#95 - Strange/Familiar
Photo by Pirkle Jones
The Day You Looked Upon Me as a Stranger by Jeffrey Harrison
I had left you at the gate to buy a newspaper
and on my way back stopped at a bank of monitors
to check the status of our flight to London.
That was when you noticed a middle-aged man
in a brown jacket and the green short-brimmed cap
I’d bought for the trip. It wasn’t until I turned
and walked toward you that you saw him as me.
What a nice-looking man, you told me you’d thought—
maybe European, with that unusual cap …
somebody, you said, you might want to meet.
We both laughed. And it aroused my vanity
that you had been attracted to me afresh,
with no baggage. A kind of affirmation.
But doubt seeped into that crevice of time
when you had looked upon me as a stranger,
and I wondered if you’d pictured him
as someone more intriguing than I could be
after decades of marriage, all my foibles known.
Did you have one of those under-the-radar daydreams
of meeting him, hitting it off, and getting
on a plane together? In those few moments,
did you imagine a whole life with him?
And were you disappointed, or glad, to find
it was only the life you already had?
Other poems I read this week:
"That power, the bang and the boom and again the bang
we cannot, need not, live without,
nor without other means to make sweet noise,
the guitar or violin, the things that sing
the plaintive, joyful sounds.
Which is why I like songs best
when I can’t hear the words, or, better still,
when there are no words at all." -from Regarding (Most) Songs by Thomas Lux
"Now I’m an archivist. Indexer of everywhere
I have ever been. Of every moment I stood
there and there. Of where I was when I was
getting and spending. Coming and going." -from An Anatomical Study by Mary Jo Bang
"The day hurts a little all the time
and a dangling knife hangs deadly off
the sun.
Hi there, sullen mistress.
You're a scourge in the garden of missed
aches." -from Mink by Carina Finn
Recommended Listening:
when they say pledge allegiance, I say - Hala Alyan
Podcast: A Sound Approach by Sanaya Ardeshir (on finding the balance in the creative process)
Links of the Day:
Must watch: Fuck Mediocrity | Rucha x Hiba
17 Artists Capture a Surreal New York From Their Windows
Turn scraps into poetry
A Postage Stamp for Jason Polan
The Failing Light (I never knew about the poet Reetika Vazirani when she was alive, but this was an eye-opener. A most important read on mental health.)
Drawing Is Good, Even When You Suck at It
9 Best Literary & Books Newsletters to Subscribe (Proud to be featured here among newsletters I love!) Must watch: Fuck Mediocrity | Rucha x Hiba (Rucha's beautiful new animation)
Photo by Muhammed Ali Arslan
Instagram Loving:
Muhammed Ali Arslan - A man vanishes to find where he truly belongs.
WP the journal - a collaborative @womenphotograph project of 400+ photographers worldwide sharing personal perspectives on COVID-19 & growing together as a community
caloriebrands - This is what brands should look like to help you achieve your summer body goals.
Artist of the Month: Austin Rossborough
"My style is a collection of influences from my childhood, alongside the things I observe while passing through the world. I like to think of my illustrations as short stories, where just enough is seen to transfer an emotion or narrative without overwhelming the viewer. I usually focus on daily happenings, imbuing them with a sense of patient mystery. Feelings of peace and calm are the emotions I hope most to convey through my work. That said, I also enjoy illustrating the extraordinary, and am still trying to find finding a balance between both worlds."
-Austin Rossborough
Click here to check out the full feature.
“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” -Ray Bradbury