Sunday, October 21, 2012

Under the Milky Way


















It's been far too long since I've taken a walk after dark down a country road, moonlight and shadows leading the way. When I lived in my farmhouse in Ansel, I did so quite often despite the fact that I knew a bear lived nearby and a cougar visited occasionally. I just didn't let these things prevent me from being out under that moon, particularly if it was full, or if the Milky Way was ablaze across the night sky. I liked being out there, soaking it all up.

It's still quite dark, there doesn't seem to be much moonlight as I sit here writing this, waiting for the coffee to perk. Does anyone still say that anymore? Does the coffee still perk?  Or have a multitude of Keurigs replaced that wait?  And now I'm wondering, have I lost my nerve?  Am I too concerned about meeting a bear on the road, even though it sounds like a marvelous thing to do? Oh, to meet a bear on the road, have some small bit of silent conversing there. Perhaps I should go looking for it soon, my nerve, take a walk in the moonlight - not down my driveway, I've done that a number of times - walk down the road, willing to meet whatever might be out and about, also looking up at the Milky Way, glad to be here in this beautiful world. Perhaps all those native souls that line the road and fill the woods are looking for some human company. And even if they're not, I certainly know I could use theirs.

In the meantime, I'll offer this Mary Oliver poem that took me down this path of thought:


"Some Questions You Might Ask"

Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?
Who has it, and who doesn’t?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly.
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?
Like the eye of a hummingbird?
Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?
Why should I have it, and not the anteater
who loves her children?
Why should I have it, and not the camel?
Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?
What about the blue iris?
What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?
What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?
What about the grass?

~ Mary Oliver








No, it's not my photo. I borrowed it from Mr. Google's wallpaper offerings.

38 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Teresa. I do hope you take that walk down the road, meeting the others who are loving the moment. I also thank you for the poem, a new one to me from Mary Oliver.

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    1. And I shall, Jan. Perhaps tonight, should the stars be out. I am looking forward to it. The poem: I just love the line "all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight." I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday!

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  2. I worry about people more than bears. When I'd walk at night, when I was still in the country, I'd remind myself that the bears and cougars are there in the light of day also. When you have skies with stars it is good to be out there, but I understand your thoughts regardless.

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    1. Isn't it odd? I never thought for a moment about the people. I live in a very rural area and know all my neighbors, but I also suppose if I saw headlights I'd step into the woods and wait quietly while the car passed.... Thank you for the thought about the daylight hours. Bears tend to be nocturnal (that's when they always visited under my apple trees, anyway), but I know they are out in daylight as well. I would imagine they would quietly retreat as would I. :)

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  3. It is worth the risk of whatever is out there...the night weather in Az is gorgeous right now and I have been spending more time off line and out there enjoying the night. Something I intend to do more of..

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    1. That sounds wonderful! The desert night sky is incomparable! Good for you and that perfect choice.

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  4. Maybe The Bear We Meet Is The One We Wish For ?In The Same Way As We Finally Get Whatever Heaven We Believe In...In Which Case, Mine Will Be A Cartoon,Yogi Affair!

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    1. Hey, Mr Ranger Type Sir! Ah, yes, meeting and getting what we wish for. I think there is great truth in that, Tony. Absolutely. And I just happen to have been a big Yogi Bear fan. What's in that pic-i-nic basket, anyway?

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  5. A wonderful poem, no doubt. When ever I ponder the Milky Way I feel so small. It's good to understand how tiny we are as compared to vastness of our galaxy much less the universe!

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    1. One only has to look up at the night sky to get a deeper understanding. Quite a wonderful thing, isn't it?

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  6. A lovely walk, this post. The entire post, I mean. It is, for me, rather like a walk with your black background and Milky Way and Mary Oliver. You write so lyrically, Teresa, that your words about your own walk reads like a poem. Beautiful.

    We still perk coffee. We have a drip coffeepot, but, we sometimes use the old percolator kind that your head up on the stove, waiting like what seems forever for the perking sound and the most wonderful aroma that emanates from the spout. Yep. We still perk.

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    1. Thank you so much, Penny. I appreciate your kind words. There's something about the wee morning hours that allows the thoughts and words to flow more easily. I have a drip coffee maker but have given some thought lately to doing the same, a percolator on the stove, one I could use for camping, also, should that ever occur again. I've had my eye on one that's blue speckled enamelware. :)

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  7. Awesome post, congratulations Teresa!

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  8. Teresa, My coffee pot perks and makes the best ever coffee. It is like the old camp kind,I found it online. One time I had a bobcat pass by me and my dog at a distance of about fifteen feet, it did not sense us -- to use an overused word -- it was mystical! Hopefully you'll get to meet or view your bear or cougar some day. Or maybe just hear their growl or cry would be nice. Good post. -- barbara

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    1. Barbara, What a wonderful experience with the bobcat! Mystical, indeed. Lovely. I would love to see the bear, from a reasonable distance. :) I do love knowing they inhabit the nearby woods and I don't mind sharing my apple trees with them a bit.

      Thanks!

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  9. God sleeps in the rock
    Dreams in the plant,
    Stirs in the animal
    And awakens in man.
    ~Sufi teaching
    Thanks for an inspiring post.

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    1. Hi John, I have done some investigation into Sufism and have great respect for its teachings. Thank you for these wonderfully apropos thoughts.

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  10. I've been wanting to sleep out under the stars for some time now - as the nights blend into winter and become chillier, I think I'll have to postpone it for another season. And thanks for the Mary Oliver poem. I recently (re)discovered her and posted an excerpt from one of her poems on my blog.

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    1. There is something quite wonderful about sleeping under the stars. I love the excerpt you posted. She's an amazing poet.

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  11. Hej Teresa, when you were alone you did walk out, but now you hesitate, it might be because you don't want Buddy to get hurt? You always show a great care of others.

    It's a beautiful poem and you have shown us some of Mary Oliver's fine poetry before. I suddenly feel there is a sound of the Native American poetry in it. But maybe it is a coincidence.

    Cheers
    Grethe ´)

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    1. Having buddy definitely has colored those choices, Grethe. His well-being is as important as my own.

      Many of her poems reflect a natural love for the world that is often reflected in Native American literature. My choices might be influenced by this, as well, but all of her poetry shows a deep sensitivity to the world around us.

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  12. Growing up in the country I lived about one mile below the main village where most of my friends lived. There were many nights I would ride my bike or walk that one mile stretch home in complete darkness. It was sort of cleansing in a way. It could be a little scary if you heard or felt the presence of an animal in the woods on either side. You have revived a desire to recreate that feeling. The desire to stay where the coffee perks an imaginary song is stronger on this Sunday eve. Great post. Love Mary's work too.

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    1. That's it, John, that childhood feeling of scary wonder! I, too, often walked home after dark from friends, or grandparents (they had the TV), and it was wonderful and scary and, yes, cleansing. Primal almost. It's good to recreate those things when we can.

      Yeah, that darn coffee in the kitchen....

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  13. Dear Teresa, and what about the snowflake drifting down lazily to join the mound of Oneness that lies beneath the eaves? Peace.

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    1. Oh, yes, each in their individual expression, part of the whole. Thanks, Dee.

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  14. I have an old pot I take camping for the coffee.I love to gaze at the stars at night when out away from the lights. It is a highlight when I am working evenings.

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    1. There's nothing quite like looking up at the night sky. It puts everything into perspective.

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  15. I understand the call of the wild, the urge to be one with the animals of the forest and encounter them with understanding. The trouble is that the animal doesn't see it that way.
    Please be careful. Walk with awareness.
    See that bear as he really is.
    Lovely Mary Oliver poem.

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    1. I will be careful, keep my antennae up, my eyes and ears open. I always remember that I'm really in their space, in their home.

      Thank you. :)

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  16. Are people the sole creatures to have a soul? Much may depend on the language we speak. In Latin, the word that we translate as 'soul' was anima, whose original sense had to do with 'air' and 'wind'. From that came the idea of 'the breath of life.' The adjective animalis meant originally 'consisting of air', and later 'living,' or to use a related word, 'animate'. As a noun, an animal designated a living being, a being with the breath of life, which is to say a being with what English calls a soul.

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    1. I love etymology and so thank you for this. It's an interesting question as to what does "soul" mean on other possible levels. There is soul, as you've described. But then, is there Soul, with a divine nature? Somewhere in there is where my question lies. :)

      Good to hear from you, Steven.

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  17. Lovely poem! I personally believe we are all part of the same energy force...from the stones to the air to us. :)

    Did you go walking? All you have to do is make a little human noise--jingle your keys or sing softly. They usually want to avoid us. Be unafraid and think loving thoughts and you'll be just fine. I'm more afraid of the humans, too. ;)

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    1. I agree with you, Rita. Completely. And on that note, considering your thoughts around the walk: we're on the same page there, too, sweet lady.

      No walk yet. I'm hoping for a real clear night and that's been hard to come by lately. soon, I hope.

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  18. Hello Teresa:
    When we lived deep in the Herefordshire countryside, when skies were inky black, we would often go out and stargaze, although never with the fear of a wild bear in the woods!However, as city dwellers, we increasingly feel that we lose touch of that great expanse of universe as sodium light pollutes the sky. Yes, a walk on the wild side would be good!!!

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    1. Jane and Lance, A walk on the wild side is definitely in order! Thanks so much for your visit.

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  19. I also enjoy night walks on those nights when the Milky Way is bright and clear. I missed that this past summer when the smoke from the fires obscured much of the night sky, and am looking forward to those cold clear winter nights now that the smoke is gone.

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    1. To smoke free nights and clear skies! Those crisp nights make the stars seem touchable.

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