Things are more nuanced than logic. Things are more nuanced than logic. Poems and a bunch of thoughts today!

Today I had a strange moment of extreme empathy. I saw an Asian man giving me my uber eats, normal, yes, but in such deference. Working hard, maybe has kids and such. reminded me of my dad. But here, in deference. Ow. I didn’t tip as much as I should have.

“Matins”, Louise Gluck

I like the conclusion of this poem, and also the clovers. Reminds me of part 4 of my poem “I write to save my soul”, which is related to “my wall full of trinkets taped to my wall (III)”. I would sic with respect to the latter title, but I hadn’t read David Foster Wallace yet at that point.

“What the Wind, Rain and Thunder Said to Tom”, Tyehimba Jess

You’ll have to scroll down a few poems on this page to find it. I really like the strength of the language here, and especially love the last line: the way you take darkness and make it moan.

“On Seeing and Being Seen”, Ama Codjoe

I couldn’t find an online version of this and was going to pick out a favorite line or two but could not–this is the first poem of someone else’s I’ve transcribed to my website in some time now. How beautiful.

“Youth”, W.S. Merwin

:(
A bit too relatable, perhaps. On losing. only when I began to think of losing you did I recognize you when you were already part memory part distance remaining mine in the ways that I learn to miss you. Bleh. And the last line, which reminds me of Walt Whitman’s a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars, or at least in tone.

I came across a new weird artsy poetry/writing type account today that sticks lines on top of paintings and such, and there was one today that went The more particular, the more palpable. / The more universal, the more alien. And I agree with that in my own writing, but also it applies generally when it comes to more societal and political things, and how we try to generalize when we really should not much of the time.

I watched the PBS version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya tonight because it was going to get taken down at the end of the month. It was quite different from the one Antonia and I saw at the playhouse, and less compelling. I think the version we saw was particularly well done, though. We shall bear it.

I think what makes relationships so special and addictive and lossy is that you can look forward to a person at any time, and have them almost whenever you want. So you get the wanting and the having closely paired into one and rather constant intervals and such. Usually wanting is followed by not having or having once and then not wanting, and having is defined by not wanting. The thing, then, is to have and still want what you already have. What else might create that? Knowledge, research? I’m not sure.

How easy it is to fall below the din of it all. I think it’s important, though not sure if desirable, that one be able to pull themselves out of this energy. Energy is good, his treminds me of the Keats quote from The Hyperion Cantos, but I choose which energies I will give into. Folly, I will try to avoid where I can see it, though I know I shall be with it regardless.