indeed one that boggles the mind. ; (
There's simply no real good reason he can ever give 4 this choice, ever ; (
Hey, where's your snow 'n ice????
Wonderful poem; keep warm and safe.
Yeah! Where is our snow??
Post a Comment