How To Be A Poet, by Wendell Berry

November 25th, 2008 at 9:09 pm by (Around the Interweb, Feeling Bookish)

(to remind myself)

i

Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill—more of each
than you have—inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your poems,
doubt their judgment.

ii

Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.

iii

Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

(HT Rabbit Room)

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Keeping an eye on the world going by my window…

November 20th, 2008 at 7:30 pm by (Adventures in Randomosity)

It’s great to have a day off. I just wanted to say that. Today, I didn’t have to set an alarm. When I got up I didn’t have to walk immediately to the bathroom, hop in the shower, and hurriedly get ready for my day. In fact, when I got up I came into the office, opened the blinds, turned on the computer, and lazily greeted the day. It was beautiful. I wish all days would be like this. Of course, if all days were like this, there would be no job, and if there was no job, there’d be no computer, and if there was no computer, there would be no office, just a room with a desk.

I’m fairly certain there were more than a few superfluous commas in that paragraph, but I’m okay with that.

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Look around you, take a good look and tell me what you see. Are you sure this is where you want to be?

November 14th, 2008 at 12:57 am by (Adventures in Randomosity, In-television, Life and Introspection)

The title to this post is from a song by Willie Nelson, whose music I’m drawn to for some strange reason this evening. I was listening to his album of demo sessions when this song came up, and I remembered it from an episode from the first season of Lost (my favorite TV show for those who don’t know me). In this particular episode the survivors of Flight 815 break up into two factions. Part of the group heads to the caves with Jack to dig in and try to survive. There’s fresh water at the caves, and shelter. The rest stay at the beach with Kate and Sayid to keep the signal fires burning, hoping for rescue. I remember watching this episode and trying to decide which group I’d be in. I don’t think I ever decided, and I’m still not quite sure about it. I’m at a place in my life where I have to make this kind of decision. Do I dig in and hope for survival, or do I keep the signal fires burning and hope for rescue? The truth is, I’m not sure I’m where I want to be, Willie.

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