A butterfly house.
A shadowed garden lit by fireflies.
A pavilion for listening to cicadas.
Your fingertips do to me
what spring does to cherry trees
and my heart unfolds
like all winged things.
One of my favorites by Christina Rossetti. It was first published without a title in Time Flies: A Reading Diary in 1885. It was later included in the collection Verses in 1893 under the title “Christmastide.”
Here is a humble but moving version of the poem set to music you may enjoy.
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation, 1898
A few jewels on writing from Earnest Hemingway from his 1967 nonfiction piece By-Line.
“As a writer you should not judge. You should understand.”
“Listen now. When people talk listen completely. Don’t be thinking what you’re going to say.”
These admonitions apply not just to the writer’s attitude towards others but to her or himself as well! Avoid judgment, strive for understanding, listen, listen, listen. Above all, be kind.
Come visit me at From the Heart for October’s post and a perfect fall poem from Mary Oliver.
And visit here for some gorgeous reflections by Ray Bradbury on the role of love in creativity.
Happy Fall!
That my eyes open and close.
That my breath move in and out.
That my skin remain permeable and protective.
For hunger and repletion,
for gladness and grief,
for apples both silver and gold.
And for courage
for the dear heart
whose only way of being
is open.
© LAC 2014
©Imogen Cunningham, 1931
It was all the first touch, the first taste.
There, on one branch–
the tight, sour,
unripened offerings.
Bright and
intent with potential.
But farther on, there was something dark,
something luscious,
something lovely.
It felt
almost full.
It tasted
almost possible.
And there, in between,
is patience,
something made of sun, soil, and sugar
that allows
whatever the fruit does
to become
something
inevitably
sweet.
© LAC 8/14
A Six-Word Memoir® is the story of your life—some part of it or all of it—told in exactly six words. Could you tell yours this way?
In November 2006, writer and editor Larry Smith challenged fans of SMITH Magazine to describe their lives in six words. (See also illustrated examples of these “mini memoirs” in O Magazine).
Eight years later, this project is still going strong, and Say it in Six has grown to include over a million “short stories.” Check them out!
Better yet, give it a try and if you do, please share!
Some examples:
“Born innocent. Abandoned. Sorting it out.” (Terri Decker)
“Made, destroyed myself. Wash, rinse, repeat.” (Brad Severance)
“Feel asleep. Woke up. Staying awake.” (LAC)
“Breathe in. Breathe out. Don’t stop.” (anon)
–Mary Oliver, “Yes! No!”
1.
The coils of this labyrinth remind me of the small intestine. Vexing. Walking the labyrinth is meant to be a spiritual experience. Neither time nor place for unlovely images of the body. I dislike the labyrinth. It is too constraining, too tedious—all these looping, repetitive coils. I hate the labyrinth–its pale, remote indifference. If I am to engage with something, I’d like for it to talk back. I have questions. Some concerns. And one or two issues with delayed gratification.
2.
“I think serenity is not something you just find in the world, like a plum tree,
holding up its white petals” (Mary Oliver, “Yes! No!”).
3.
“Watch how we encounter each other,” you say, and we walk, slowly, separately. Around one turn we meet and you kiss me, your tongue muscular and wet. Around another turn you say, over your shoulder, “Hello,” and keep walking. It is hard for me to balance even though the path is smooth and flat. I feel like we are in a Magritte painting. Your white shirt glows softly somewhere to the left. A voice not connected to your body says, “Do you like my hat?” We are walking. We are together. We are not together.
4.
“Imagination is better than a sharp instrument. To pay attention, this is our endless
and proper work” (Mary Oliver, “Yes! No!”).
5.
So now:
Quiet, quiet—the darkness is full.
Your skin is listening
to the night air.
In the center of the labyrinth, someone has placed a gift.
Quiet, quiet—someone is telling you a story.
The oldest story in the world, and his body hums and pulses
under your fingers.
In the center, there is a gift.
Quiet, quiet—this is not walking.
This is surrendering to the path, your body long and outstretched
against the stones.
In the center, someone has placed a gift.
© LAC 7/14
What an exquisite time of the year spring is…the end of the season in which, as Garrison Keillor says, “Nature tries to kill you.” And the beginning of the promise of summer. I myself enjoy the winter here in the Midwest, despite the face and finger numbing cold. I find the barrenness of the fields calming, and often reflective of my inner emptiness.
But spring calls us towards life, and creativity.
If you’ve a writing project that is calling you forward and might use the support of a writing coach, I would be honored to hear from you.
For today, a few quotations on this most youthful of seasons: The first is from the early American writer, Anne Bradstreet:
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” (from Meditations Divine and Moral)
The second from the phenomenal writer, Pablo Neruda: “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
And finally, a lovely sentiment from Victor Hugo, from Les Miserables: “If people did not love one another, I really don’t see what use there would be in having any spring.”
Come visit me at http://heartlandwriting.wordpress.com. It’s spring there too. And there are alligators.
leslie a. crowley 