#60 - Living by the sea
Art by Philip Koch
Lesson in Stillness by Tishani Doshi
All morning I try to hold it —
the desperation of a fly
beating against glass,
a dog's distant bark,
the dull throb of a lorry
winding its way up the hills.
By afternoon I think I've mastered it.
Nothing the world offers me
can be as complete or as full as this.
When I step in to the light,
I have no song for the stones,
no thought for the grass.
I only want to remember
this long road,
this steady pulse,
which feels like love.
So when evening
feeds itself to night,
clearing the way
for frost or flood,
I'll still be left with this —
the bright suffocation of flowers,
the weight of the day's hours.
Listen to Tishani read the poem aloud here.
Other poems I read this week:
"All afternoon the sea was a muddle of birds,
black and spiky,
long-necked, slippery.
Down they went
into the waters for the poor
blunt-headed silver
they live on, for a little while.
God, how did it ever come to you to
invent Time?
I dream at night
of the birds, of the beautiful, dark seas
they push through." -Cormorants by Mary Oliver "The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead —
There were no birds to fly.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
‘If this were only cleared away,’
They said, ‘it would be grand!’" -from The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll "Yes, I’m truly a fool
Living among trees and plants.
Please don’t question me about illusion and enlightenment —
This old fellow just likes to smile to himself.
I wade across streams with bony legs,
And carry a bag about in fine spring weather.
That’s my life,
And the world owes me nothing." -Ryōkan
"When I see the sea once more
will the sea have seen or not seen me?
Why do the waves ask me
the same questions I ask them?
And why do they strike the rock
with so much wasted passion?
Don’t they get tired of repeating
their declaration to the sand?" -from Pablo Neruda's The Book of Questions, translated by William O’Daly
"The earth has guilt, the earth has care,
Unquiet are its graves;
But peaceful sleep is ever there,
Beneath the dark blue waves." -from The Ocean by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Recommended Listening:
La Mer - Django Reinhardt + watch this great scene from Mr Bean's Holiday with Charles Trénet's rendition
Don't Let It Bother You - Fats Waller
On the Sunny Side of the Street - Billie Holiday
Nocturne No. 2 in E flat Major, Op. 9,2 - Chopin I Saw Her Again - The Mamas and the Papas
Cherathukal - Kumbalangi Nights
Links of the Week:
How to take the perfect weekend nap
The age of envy: how to be happy when everyone else's life looks perfect
Anshika Varma captures Olcott Kuppam's shifting tides Animals for ever - an essay by Gerald Durrell
Lemony Snicket Killed Edward Gorey
The Wonderful Art of Missing Pet Posters
I have fallen in love with the sea in a way I've never felt before. And there is a sense of complete joy as I send out this week's newsletter from a gorgeous house by the sea near Mahabalipuram, where I'm spending 10 days alone writing, reading, doodling, clicking photographs, and immersing myself in the present.
It's been 3 days of mostly solitude but for Ammu and the three dogs - Buggy, Zelda and Bagheera, who make for wonderful company. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings, so good night for now.
Sending good vibrations wherever this email goes :)
-Rohini