Monday, February 14, 2011

For the sake of love


I'm celebrating Valentine's Day as concept--a day to appreciate love. I don't have a valentine at this time in my life, but I know too well the spark, slow burn and glow. I'm forever grateful to have lived and loved.


I took this photo a few years ago of friends of mine. I'm not sure I've even shown it to them. I saw them wander off from a huge family/best friends sort of party for a quiet moment together, and I loved the love I saw.






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Last night, I re-watched The Last of the Mohicans. You know the one, where Daniel Day Lewis runs magnificently through forests and up mountains to save his love. There's the heart-stopping scene where he must leave her to be captured so that he can live to save her. His final words, "I will find you. I will find you," before he jumps into a waterfall and is carried away. Le sigh.

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I'm going to post poetry snippets from some great writers (please search them out for the entire poems and where to purchase their collections) and a couple of badges I received from Rebecca/WordsCrafter. If any of my readers (whom I love) wish to pass along the badges, please bag 'em and share 'em. It's all about the love today. Bloggers=Love was made by Jules at Trying to Get Over the Rainbow for everyone.
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she
stolen from my bone
is it any wonder
i hunger to tunnel back
inside desperate
to reconnect the rib and clay
and to be whole again--(a portion of adam thinking, which appeared in the collection, quilting, by Lucille Clifton. Ms. Clifton died last year. Her voice will be missed but can be savored again through her books.)
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I want you to know
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
--(a portion of If You Forget Me by the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda)

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This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,
I fell in love with a wren
and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table.
In the shadows of an autumn evening,
I fell for a seamstress
still at her machine in the tailor's window,
and later for a bowl of broth,
steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.
This is the best kind of love, I thought,
without recompense, without gifts,
or unkind words, without suspicion,
or silence on the telephone.
--(a portion of Aimless Love by Billy Collins or his site. This poem is so incredible. Read it all in his Nine Horses collection.)


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This post is not complete without haiku from a couple of the old masters.
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By flowering pear
and by the lamp of the moon
she reads her letter
--Buson (1715-1783)
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Slung over a screen,
a dress of silk and gauze.
The autumn wind.
--Buson
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I wish she were here
to listen to my bitching
and enjoy this moon.
--Issa (1762-1826)



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Love to all the storytellers in whatever form they write!

30 comments:

Tere Kirkland said...

My husband and I never celebrate Valentine's Day commercially, but we do appreciate it as a reminder to show our love more often.

Great poetry. I don't read it enough.

Angela said...

Love the poetry and what a beautiful picture!

Yat-Yee said...

Daniel Day Lewis running magnificently and telling his love he will be back: those are the exact scenes I remember the most from that movie. Le sighing with vous.

Lovely poems. And the "listen to me bitchin" in the Isaa Haiku made me chuckle.

Happy Valentine's day, Tricia.

Unknown said...

As beautiful a post as I remember!

Golden Eagle said...

That's a great picture. :)

Love the poetry you posted!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Char said...

that moment is beautiful in cooper's writing but my heart breaks for the young girl.

better than than cathy and heathcliff's obsessive love.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Tere: I don't read poetry as often as I should. I have volumes and whenever I remember to take one off the shelf, I'm transfixed by the power. One of my favorite memories is sitting in front of a peat fire in Sligo (Ireland) reading Yeats aloud with a friend. That was heaven.

Angela: Welcome and thanks so much!

Yat-Yee: So glad we could sigh and smile together. :D

Suzy: Hi, my friend. How lovely to see you and thanks! :)

GoldenEagle: So glad you enjoyed and thank you!

Char: I haven't read the book in years. You've got me wanting to now. Such a powerful love story.

Unknown said...

Lovely post, Tricia. But I would expect nothing less :)

Happy Valentines Day!

Donna said...

Thanks, Tricia. Love the poems. As for film, my husband and I probably will watch "Enchanted April" again. It's all about love rekindled in the beauty of an Italian castle on the lake. Lovely.

The Words Crafter said...

I especially loved that last one; it reminds me of how I feel when I watch hawks floating on the currents and the way the world looks after a soft rain...beautiful. Thanks for sharing it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jemi Fraser said...

Terrific photo! It's those kind of moments that say it all :)

Lovely - thanks for sharing!

Stephanie Thornton said...

My husband and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, but I love celebrating with my daughter. She loves it!

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Wendy: Aw, thank you!

Donna: I don't think I've seen Enchanted April. I'll have to put that on my list.

WordsCrafter: I agree that I feel so in love with the world after soft rain and watching hawks. Doesn't get much better than that.

Jemi: Isn't there a wealth of feeling in the way they're walking? I love looking at it.

Stephanie: Little girl love is a delight all by itself. :)

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

Loved the Billy Collins excerpt. Like Tere I don't read enough poetry anymore. Need to get back into it.

Judy (South Africa)

Robyn Campbell said...

I love The Last of the Mohicans. Oh man. You and I are so much alike. Though one day I'd love to go hroseback riding right at sunset with you. Nothing finer, Pat. Nothing finer. :)

I love Lucille Clifton too. What a loss. Her voice will truly be missed. Truly.

Oh Pat, I love this one: Slung over a screen,
a dress of silk and gauze.
The autumn wind.
--Buson

I realized I used the word love three times so far. Trying to think of a way to use it at least once more. Hmmm, Oh. I love you. :)

Robyn Campbell said...

Okay, I meant horseback riding. There really is no such thing as hroseback riding. And I used the word love SIX TIMES. I learned how to count long about four years old. *wink* <3

Liza said...

I'm going to have to find Aimless Love and read the whole thing. The part you included stopped me short. Just perfect.

Liza said...

I'm going to have to find Aimless Love and read the whole thing. The part you included stopped me short. Just perfect.

VR Barkowski said...

Lovely post. The haiku from Issa really touched me, and the photograph is marvelous!

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Judy: I'm mad about Billy Collins. You can't go wrong getting one of his collections.

Robyn: NOthing wrong with a lot of love! That Buson haiku says so much in those few words--you can read a story in it, which is what I love (see that word again) about great haiku.

Liza: I soooo wanted to print the whole poem, but you can probably find it online and I highly suggest getting Nine Horses, anyway. His poetry knocks me over.

Viva: Issa had such an eye for the amusing and touching scene. I reread those haiku masters (Issa, Buson, Basho) several times a year.

Lydia Kang said...

That photo says so much. Thanks for the lovely poems, and Happy belated Valentine's Day to you!

Nate Wilson said...

A wonderful selection of poetry (and haiku) for the occasion. Since I surround myself with prose so regularly, I sometimes forget how great verse can be. Thanks for sharing!

Phoenix said...

Loved the poetry here - especially Pablo Neruda, wow. What a gift he had with words. And Lucille Clifton was one of my favorite's. I think when I did my celebration of poetry month last year I included "Blessing the Boats," easily one of my most favorite poems.

Love is indeed such a grand, simple act, that it does not to be reserved for one day, for one person. It is to be expressed daily for the entire world to benefit from.

Great post, Tricia :)

kah said...

What a sweet pic. Says so much.

*sigh* Last of the Mohicans. I got goosebumps just thinking about it.

Hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Lydia: I'm so glad others see the depth in that photo. Thanks.:)

Nate: I have to remind myself to read poetry, but when I do read my favorite poets I find new ways of seeing the world.

Tracy: Neruda wrote some astounding pieces--almost visceral in the imagery.
And Blessing the Boats is one my all-time favorites! I have shared it so many times with others. I love learning that about you.

Karen: I know! I had a great time re-watching it.

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Love the picture, the haikus, the poetry, especially Neruda (he speaks of love and longing like no other).

Hope your Love Day was divine!!

Tabitha Bird said...

And 'love' right back at ya!

Beautiful words here, beautiful! I could feed my soul for a week just off the haikus :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Terresa: Agreed--Neruda's love poems are tremendous. I like to read (not well) the original language, too, because the words/cadence is so beautiful.

Tabitha: That's a great image--feeding your soul on haiku. I think I actually do that!

Mark said...

You get a super thumbs up for referencing Last of the Mohicans (my favorite film)!!! Groovy post too, of course:)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Hi, Mark, and thanks!