I love the hour before takeoff,
that stretch of no time, no home
but the gray vinyl seats linked like
unfolding paper dolls. Soon we shall
be summoned to the gate, soon enough
there’ll be the clumsy procedure of row numbers
and perforated stubs—but for now
I can look at these ragtag nuclear families
with their cooing and bickering
or the heeled bachelorette trying
to ignore a baby’s wail and the baby’s
exhausted mother waiting to be called up early
while the athlete, one monstrous hand
asleep on his duffel bag, listens,
perched like a seal trained for the plunge.
Even the lone executive
who has wandered this far into summer
with his lasered itinerary, briefcase
knocking his knees—even he
has worked for the pleasure of bearing
no more than a scrap of himself
into this hall. He’ll dine out, she’ll sleep late,
they’ll let the sun burn them happy all morning
—a little hope, a little whimsy
before the loudspeaker blurts
and we leap up to become
Flight 828, now boarding at Gate 17.
I know that many of you have already started, and some have finished Dani Shapiro’s acclaimed new memoir, DEVOTION. Dani will join us for a live chat about her book which explores her spiritual journey into the “afternoon of life,” on Monday April 5th at 8:00 PM, Eastern.
Just a reminder that this evening, at 8:00 Eastern time, we will be discussing Daphne DuMaurier’s REBECCA.
I’m so looking forward to this. It’s supposed to be a stormy night here in New England, which will be the perfect atmosphere to discuss this moody tale.
I was going to post a link to a video clip from the Hitchcock film of Rebecca, but decided not to, as some of you have not seen the film. If you want though, go over to YouTube and look at the clips. Look at how Hitchcock used shadows so eerily, as he always did, but also the way he made everything at Manderley gigantically overscaled. Everything of Rebecca’s was HUGE! Her closets, her room, her brushes. Her house. The young Mrs. DeWinter had to almost reachup to grab a doorknob, like a young child.
Today is that day, the day that carried
a desperate light that since has died.
Don’t let the squatters know:
let’s keep it all between us,
day, between your bell
and my secret.
Today is dead winter in the forgotten land
that comes to visit me, with a cross on the map
and a volcano in the snow, to return to me,
to return again the water
fallen on the roof of my childhood.
Today when the sun began with its shafts
to tell the story, so clear, so old,
the slanting rain fell like a sword,
the rain my hard heart welcomes.
You, my love, still asleep in August,
my queen, my woman, my vastness, my geography
kiss of mud, the carbon-coated zither,
you, vestment of my persistent song,
today you are reborn again and with the sky’s
black water confuse me and compel me:
I must renew my bones in your kingdom,
I must still uncloud my earthly duties.
My friends Moses Pendleton and Cynthia Quinn have returned from Rome, where their dance company, Momix launched its European tour of the show, “Botanica.” It was a very exciting trip for them, as the Italians love nature, beauty, music and dance and the audiences and critics went crazy over the show. So many amazing stories from Moses today. But most exciting to me is the fact that Moses exhibited many of his flower photographs at the theater because the art director of the show, in Italy, had seen Moses’s photographs online. Where? Right here, that’s where! On this very blog! And now Moses has been asked to do a show at a museum of contemporary art in Rome! Of his botanical photographs! I can’t remember the name of the museum, but it’s very famous and I wish Moses would comment here and tell you all the stuff that he told me today, because it was all so exciting that I was literally levitating off the bed-desk, and then when I hung up the phone I had forgotten all the details.
And Moses sent us this flower. This photograph is so, so beautiful that it makes me a little bit sad. I’m not sure why. But congratulations to Moses and Cynthia and Botanica!
Here’s a poem, called, appropriately, Botanica. Even Bev might like it, because it’s a prose-y poem. I love it. No complaints now. Yes, it’s a little dark but also sensual and delicately crafted and beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Enjoy:
BOTANICA
By Eve Alexandra
They are everywhere–those sunflowers with the coal heart center. They riot
without speaking, huge, wet mouths caught at half-gasp, half-kiss.
Flowers she promises I’ll grow into, sweet gardener,
long luminous braids I’d climb like ladders, freckles scattered
across our shoulders in a spell of pollen. She’s sleeping there–on that table
with its veneer slick as a glass coffin. She’s fed us fiddleheads, the tine fists
of Brussels sprouts, cupcakes, even the broken song of the deer’s neck. Singing.
Flowers everywhere. In my bedroom chaste daisies and the vigilance
of chrysanthemums. Dirt under my nails, pressing my cheek to the shag rug
with its million fingers. You could lose anything: a tooth, Barbie’s shoe,
this prayer. She loves me. She loves me not. I stare at my reflection,
a posy of wishes. Morning glory, nightshade, tulip, rhododendron.
In this poem I would be the Wicked Witch and she Snow White. Waiting.
My father talks to me about their lovemaking. My mouth empty
as a lily. I try to remember the diagram. Which is the pistil?
Which is the stamen? Roads of desire circle our house: Lost Nation Severance,
Poor Farm. Branches catch the wings of my nightgown.
There is a crow and the smell of blackberries.
Since yesterday’s post was so depressing, I thought I’d follow with something cheerier. Here are a couple of animals who are not at risk of finding themselves in a kill shelter anytime soon. And, as you can see, they are not exactly malnourished – in fact the horse looks like it is about to have a foal, but of course, he is not, because our Snoopy is a gelding. He likes to offer some inspiration while I type. He nibbles dreamily at the lawn and then breathes sweet-smelling thoughts into my ear. Oh, the breath of a horse is so nice and earthy and sweet. All they eat is grass and clover and hay and grain, nothing disgusting like meat. Our horse Gabriel is so repulsed by meat-eaters that he won’t touch his water trough if a dog has drunk from it. And they digest their meals slowly and thoughtfully and so when they breathe out through those big soft nostrils, it’s just lovely warm huffs of meadow and air.
I love the winter but it’ll be nice to sit under that apple tree with my horses and dogs again.
“Four things greater than all things are, -
Women and Horses and Power and War.”
~Rudyard Kipling, “The Ballad of the King’s Jest”
HAVE me in the blue and the sun.
Have me on the open sea and the mountains.
When I go into the grass of the sea floor, I will go alone.
This is where I came from—the chlorine and the salt are blood and bones.
It is here the nostrils rush the air to the lungs. It is here oxygen clamors to be let in.
And here in the root grass of the sea floor I will go alone.
Love goes far. Here love ends.
Have me in the blue and the sun.
The Lift Trucks Gallery sent me this short video that they made of last night’s reading. If you don’t blink, at the very end, you will see me up at the mike. But as the others have said, the most fun was (for me) before the event, and (for them) afterward.
I arrived at our designated meeting spot, Tazza Cafe, and as one of the others stated, within minutes, our screeching and cackling and guffawing had driven the other patrons away. Most had arrived before me and Tracy very graciously offered to buy me a cup of tea and then we all got to gabbing, and honestly, it felt like I was with family.
Here’s stuff I learned about the people who went, that I hadn’t already known:
Barbara teaches at an inner-city school and she loves her students and some of them have gone on to compete on a state (national?) level in an academic competition, with her as the coach. They are “Team Sorenson!” She sent me a photo of the team with their trophies but it’s quite blurry. Hoping she’ll send another.
Aislinn’s parents are from Ireland and she’s used to a lot of swearing and foul language and sang a song for us involving brass cleaner and bollocks! It was funny, because she’s soft-spoken and feminine.
Bev’s brother (cousin? Oh, how I wish I was taking notes) is a famous footballer in the UK. Bev’s husband Mark was a very good sport for coming along.
Colleen is thoughtful and kind and recommended my friend Dani Shapiro’s book, highly. She had just finished it.
Tracy was quieter than I expected, but her laugh is booming and infectious.
Alan explained that “putz” and “schmuck” are even nastier words than most of us had thought. Oh yes, we got right down to some vulgarities, even bandying about the c-word at one point (It was me, sorry. It was a joke).
Wonderful Arliss and her husband Bruce live quite near me and Bruce is the published author of a cook book!
Lisa is funny and pretty and thinks she doesn’t photograph well, which she does. Lisa’s Tom, also a great sport.
KC (Ms. Brunch) and her husband Matt met us at the gallery and then went on to dinner with the rest of the gang. I met KC years ago when she was a kid. SHe’s not a kid anymore! Gorgeous.
Here’s a group photo, taken by Tracy:
Here I am at the mike. As you can see, I decided to convert my story into song and sing it for the group.
Well the group has been sending each other photos from past night and perhaps they will put them up on their Facebook pages. Thanks to all who attended, you were wonderful!
I apologize to those of you whose comments didn’t appear when you posted them. Sometimes they get sent to the spam pile and sometimes I forget to check. It often happens when you post links. I love the links, so if you post something and it doesn’t appear, feel free to let me know so I can dig it out of the spam bin.
I went on a very enjoyable hike with the dogs today, took all sorts of photos, and now can’t find the USB cord (again). So I’ve rifled through the many, many photos on my computer to find something to brighten the blog again and found these winter landscapes.
That last shot is the sun setting behind the hockey rink. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love the color and the light in the winter.
Here’s a nice poem, though it’s not yet February:
FEBRUARY: THE BOY BREUGHEL by Norman Dubie
The birches stand in their beggar's row:
Each poor tree
Has had its wrists nearly
Torn from the clear sleeves of bone,
These icy trees
Are hanging by their thumbs
Under a sun
That will begin to heal them soon,
Each will climb out
Of its own blue, oval mouth;
The river groans,
Two birds call out from the woods
And a fox crosses through snow
Down a hill; then, he runs,
He has overcome something white
Beside a white bush, he shakes
It twice, and as he turns
For the woods, the blood in the snow
Looks like the red fox,
At a distance, running down the hill:
A white rabbit in his mouth killed
By the fox in snow
Is killed over and over as just
Two colors, now, on a winter hill:
Two colors! Red and white. A barber's bowl!
Two colors like the peppers
In the windows
Of the town below the hill. Smoke comes
From the chimneys. Everything is still.
Ice in the river begins to move,
And a boy in a red shirt who woke
A moment ago
Watches from his window
The street where an ox
Who's broken out of his hut
Stands in the fresh snow
Staring cross-eyed at the boy
Who smiles and looks out
Across the roof to the hill;
And the sun is reaching down
Into the woods
Where the smoky red fox still
Eats his kill. Two colors.
Just two colors!
A sunrise. The snow.
I hesitate to interrupt all the introductions with a new blog but I encourage people to keep coming out! I don’t want to say welcome, because many of you have been reading all along, but, it’s lovely to hear all the new voices.
I have been insanely busy, this week and so have many people I know. First, my friend Dani Shapiro has a new book coming out on Monday. The book is called Devotion and it’s a beautiful examination of her spiritual journey in what she calls “the afternoon of life.” Click on her link and have a look at her books and blog and introduce yourselves while you’re there. I’ve already read Devotion and recommend it highly!
I have also been researching animal rescue organizations for my book and would like to call your attention to a wonderful contest that is going on at The Animal Rescue Site. You can vote for your favorite rescue organization and the group that receives the most votes will receive lots of $$$$$$$. But you don’t have to give a penny. I know everybody is giving whatever they can spare to Haiti relief organizations now, so this is a way you can help by just, literally lifting a finger and clicking on the “vote” link. If you don’t have a favorite rescue organization, please vote for Hot Water Rescue New England. This group has saved some of the neediest dogs in New England and could really use the support. Here’s a gorgeous pup that they have saved and are trying to place:
So get out your vote! You can vote once a day, every day.
I know that many of you have already started, and some have finished Dani Shapiro’s acclaimed new memoir, DEVOTION. Dani will join us for a live chat about her book which explores her spiritual journey into the “afternoon of life,” on Monday April 5th at 8:00 PM, Eastern.
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