Home thoughts

Yes, yes; I know, I know. Never begin a post with a poem. Certainly not the very first ever post …

But what’s a girl to do who was raised on rote memorization of poetry in elementary school? It may be fatal for some kids but it turned me into a lifelong poetry nerd. I love it, buy it, read it. And still memorize it — a much more difficult task once one leaves school days behind.

More difficult because one’s brain is now perpetually filled with furniture designs, fabric patterns, flower names, foodstuffs. All of them floating around inside me, slithering and sliding against each other until they finally emerge — not in so many words — but on the walls, on the dinner table, in the garden. The poetics of everyday life.

Note to self-admitted nerds: "Home: A Collection of Poetry and Art," edited by Stan Tymorek, offers a wide selection of takes on the subject. (For reasons that I can’t quite discern, copies of the book range from one cent to about $20. Something in everyone’s budget, I guess). Here’s a little tease:

Hold on, dear house,

‘gainst the long hours
of emptiness, against
the wind’s tearing force.

You are my mind
made particular,
my heart in its place.

— from Robert Creeley’s “This House”

Comments

[Sparky]

Nice post! Where did you get the great photos? I love it that the flowers aren't perfect.