The desires of the heart are as crooked as corkscrews—
waiting for the bite, the catch, the hook we dig in
all muscle, tug and trudge. We turn and turn. If I were
to say, beauty along the spiraling length of days
is all I want, and wine at the well—is that a heartless
if earnest lie? The pearl of our earth in black space
can’t reply
First line is from W.H. Auden’s poem, “Death’s Echo.”
the kind of Angst I dig (muscle, tug and trudge)
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It makes me think of gardening. 🙂 Which is one of my favorite metaphors for lots of things.
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What a great line from Auden, and you did a wonderful job of going with it. I’ve read this a few times–it seems so simple and so deep. I love your last line.
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Thank you. His refrain was, “Not to be born is the best for man”–but I just couldn’t go there.
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I went back and looked at his poem. I like your take. 🙂
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I love your list of desires. We should all be so lucky.
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I keep trying to keep myself from asking, Is this enough? Thanks for being here.
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We turn and turn…yes we do. (K)
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I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering if it gets us anywhere…
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around the wheel
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I do love your work. This is great. Everything I’ve read of yours catches at something in me, makes me stop and think.
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That means so much to me, thank you.
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Reblogged this on Jane Dougherty Writes and commented:
Reblogged because I like it. All of it.
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Thank you, Jane.
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Wow. Your change of perspective from inside the earth and then into space is as disorienting as your turning turning. You worked out that first line well.
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This is me trying to get a better perspective…I thought outer space might be far enough?
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Maybe, not sure. 🙂
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This is fabulous! The second line so wonderfully builds on Auden’s and that second stanza is pure magic! The pearl of our earth, wine at the well and “beauty along the spiralling length of days” – exquisite perfection! I also love the final rhyme – a wonderful note to end on.
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You are too sweet. Thank you for the encouragement.
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Well, you’re welcome but I wasn’t being sweet – I mean it!
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❤
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I enjoyed reading and re-reading the poem. The first stanza’s visceral images are for me so strong (“muscle, tug, and trudge”) that they overpower the ideal of “beauty” in the second stanza. But the image of the pearl at the end is a lovely image to end with.
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