Monday, November 26, 2012

The Empty Clothesline


"Sometimes I have loved the peacefulness of an ordinary Sunday. It is like standing in a newly planted garden after a warm rain. You can feel the silent and invisible life. All it needs from you is that you take care not to trample on it." ~ Marilyn Robinson, author of Gilead

There are mornings that seem to require a softer step, a quieter entrance to the growing day, a time to let storms dissipate and fall into the nothingness from which they come. There's so much to be found in the "silent and invisible life," where anything is possible. Though the calendar tells us it's Monday, it's really just another "ordinary Sunday," deserving of all the gentleness we can bring to it, perhaps even a purer understanding of where each one of us might be on our own peculiar journey to remembering who we really are.


"Meeting the Light Completely"

Even the long-beloved
was once
an unrecognized stranger.

Just so,
the chipped lip
of a blue-glazed cup,
blown field
of a yellow curtain,
might also,
flooding and falling,
ruin your heart.

A table painted with roses.
An empty clothesline.

Each time,
the found world surprises—
that is its nature.

And then
what is said by all lovers:
"What fools we were, not to have seen."

~ Jane Hirshfield





Photo: my clothesline in summer

22 comments:

  1. Oh I love your writing Teresa!
    This is just perfect!

    Jane x

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    1. Thank you so much, dear Jane. It's lovely to hear from you.

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  2. I feel this way, generally speaking, about the month of November. There's something quiet, even ominous about it. The light is different, the day is shorter, and you know that the cold is waiting...

    Pearl

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    1. Pearl of Great Price, Sharing this November, somewhere in the middle of this beautiful state, waiting for the winter to settle in... Not a bad way to go through life....

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  3. What a beautiful post....gentle and a reminder to us to BE gentle at the dawn of a day, to respect its awakening & unfolding. Loved this...

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    1. Ashling, Yes, respect for the awakening day... it's easy to forget, until it isn't... :)

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  4. There are times that require a softer step, a quieter entrance.....

    I sometimes miss these, I mean they are there but I don't recognize what is in front of me. And I wish that I had each one of my poor "entrances" back.

    I should accept that this is part of being who I am, but I sure wish I could sort this out. On the other hand, it gives me comfort to realize that I have a lot to work on.

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    1. Wild Bill, Your latest post about wetlands and sedges shows me that's not true. You entered the world with eyes wide open and we all benefit from that. Nothing to sort, just let life flow... it's going to anyway, might as well go with it... :)

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  5. Dear Teresa, oh to have eyes to see beyond the surface and to know the deep down goodness and sweetness of all things. Thank you always and ever for the poems and stories, photographs and paintings you share with us. Peace.

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    1. You are always and ever welcome. I'm so glad for your thoughtful responses to my writing.

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  6. Teresa -- thanks for the Jane Hirshfield poem! Her words are so insightful of the small things that can awaken us if we just remain aware -- such as her words, "What fools we were, not to have seen." -- barbara

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    1. I just love that poem. She says so much with few words.

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  7. Sigh. I am now in a mood, the post and the poem taking me there. I thank you for your writing. As always. :-)

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  8. Dear Teresa, you are something which we in Denmark call a "livskunstner", directly tranlation: "artist of life". It is impossible to explain in English. Thank you for beautiful post.
    Cheers
    Grethe ´)

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    1. Dearest Grethe, I don't know when anyone has said anything so fine to me. I feel honored by your generous words.

      Buddy sends greetings on this cold Minnesota night.

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  9. Wow. This is beautiful. What fools we were not to have seen. I'm reading this at the opposite end of the day, a bit too tired to do it justice but promising myself to remember it as I wake up in the morning.

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    1. It's a poem that grows on you, I think. I hope you like it even better on second read.

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  10. You always find good and thought provoking poems. Thanks for this one.

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  11. Wow ... is there a better blog on the internet for those of us who love literature and the insights it accords us? No, there isn't ...

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