#66 - rousseau, wilco, and a few bird poems for good measure
Art by Henry Rousseau
Such Singing in the Wild Branches by Mary Oliver
It was spring
and I finally heard him
among the first leaves––
then I saw him clutching the limb
in an island of shade
with his red-brown feathers
all trim and neat for the new year.
First, I stood still
and thought of nothing.
Then I began to listen.
Then I was filled with gladness––
and that's when it happened,
when I seemed to float,
to be, myself, a wing or a tree––
and I began to understand
what the bird was saying,
and the sands in the glass
stopped
for a pure white moment
while gravity sprinkled upward
like rain, rising,
and in fact
it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing––
it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed
not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,
and also the trees around them,
as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds
in the perfect blue sky–––all of them
were singing.
And, of course, so it seemed,
so was I.
Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn't last
For more than a few moments.
It's one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,
is that, once you've been there,
you're there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?
Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.
More bird poems I loved reading:
"I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;
Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.
The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.
And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song." -A Minor Bird by Robert Frost "Birds are flyin' south for winter.
Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes it's kind of nice
To be the only bird in town."" -Weird-Bird by Shel Silverstein
"Your numbers fall and it’s tempting to think
you’re deserting our suburbs and estates
like your cousins at Pompeii; that when you return
to bathe in dust and build your nests again
in a roofless world where no one hears your cheeps,
only a starling’s modem mimicry
will remind you of how you once supplied
the incidental music of our lives." -For the House Sparrow, in Decline by Paul Farley
"Spring is passing.
The birds cry, and the fishes fill
With tears on their eyes." -Matsuo Bashō
Recommended Listening:
Before Us - Wilco (how did I not know that there's a new Wilco album out!)
So Caught Up - The Teskey Brothers
Serpiente - José Manuel Aguilera / Yamil Rezc (Promesaluz)
How to talk to kids about climate change + Dear Tomorrow
Piano Joint - Michael Kiwanuka
To The Sea - Maria Chiara Argirò Hidden Seas
Links of the Week:
You Wanted A List (so cool!)
Second Act (a web series that follows five people who’ve chosen a new direction in their careers, discovering their passions and defining their own version of success.)
"Love is not a permanent state of enthusiasm"
You can now download 435 Bird Illustrations by John James Audubon for free
Ridhima Pandey: India's Greta Thunberg
Instagram Loving:
Dick van Duijn
Pancrazi
Subjectively Objective
"I think all the interactions and observations I have had within my close proximity sparks certain personal beliefs and makes me question or observe my environment with more scrutiny. That is to say, a simple subway from point a to point b frequently becomes an anthropological study. I constantly see passengers flipping through their phones from one app to the next to no end or avail. And I can only assume that this routine becomes somewhat monotonous for them to the point of exhaustion. The fatigue on their faces and limbs become almost cartoonish or full of weight. I think this translates itself into my works."
-Tony Toscani
I'm beyond excited to share my interview with Tony Toscani, an artist who has been on my must-interview list since forever. I've never gotten more insight about an artist's mind as I did with this, and I urge you to read it and check out his powerful artworks, which are the most apt reflection of our times and how!
Read it on the blog: www.thealiporepost.com/blog/interview-tony-toscani
"What can we do? We must live our lives."
-Anton Chekhov