Life moves pretty fast – if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.
-Ferris Bueller (John Hughes)
Emerson on Character
Accuracy is essential to beauty. The very definition of intellect is Aristotle’s: that by which we know terms or boundaries.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Long Poem: Ekphrastic Poetry
For this week’s Writer Wednesday, I want to share with you an ekphrastic poem I composed a few months ago that I have recently refined.
First, let’s define ekphrastic poetry.
Definition of ekphrasis: a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art.
ekphrasis [Gk ‘description’]: a literary work of art that seeks to describe or recreate in language a visual work of art (painting, photograph, architecture, sculpture, blown glass, etc.)
The visual arts serve as great inspiration for poets. For the following poem, I derived my inspiration from the famous Norman Rockwell piece, The Love Song, which is on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
The Love Song, by Norman Rockwell.
Oil on Canvas, 1926.
The Love Song (after Norman Rockwell)
Mr. Jameson and his friend
were about to rehearse –
my favorite part
of the morning.
Tick… tick…
The metronome counts.
Nineteen minutes
past nine –
right on time.
I had eleven
minutes to fantasize,
and I intended
to use each one
before the coo of the clock
brought me back to my broom
and the sink full of dishes.
Even though the house
was never clean
enough for the missus,
and I was behind schedule,
I welcomed the break.
The charming notes
fashioned by the flute
and clarinet
carried me across
the room, sashaying my body
to the window, where I could
I rest my head against
the cool, plaster-covered
stone wall.
The men and their music, they
drenched me in a melody
strangely familiar, but I don’t mind.
I adore their eager, genuine effort
to compose their notes like
they worked parallel to the Gershwins.
Every Thursday morning,
at nineteen minutes past nine,
the jazz takes me
back to that moment…
I clutched my broom
tight to my heart,
and slipped
into my usual reverie.
We were sitting on the edge
of the granite fountain
in the middle
of the park, when he first
asked me to dance.
He held me tight
against his chest,
cheek to cheek, and
invited me to trace
his steps, so delicately,
as we swayed…
he whispered
the love song he wrote for me
into my ear. For that brief moment,
I was his…
until the decrescendo
of the flute and
the clarinet’s swelling rest
allowed the little wooden bird’s
final coo to rush
me back to my broom.
Ghandi Quote
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
- Gandhi
Choose Your Own Adventure
A couple of years ago, I kinda “came out” as an agnostic/atheist. You might remember my post about it… but if you don’t, here’s the TL;DR version.
Grew up in a Catholic family. Blindly followed for more than two decades, without question. Never really connected with it (religion), and never understood why, but asked no questions. Finally unlocked my mind, opened my eyes, and began to question everything.
And now, here we are. I’ve asked questions like how can a god be so great, yet cause so much pain? How can middle and upper-class Americans pray to a god who allows children in Africa to starve to death or be disease-ridden before their 5th birthday? Why do we slave away to this supposed higher power for the promise of an eternal afterlife… when we aren’t even sure there’s somewhere to go after this one? And why do other religions have to be “right” or “wrong” – how do we know what is right or wrong? How do we know which god is the “right” god? Can we really trust a book (or books) that were written many centuries before us and not expect there to be translation errors (it’s just a giant game of telephone at this point…)? And furthermore… if there is a god or many gods, would they really want us fighting and killing each other in their name? Probably not. I could keep going with my questions… but I’m sure you get the point.
I don’t believe in the Christian/Catholic god. It’s not for me. In fact, I don’t really know what I believe in, but I’m sure it’s not one of these figures. It’s more the Universe to me. Can’t argue with science, after all. Before, I talked about how I lost my religion… but the truth is, I don’t think I ever found it.
Earlier today, I read something Brad Pitt said in an interview a couple of years ago got me thinking about this topic again.
“When I got untethered from the comfort of religion, it wasn’t a loss of faith for me, it was a discovery of self. I had faith that I’m capable enough to handle any situation. There’s peace in understanding that I have only one life, here and now, and I’m responsible.”
Discovery of self. Yes. I discovered myself and a new path in life – one that didn’t require me to follow a book written centuries ago. One that prompted me to think for myself. I discovered that in order to be true to myself, I had to be honest with myself. I finally was comfortable enough to not hide my feelings and admit to some of my family that I’m not religious anymore. I wish it wouldn’t have been at my grandfather’s funeral, but that’s just how it worked out. He would still love me, I have no doubt in my mind, no matter what I believed in. He would want me to be me. And this is me.
Perhaps my favorite part about Pitt’s quote is the last sentence. I have one life. I’m responsible for it. I am in charge of my life – no one else. Not a sky wizard, not a god, not a book. I get to choose how I want to live. It’s like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books, really. It’s all about choices… and I choose to treat others with kindness. I choose to not murder others in the name of someone non-existent in my life. I choose to be a good person, help others, and spread love instead of hate. I don’t know what will happen after this life, but I do know that when I enter the great unknown, I will have left a legacy of love. I prefer to call it the great unknown because that’s what it is to me – completely unknown.
As the years go by, I’m becoming more comfortable in my skin. It’s fine – it only took a few decades. No big deal. The older I get, the more I don’t want to apologize for how I feel or what I believe. Sorry, not sorry. I am educated, savvy, and have a good head on my shoulders… so it’s about time I started using it without being apologetic. I am capable of making good decisions and I have faith in myself. I am strong, smart, independent, and can handle things on my own without someone watching over me. I am at peace knowing that I am in charge of dictating my journey. After all, I’m the one who has to live my life, not anyone else, so I might as well take charge and make the most of it. I hope you can do the same, no matter the path you choose.