Monday 19 April 2010

In the Wood, In the Reeds


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File:Ercall Wood Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 56176.jpg

Ercall Wood Nature Reserve, near Arleston, Telford And Wrekin, Great Britain: photo by Bob Bowyer, 2003
Oh, so much stands in shadow, so little is understood; so many images wish to speak, so many voices have been misplaced; best intentions having left us behind, where to begin catching up, so late?




File:Hermaness National Nature Reserve, Unst - geograph.org.uk - 116652.jpg

A Great Skua (Shetland dialect name "Bonxie") swoops to defend its nesting territory by the burn of Winnaswarta Dale, on Hermaness National Nature Reserve, Unst, Shetland: photo by John Dailly, 2002
Was it we who denatured nature, or was it merely following its own path, having its way with itself, regardless of us?




File:Nature and Abstract 030 small.jpg

Before sunset, North Carolina: photo by Jacob Simon, 2007
Without having come to an edge, how shall we know when it has come time to turn a corner?

Once having separated things, and inserted an "and" between them, how shall we (re)discover their orders?

Is there any direction we can take, but to keep falling into it all?




File:Reeds at the Swan Lake Nature Study Area.jpg

Reeds, Swan Lake Nature Study area, near Reno, Nevada: photo by Ragesoss, 2007
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6 comments:

  1. STEPHEN RATCLIFFE19 April 2010 at 07:33

    Tom,

    Thanks for these lines from the middle of the night -- yes, "so much stands in shadow," "separated things . . . an 'and' inserted between them" . . . .

    4.19

    grey-white of cloud above shadowed green
    ridge, red-tailed hawk calling on branch
    in foreground, waves sounding in channel

    has to do with what happens,
    means “coming to pass”

    an ordinary absence, looked
    after, and once again

    cloudless blue sky reflected in channel,
    line of pelicans gliding toward horizon

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  2. Curtis Roberts19 April 2010 at 07:50

    This poem speaks to me very clearly and directly and helped reset the coordinates of my internal navigation machinery this Monday morning. I brought a copy to my rendez-vous with The Cloud and his chums at the romantically named Merion Cricket Club. Having the poem with me, while being informed that People + Process = Profits, reminded me a little of that Frank O’Hara poem, A Step Away From Them.

    A word of special thanks: Beyond The Pale has completely cured me of a bad early morning television habit, which simply left me enervated. Now mornings are silent again (before the 7 am dog walk) and a little more lucid, which I attribute to the poetry and the always entertaining and enlightening commentary of the host and participants.

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  3. TC19 April 2010 at 19:36

    Stephen, Curtis, many thanks for the lifeline of intelligence.

    "An ordinary absence" all around us, these days, without depth, without coordinates, into which it seems we cannot help but fall.

    "A Step Away from Them," ah yes, but still the question remains -- in which direction, if, as it increasingly seems, They are everywhere?

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  4. aditya21 April 2010 at 00:55

    There will
    always
    be questions
    to
    answers untold.

    There will
    always
    be answers
    to questions
    needless.

    What shall we do Tom??

    ReplyDelete
  5. ~otto~25 April 2010 at 12:04

    Let's keep falling into it all

    ReplyDelete
  6. TC26 April 2010 at 02:49

    Well, I suppose I must have imagined those reeds as offering a soft landing, Otto.

    (But who am I trying to kid? Soft landings are reserved for the kind of stories I've never been able to stay with to the end... so yes, let's just try to milk the descent yet awhile.)

    So that's what we'll do, Aditya.

    ReplyDelete