3.25 miles
ford bridge and back
78 degrees
humidity: 80%/ dew point: 71
So hot! Humid! Thought I might have trouble breathing but it wasn’t too bad. Lots of shade and lots of people– running packs, bikers, walkers. Ran south on the river road towards the falls, turning around just past the ford bridge. Saw the river once or twice. Also saw a black nondescript bird flying high in the sky and 2 bikers in long pants–in this heat!? Recited “Before I got my eye put out” again. I was hoping to reflect on the meaning of some of the phrases but it was too hot for that.
Right after finishing my run, I did a recording:
My favorite stanza today:
The Meadows — mine —
The Mountains — mine —
The Forests — Stintless Stars —
And all of noon that I could take
Between my finite eyes
And my favorite parts about that stanza? The slant rhyme between Stars and eyes, the rhythm of “and all of noon that I could take” and the idea of taking in as much of noon as my eyes could allow–although I’m not sure I’d pick noon, too bright and severe, I’d take dawn instead. But, I like the sound of noon with its long os better than the shorter aw of dawn.
Last year I created a cento out of poems I memorized. I used most of this stanza in one of the sections:
I’m Not Asking for Much/ Sara Lynne Puotinen
xi.
I’m not asking for much
A white, indifferent morning sky
Unsentimental sleet
A lamentation of geese
Less hatred strutting the streets
To feel a little less, know a little more
Enough jam jars to can this summer sky at night
A way out, the one dappled way, back
Paradise, all glam-glow, all twinkle and gold
The Meadows – mine –
The Mountains – mine –
All Forests – Stintless stars –
As much of noon, as I could take
Gorged, engorging, and gorgeous.
The theme of this series of poems on vision that I’m memorizing is: Loving Eye/Arrogant Eye. The idea of owning the meadows or mountains, forests, stintless stars seems arrogant to me–to possess/own/have something through a glance. I like the idea of the soul upon the window pane, feeling/experiencing/taking in the view instead (loving perception). The idea of the power of the glance to own/control/possess reminds me of another poem I picked in this series. I was planning to recite it later, but I think I should do it next.
Natural Forces/ Vicente Huidobro
One glance
to shoot down the albatross
Two glances
to hold back the landscape
at the river´s edge
Three glances
to turn the girl
into a kite
Four glances
to hold down the train
that falls into the abyss
Five glances
to relight the stars
blown out by the hurricane
Six glances
to prevent the birth
of the aquatic child
Seven glances
to prolong the life
of the bride
Eight glances
to turn the sea
into sky
Nine glances
to make the trees of the wood
dance
Ten glances
to see the beauty that shows up
between a dream and a catastrophe