Friday, January 22, 2010

The Poetry of Wintrer Sky; By Dark by W. S. Merwin



Blue sky fading and clouds moving in.



I think it would be an insult to try to put too many descriptive words to these pictures.  I took them a few days ago in my front yard before a big rain storm hit. 



Oh, the clouds....the clouds, the clouds, the clouds!!!



God knows I try to throw away tin cans.  I really do.  When I open those cans of spaghetti sauce, or tomato sauce or green beans, I wash them out and try to toss them in the garbage.  But I can't.  I end up painting them and using them for my paint brushes, pens, watercolor pencils, scissors, and other assorted fun stuff.  These are just a very few of my huge collection.  I have a big basket of cans backed up for painting.  Is that recycling or am I just a hoarder?  Hmmmmm.......



This is my Muse of Writing.  She was a gift from a Florida friend and I love her a lot.  I have a piece of yellow electrical wire (my son-in-law, the electrician, gave me a part of a leftover roll...it really comes in handy) strung above my desk with inspirational stuff pinned on with tiny craft clothespins.  I ran out of space on my desk and shelves, so I took to the air above.  :-)

I bought the Pulitzer Prize winning book of poetry from which this poem comes, The Shadow of Sirius by W. S. Merwin.  It's an amazing, moving, fabulous book of poetry which I highly recommend.  And who of us hasn't known the black dog of night, age, depression, fear or despair? 

Enjoy.... 

~*~Marion~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By Dark

by W. S. Merwin

When it is time I follow the black dog
into the darkness that is the mind of day

I can see nothing but the black dog
the dog I know going ahead of me

not looking back oh it is the black dog
I trust now in my turn after the years

when I had all the trust of the black dog
through an age of brightness and through shadow

on into the blindness of the black dog
where the rooms of the dark were already known

and had no fear in them for the black dog
leading me carefully up the blind stairs.

from: The Shadow of Sirius.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

14 comments:

Unspoken said...

Marion, Though your blog is newer to me, I find I look forward to whatever you are posting. It is a delight to have found you and your introduction to poets!

LOVE the sky here, and of all things, Jewell is singing Foolish Games. Perfect.

Your cans are lovely. I am longing to paint, and all supplies are packed. You paint away!

The writing muse is lovely!

Angie Muresan said...

Those are the prettiest cans! And absolutely love your writing muse.
I am feeling a bit of that black dog right at the moment, funny you should mention it.
Have a lovely weekend!

Kelly said...

This poem is wonderful, Marion!

Love all the photos, too. We're a little warmer now, but I think there are more cold nights coming...

Rick said...

marion- wow even the stairs are blind. makes me wonder what it would be like to be a blind ghost.
And your southern sky is everybit as pretty as my northern. Still haven't heard from you of our bet. Kick off in two days. Your friend~rick

Marion said...

I love your cans...you've given me inspiration! I always knew those empty cans were good for something and these are beautiful!

Also, what a great idea about hanging your inspirational things! I have run out of space as well. I cleaned my office the other day, intending to reduce the clutter. Huh! There is no way I can throw these special items away. Hanging them is perfect! Thank you!

Unknown said...

the clouds. the clouds. i love clouds.

i miss african storms that make the colours of the clouds change in the matter of minutes.

thank you for the poem.

quid said...

Love your post. Love the cans. So glad you love your muse. Balsam Burgundy... molto attractivo. Maybe I'll have to go there. Sigh. Can't forsake Redken after all these years.

:)

quid

GYPSYWOMAN said...

great post - love love the thing about the cans [i do cans AND jars!!!] use them for everything! a kindred spirit for sure, lady!

oh, listen, your comment over at my place about loving modigliani, just as you were doing that comment, i was at my "words unspoken" blog doing a new post - had thought i was going to be using a mary cassett image but at last minute started searching for the long neck man - and ended up using one of his images in the post! check it out!!! shades of twilight zone!!!

Fireblossom said...

Hi Marion. Should I play that song from The Moulin Rouge? The one that goes "cos we can can can"? ;-)

Interesting poem, especially the ending about the blind stairs. I sometimes use a dark bird to symbolize the same thing.

Your muse is sweet, I like her. My muse abandoned me, but she was not hung from a string. Not hardly.

As always, I am loving the music, and I do appreciate the new pop up comment box! I can be prolixic? Prol...I can ramble, lol.

Marion said...

My friends, I thank you all for your kind comments. I've been hibernating, watching all 6 seasons of old "Northern Exposure" DVD's. I'm in love with "Chris in the Morning" (John Corbett). That show was just primo, the best ever. I appreciate you all!!!

Love & Blessings & Peace....xoxoxox

GYPSYWOMAN said...

be STILL MY HEART!!! i absolutely LOVE northern exposure too!!!

Woman in a Window said...

Marion, I do believe you are training me in the patience of other people's words. Here and what you've given to me, a rare gift. I am very impatient, and yet I let it in. Except the black dog. I do not want to let him in.

It rains here today. It is grey. And it confuses me. Calls me to different times. I try to stay here.

xo
erin

Phoenix said...

Amazing image - a black dog leading someone up blind stairs...

gorgeous. And perfect for a gray rainy day.

Delwyn said...

WE will never tire of clouds will we...

Happy days