Weekly Edition #24
Art by Xiola Jensen
Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
of lives and whole towns destroyed or about
to be. We are not wise, and not very often
kind. And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this
is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world. It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant
when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the
case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.
Other poems I enjoyed reading this week:
"All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other –
Only the mountain and I." -Alone Looking at the Mountain by Li Po
"Woke up this morning with
a terrific urge to lie in bed all day
and read. Fought against it for a minute.
Then looked out the window at the rain.
And gave over. Put myself entirely
in the keep of this rainy morning.
Would I live my life over again?
Make the same unforgiveable mistakes?
Yes, given half a chance. Yes." -Rain by Raymond Carver
"how I love to scribble on your chest,
use the muscles on your back as lines—
you and I are both page and pen"
-Sonnets to Madness and other Misfortunes, III, by Francisco X. Alarcón
Translated by Francisco Aragón
"At night the dead come down to the river to drink.
They unburden themselves of their fears,
their worries for us. They take out the old photographs.
They pat the lines in our hands and tell our futures,
which are cracked and yellow.
Some dead find their way to our houses.
They go up to the attics.
They read the letters they sent us, insatiable
for signs of their love.
Recommended Listening:
Podcast: You Must Remember This Adam Grant: Don’t Underestimate the Power of Appreciation To You Alone - Tom Rosenthal (beautiful video!)
The Human Error - Smokey the Ghost & Laulty Fogic GuitKa - Yasmin Williams Sunset - Lubomyr Melnyk (winter brings out my love for classical music in wonderful ways)
Links of the Week:
Nick Cave's The Red Hand Files
Watch: The Durrells (I love Gerald Durrell immensely, and this was thoroughly enjoyable to watch as a TV show!). Also, catch the new season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime if you haven't already.
Photographer Follows Squirrels Daily For Six Years
Goreyana: a blog celebrating the works of Edward Gorey
The Full Rotation of the Moon: A Beautiful, High Resolution Time Lapse Film (I could watch this again and again)