Starting back a bit, since I interjected a birthday post between the last set of journal bits and this set.
February 15, 2017
Work
By C.K. Armistead
2/15/17
Sometimes the words
All fall in line
And dance along
And everything is fine
Other times they stumble
Through my brain
And haphazardly tumble
Like a derailed train.
There is no art
No science here
It comes from the heart
And I hope it is sincere
It comes, or it doesn't
I have no say
I'm at the Muse's mercy
Every single day.
A messy business
This writing is
Changing your mind
And crossing out lines
Rewordings and
Rephrasings
Edits
And corrections
Creativity
Is
Nothing
If
Not
Messy.
So.
All the poems I got today seem to be about writing and the fickle nature of the muse.
Better check my Cohen book and see what the song lyrics are for today...
"Heart With No Compassion"
By L. Cohen
"I greet you from the other side
Of sorrow and despair
With a love so vast and shattered
It will reach you everywhere.
And I sing this for the captain
Whose ship has not been built
For the mother in confusion
Her cradle still unfilled
For the heart with no compassion
For the soul without a king
For the prima ballerina
Who cannot dance to anything.
Through the days of shame that are coming
Through the nights of wild distress
Tho' your promise count for nothing
You must keep it nonetheless.
You must keep it for the captain
Whose ship has not been built
For the mother in confusion
Her cradle still unfilled
For the heart with no compassion
I greet you from the other side"
Supposedly this is commentary on his Buddhism and the compassion central to the faith.It is a message for any faith, really.
"Though your promise count for nothing
You must keep it nonetheless"
That strikes me as central. Even if you feel worthless, like you cannot live up to your promise, if the point is moot, even, you must STILL keep your word.
There are some in power today who need to learn this.
February 16, 2017
Today's Cohen lyrics:
"Here It Is"
Never heard this one that I know of.
The part that stands out:
" Here is your cross,
Your nails and your hill;
And here is your love,
That lists where it will.
May everyone live
And may everyone die.
Hello , my love,
And my love, Goodbye."
We are all always coming or going in this life -
and usually going, as we are all caught in Time's web, and can only go forward...
Such a lovely day
But I am stuck indoors.
At least I had a walk
This morning.
It's cold out there
But that's to be expected
In Winter
Though it is much warmer
Than one would expect
For February.
February 17, 2017
I still have a couple of hours of work, but I am already in vacation mode.
I went to Dick's Sporting good and got my traditional new sneakers - Ghost 9s this time, by Brooks. Wearing a pair here at work
They are pretty comfy.
Today's lyrics are
"Hey,That's No Way To Say Goodbye."
A lovely, lyrical, sweet and sad piece- some beautiful lines in there-
"I loved you in the morning
our kisses deep and warm
your hair upon the pillow
like a sleepy golden storm."
and
"I'm not looking for another
as I wander in my time,
Walk me to the corner,
Our steps will always rhyme
You know my love goes with you
as your love stays with me,
it's just the way it changes,
like the shoreline and the sea
but let's not talk of love or
chains and things we can't untie,
Your eyes are soft with sorrow,
hey, that's no way to say goodbye."
Somewhat made me think of certain episodes of the 1980s version of Beauty and the Beast. Vincent was so connected to Catherine, told her she was always with him, and yet kept trying to send her away - for her own good. Yet, though they should have, they never shared the joys of that first verse.
The birthday revels continue -
I have a new fountain pen
Another Cross - a quite lovely polished stainless with golden accents.
It writes very smoothly and sweetly, too.
My husband spoils me, indulges me terribly!
I had too much caffeine and sugar before work.
I was very happy and full of energy
at least for awhile.
Hoping I can calm down enough to sleep -
I AM tired.
This ink is quite a jolly shade of blue- looking rather dark and ordinary until it dries -
My handwriting is suffering because of my haste -
I must slow down so that my letters have their proper shapes -
February 19, 2017
The birthday revels continue unabated in spite of thunderstorms tonight.
Thunder grumbles in the night
Sets my drowsing thoughts to flight
It's too soon to have to be wary,
Come on, it's only February!
Outside
The wind howls
The rain pours
The thunder growls
But inside
I am safe and warm
Wrapped up
In dreams
Of you.
Storms will come
And storms will go
In the end,
One thing I know
In all Above
And all Below
Nothing will
Destroy
Our love.
Time, thou most frustrating beast
Always running out
Or plodding endlessly on
Give us a chance at least
To laugh and shout
Beneath the sun.
And rain like a fire hose
Swept the land
Rushing rivers close
To where I stand
Alone upon this
Darkened plain
Not frightened
But alive
Excited
Not in pain.
Mother Nature seems quite angry
She has been crashing, rumbling and howling
Around here
For at least an hour.
Better pay attention.
February 24, 2017
I had hoped to write more this week.
Instead, I have written less.
Dealing with service people,
Doing my birthday week
Self-indulgence
Just not set up to sit and listen to the Muse.
After a beautiful, unseasonably warm day yesterday -
Today has also been beautiful, but it is cold, and very windy.
Today as I walked
I heard the symphony
Of impromptu flags
Made of plastic bags
As they crackled and snapped
And were wind- slapped
In the almost bear branches
of the trees.
February 27, 2017
The air conditioner is broken
The door is propped open
And the wind is moaning
A low-voiced dirge
Of doom
During this meeting.
The weather gods
Are informing us
Of the gathering
Doom.
Or at least the wind
Is singing
A very convincing
Song of gloom.
March 1, 2017
Lyrics today are Humbled In Love
"You will never see a man this naked
I will never hold a woman this close."
This statement comes at the end - the end of the song about the end of a relationship.
It's true, those we drift away from may still be the ones who see us at our most vulnerable.
Far opposite of yesterday,
Our air conditioner today
is at full freezing capacity
As I sit here
Being very grateful for
My sweater! #LibraryLife
March 4, 2017
This journal is too often neglected
This pen is a bit leaky for some reason.
Today it was sunny and breezy for my walk-
but by the time I came to work (my half-Saturday)
it was cloudy, and the wind was very strong out of the south.
Today's Cohen long lyrics are : "Hunter's Lullaby"
Some say the hunger is seeking the carnal world, leaving the spiritual world behind
Perhaps he is hunting his lost and responsibility-free youth -
That is something all of us would be tempted to do,
But the joys that come with some of those adult responsibilities are far too precious to let go.
On such a day
I would rather stay
Curled up on my settee
With a book and some tea
Instead, here I stand
In library land
At the Customer Service Desk
To assist in library quests.
That's about it for this batch. A few really good bits in there, but not a lot. That's the way writing is sometimes.
