Monday Morning Musings:
“In a poem, one line may hide another line,
As at a crossing, one train may hide another train.”
–From Kenneth Koch (1925-2002), “One Train May Hide Another”
Full poem here
“Two girls discover
the secret of life
in a sudden line of
poetry.”
From Denise Levertov (1923-1997), “The Secret”
Full poem here.
Ask if–
and in the language of cool whispers
she sings,
urging us
to what we want—
to soar
Everything is connected. . .
***
The days are cold, then warm,
next comes a storm
of snow, ice, rain,
till the sun shines again
as off to Florida he goes
no emergency, everybody knows
is this the beginning or the end—
only time will tell, my friend
if the country lives through this mess
this miasma of awfulness
and where will we go from here–
everything connected, but not so clear
why birds appear, everywhere
on the water, and in the clouds
I laugh aloud to see them there
and sigh to catch one unaware
of how his beauty brightens my day
the dreariness, the gloom, held at bay
one tree branch may hide another—
and behind that, some other–
a bit of beauty, once unseen
now there it is, what does it mean?
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty”
I wonder–is it something in-between
the lines of time, of place
the love that flutters in the space
between two lines—
sometimes it shines
in words, in deeds, or touches in time
OK, so, I didn’t make him a Valentine–
but I prepared some fondue
and we enjoyed it—well, wouldn’t you?–
along with the dipping and drinking
wine, and laughing
just enjoying without asking
as stomachs swelling, sinking
with all that bread and cheese
(just a bit more, please)
then chocolate to follow–
and if I walk with a bit of a waddle
well, more to love,
just give me a shove,
and next day to the gym
I’ll go for me, and not for him
***
We walk through the city
cold, but in sunshine, pretty
we watch a movie about art
and connection, in nature, and the part
between humans in ways known and not
perhaps the person you meet, was someone caught
somehow in your life, the whys unknown, and the when
as rain falls, to nourish fields, then evaporates again
part of a cycle, through history and time–
love and hate, poverty, wars, crime–
and how we express these things in art,
how do we share our passion and heart?
The movie is about art and history,
of the artist, and the mystery
of inspiration and creation,
and of repression and degradation
of people by those who are supposed to serve,
but instead they swerve
to serve hate with cool efficiency–
its own mental deficiency
as I see it, but not the one they wished to eliminate
with a path that looked so pat and straight
sterilization and cremation,
all to build their master race and nation.
And yet, art remains,
strains our brains
unchains with its power
though they censor and glower
at artists who speak the truth
and don’t look away, (not just the youth)
or any gender or race, but there is a trace
in all of us, a creative spark, a grace–
well, that is what I think about,
perhaps a shout out
to how we’re connected through the ages
In different paths, and through different stages,
but for now—I’ll stop and drink some wine
pretend or find that all is fine,
connect the dots, from below to above
with my musing thoughts to ask if. . .love
I wasn’t certain how to begin this Monday musing, so I went to the Oracle, who gave me the opening—which fit so well– of course–and another connection.
We saw the movie, Never Look Away. I love that my husband, whose birthday is today, will readily go with me to see a three-hour German movie. (Dale may be the only other person I know who might see it), but we both really liked it. And it honestly did not seem that long. It’s about an artist, Kurt Barnert, based, perhaps loosely, on the life of German artist Gerhard Richter. Barnert grows up during the rise of the Nazis and WWII and then lives in East Germany. When he is a child, his beautiful and beloved aunt Elisabeth tells him to “never look away.” Through her, he is connected to art, history, and to choices— both random and those he makes in his own life. Trailer here.
We also went to a wine and chocolate tasting event at William Heritage Winery. I appear to have really enjoyed that wine. 🙂