Is the world too bad
for art? Are the starving
children and the
spewing oil enough
for the poet to put
down her pen and
cry?
Or
is it a matter
of comparing
infinities, where
every day is
fully saturated
with many
disappointments...
and joys.
Sometimes
one infinity seems
larger than the
next, but
aren't they
really
all the
same?
Event:
I went for a walk
today—
a walk
I had joyously
anticipated.
No sooner
had I stepped from
my porch
a beautiful
blackbird lay on the
ground with no
life in her.
She must have hit
a window or something.
I continued my walking
planning to deal
with her
upon my return.
She enraptured my thoughts,
and my eagerly anticipated
walk became a collection
of tears rolling down my
eyes onto the hot pavement.
Half-way to my intended
destination,
I would go no
further.
I quickly returned
to where the bird
had met her fate,
but found her gone, already.
Finale:
Is there anything
more tragic than
Romeo and Juliet,
love that could
not be, and yet,
almost was?
Tomorrow I will
walk again, looking
for that blackbird that
rose from her sleep.
6 comments:
provoking thoughts
My walk last evening held joy. A summer tanager graced the lane. I hadn't seen one in many years. Also an Eastern Towhee,that I have heard singing all week but couldn't find.
I count on my walks to recharge me, physically and fill my spirit.
Art is as valuable a tool to process the world as anything else
I think.
How did you discover that the blackbird was a she? H.
“What is this?”
“Sidewalk chalk.”
“For what?”
“Drawing on concrete and such.”
“Yeah. . . And would the concrete be anywhere near the BP station.”
“. . . Have I discussed my plan with you already?”
“I know you! . . . I think it would be a better idea for you to just stand in front of the station with a sign.”
“Why? My time is valuable. This way I can just leave the tag and go about my day.”
“It’s vandalism.”
“No it’s not! It’s sidewalk chalk!”
“Listen to me. BP is getting a lot of bad press right now. . .”
“It’s not bad press. It’s people getting angry about things that really happened.”
“BP is ultra sensitive about their public image right now. If you go up there and start drawing all over their property, they might actually try to press charges against you for vandalism.”
“It’s not freaking vandalism! It’s sidewalk chalk! If it bothers them, all they have to do is hose it down. Besides, I’m not planning on putting the tag on their property. I was going to put it on the public drive leading down to their property.”
“Look. Just stand there with a sign. I think you are in the right, but I don’t want to be bailing you out of jail for stupidness.”
“Whatever. No cop is going to arrest me for sidewalk chalk. I doubt the BP employee behind the counter would even see me. And the cameras ain’t aimed up the drive. I really think you are blowing this out of proportion.”
“You weren’t even going to tell me about this were you?”
“Don't be mad. I was just going to take a walk early in the morning, do my thing, and then head to work.”
“You’re still contemplating this aren’t you?”
“I have a lot of anger right now. This is a good way to channel it, through chalk art. Besides, I’ve already invested in the chalk.”
“If I wake up tonight and you’re not in bed like normal, I’m going to get pissed off.”
“Relax. I’m not going to do it tonight. The radar says there’s rain coming.”
By son got in trouble in college drawing large circles on the buildings with chalk.
We all have such different ways to deal with our perceptions, and to many, my way is the right way.
What was the significance of circles? What kind of trouble did he actually get in?
Sometimes it’s not about being right. Sometimes it’s about testing boundaries.
Oh... he was scolded and told to remove the large circles. Part of the circles were on the sidewalk, and part on the bricks of the building. About 8' in diameter. I think he was defining space... and seeing what the circles would look like... and probably testing boundaries as you say. His art has evolved (joshuamosley.com).
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