KINDRED SPIRITS – SPINNING A TALE

 (I wrote this, 7 Aug 2011, thinking of two little boys -- Grandsons of My Kindred Spirit.)


*** KINDRED SPIRITS – SPINNING A TALE ***

TWO KINDRED spirits Spinning a Top,
with all earnestness
of apprentices learning an Ancient and Mystical Art.

A World of Wonder and Delights, swirls around them
in a kaleidoscope of Adventure,
in a Magical place where ordinary Cares dare not venture.

As if in a shared Dream, yet apart,
secret Treasures are revealed on imaginations' edge,
where thoughts of the Future mix
with Today's Mercurial Delights.

[dht-2011]


[PHOTO SOURCE: GOOGLE online images]

Everyday Words - Everyday Thoughts

Your thoughts don't have words every day
They come a single time

Like signal esoteric sips
Of the communion Wine

Which while you taste so native seems
So easy so to be

You cannot comprehend its price
Nor its infrequency

[~ Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Poem #1452]

***************
DEF: "esoteric" Adjective: Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.

***************

In this poem, my Maternal Cousin EMILY Elizabeth Dickinson (10 Dec 1830 - 15 May 1886), says to ME that there are NOT words enough to describe every feeling and emotion that float through my mind every day. Moreover, that the meaning of some thoughts is confusing to some who do not know my circumstance or me. In addition, some 'words' when said or written have a 'price' that is a toll paid by the author for their effect on the emotions and attitude of self and others.

EMILY did not follow the typical path of a woman of her time for she never married. She lived a solitary life in her parent's home taking care of the household and her parents during their lifetime and illness and after their deaths living alone in the homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts. She spent many hours in conjugating the mental processes and writing down some of her feelings and thoughts about her life, nature, faith, love, death, and other topics. In over 1700 poems and writings, that are known about, she recorded on paper by hand (no computers or MSWord) her thoughts in 'words'. Today she is considered a genius with the use of words, and there are college course, books, museums, and historical societies that are dedicated to reading her 'words' and analyzing each punctuation, phrase, topic, and nuance.

For myself, I believe EMILY'S 'words' and her poetry and writings can be best enjoyed when applied to my own life and experiences. In this way, I am internalizing her whispered words that murmur to my heart and that put a 'period' to my feelings and thoughts. Sometimes, I find that by reading something she has written, I am better able to gain clarity on a point in my life. Clarity helps remove the confusion and shadows that intrude and hinder the 'walk of life'. There are enough 'boulders' and 'rough seas' that make the journey difficult!

I am reminded of a time that a DEAR FRIEND helped me to reach clarity at a time, a couple of years ago, when I was baffled and confused. My friend listened to me describe my status and said that it sounded like I was experiencing DEEP GRIEF. This was a welcome realization and helped me put into perspective the many confusing feelings and thoughts that floated through my mind and heart and fell softly on to my wet cheeks. Grief is a personal process that no 'words' can explain, but 'words' in a Poem, a Prayer, or from a DEAR FRIEND can help the healing process through the solitary feelings from loss of loved ones.

[~ DOROTHY HAZEL TARR, dht-2011]


[PHOTO SOURCE; GOOGLE online images]

PATH -- Waiting for a Sign

                             [PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]

**********

SOME OF MY WORDS

I gave a ragged cry of despair at the losses in my life (youth, innocence, health, family, love, money, opportunity ...). In my heart, I heard a consoling voice.

Do not weep. As the winds of time blow across the land, all must find their path. You will see your path; it will be written in the sand and dust, and whispered in the breeze. Then you will know. It may not be the path you desire; but it will be the path you are meant to follow.
[~dht-2011]

**********
NOTE:  I chose this PIX to pair with my words, for to me, it graphically depicts a structure showing the ravages of time and sand, where there is no life, where there is no path. There's just lots of dust waiting for some stupid sign about some stupid path to be written in the dry, hot wind.

Here are the thoughts my Kindred Spirit and Cousin proffered about this posting:

The photo fits perfectly with the words; "winds of time blow across the land ... sand and dust ..." . Good job. Photo reminds me of visiting ghost towns in California; always interesting imagining the people who lived there and what their lives were like.

As humans we are usually wrong when we say "there is no life" when what we mean is that there is no sign of "human" life. What is wonderful about this pix is that is shows absolute signs of life, of nature reclaiming yet another abandoned human structure ... and life goes on.

NATURE'S SECRETS

               [PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]

***************

SOME OF MY WORDS

WHAT sweet poetry of NATURE'S anthem

resides in this inhospitable shell

WHAT mental stream of consciousness

keynotes a monologue of regret

WHAT creature exists on Earth's plane

at the changing mercy of NATURE'S whimsy

WHAT awaits the searcher

at the gong of life's end clock

WHAT unanswered calls of yesterday

go unsaid today and forgotten tomorrow

WHAT new dawn foretells

of fortunes lost on yesterday dreams

WHAT spent passion wounds

there cauterized by heartache

WHAT layers yet to unfold

reveal repeating patterns of yesterday shadows

WHAT sweet NATURE does restore

the balance and chase away demons

WHAT instrument NATURE's brandish

doth level the sharpness of lingering regret

WHAT rich nectar of NATURE does sustain

through moments of despair with assurance all's well

[dht-2011]

***************

SOME WORDS OF MY KINDRED SPIRIT AND COUSIN

This is "sweet poetry" indeed!  The poem goes so well with the picture.  The thing that first caught my attention was the circular patterns in the photo and the poem seems to be of things 'coming around', changing, the "circle of life" (so to speak).  I would venture to say the above questions might be part of your creative process.  "... phantoms, demons, shadows await the explorer" to be sure, but adventure, beauty, and solitude also await.  Although the season is irrelevant (to me), I feel it is late Summer or early Fall ... and I am a "participant", i.e., it is me in the photo standing outside the tent - waiting for my companion to return (notice the two sleeping bags) and enjoy the perfect moment-in-time together.

***************

"OH MY WORD! YOU have such a poetic SOUL and NATURE! YOU 'see' what is only revealed by the inner heart! YOU are truly one of the NATURE'S BLESSED!! [dht-2011]

Twice BLESSED are ye who see the heart where time and 'stance masks!"

[dht-2011]

‎"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”

[C. Pissarro]

***************

In this offering: What do you notice about the words? Their meaning? Sentence structure? Pairing of Sentences? First word, middle, or last words of Sentences? What words could be substituted? What connection words added for clarity? What meaning of your own would you assign to these words, phrases, sentences?

--------------- OR, Why didn't you just say so! ---------------

WHAT patterns do you see in this PIX?

WHAT mysteries of NATURE come to mind?

WHAT phantoms, demons, shadows await the explorer?

WHAT season is this?

WHAT time of day's cycle?

WHAT abode? Permanent? Temporal?

WHAT are you? Participant? Observer? Advisor? Companion? Uninvolved? Disinterested?

Don't give a 'hoot' or 'whistle'?

JUST an interesting PIX and some jumble of syllables?

---------------