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Friday, 29 June 2007

Poems, raindrops and the power of thought.

Dear Diary,

Here are two poems, the first was sent to me as a daily poem from Poetry Chaikhana.

Wendell Berry is new to me but I have discovered that he is both prolific and ’green’; an American writer of both poetry and prose. I love discovering new poets, all thanks to this wonderful web we live within.


Sabbaths 1999, VII

Again I resume the long
lesson: how small a thing
can be pleasing, how little
in this hard world it takes
to satisfy the mind
and bring it to its rest.

With the ongoing havoc
the wood this morning is
almost unnaturally still.
Through stalled air, unshadowed
light, a few leaves fall
of their own weight.

The sky
is grey. It begins in mist
almost at the ground
and rises forever. The trees
rise in silence almost
natural, but not quite,
almost eternal, but
not quite.

What more did I
think I wanted? Here is
what has always been.
Here is what will always
be. Even in me,
the Maker of all this
returns in rest, even
to the slightest of His works,
a yellow leaf slowly
falling, and is pleased.

Wendell Berry



Elaine Maria Upton is a contemporary poet, also American.


DREAM POEM


Every time you see a tree
or dream a cloud,
there is that in you of the tree
there is that in you of the cloud.

The saguaro dreams in drought
and endures. The cloud dreams
our woe --sneezes, cries.
The rain falls

Elaine Maria Upton


(For those who are ignorant like me I discovered that the saguaro is another word for cactus).


*


It is a shame but we are not now going away as M has a chest infection and we have had to postpone our visit to Surrey and Sussex. Such is life. Others are enduring far worse at the moment.

But blessings will have to be dredged up.

Strawberries - it’s their season again but (Is it me?), why don’t they have the flavour they had in the ‘old days’? Should I have to buy organic ones?

Hairdressers, hair straighteners and Frizz-Ease. I have only just started using these (last two mentioned) wonderful aids and joy of joys they help to smooth and straighten out my unruly and thick hair that is so prone to curls and waves especially in this, shall we be kind and call it damp. weather we keep having.

Photographs, the camera. As well as my own camera and its ‘digital powers’ there are so many images sent each day from far and wide.

Early nights and how good they make me feel the next day.

New songs.

Geraniums. I bought some more yesterday. I had a very enjoyable trip with my daughter to our favourite garden centre and I also bought another David Austin rose, a deep pink one, a repeater and very fragrant. I also bought another hardy Irish-type fuchsia, and a French lavender.

Light evenings. Lately it seems to be staying light all night here. We are so lucky that we have no light pollution.

The photographs I have posted are of Aberaeron and are for Snailbeachshepherdess really. I loved her phrase ‘sugar almonds’ to describe the coloured houses of this Welsh seaside town.

A lot of folk seem depressed at the moment due to the rainy weather and especially the lack of sunshine. It may be my Irish blood but I love rain. I know I am unusual and very lucky not to suffer from SAD. I never moan if it rains or call it bad weather (I’m with Billy Connolly on that). All life forms need rain and we hay fever sufferers especially revere it at this time of year. The first week of Wimbledon is ALWAYS wet, the second is usually what they love to call ‘a scorcher’. I wilt in the heat and my favourite season is Spring. I like warm, moist weather, the sort you get in West Cork where the land is warmed by the Gulf Stream and palm trees and the like are plentiful. I have roots there and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it is my most-loved part of my much-loved spiritual home.

I enjoy walking in the rain and love to see my garden plants getting a good drink, hearing the otters splashing, seeing wild ducks swimming past, obviously enjoying it too. I suppose I love all extremes of weather and couldn’t live in a country where the weather was without variation day to day, always hot for example or always cold come to that. I love storms, strong winds, snow. I love blue skies too and sunshine, don’t get me wrong and I agree we could do with some more of those at the moment and my heart goes out to those affected by these terrible floods.

Changing the subject but still talking of ‘hearts going out’ and our Sunday night get-togethers.

Physicists have discovered that everything in the universe consists of just particles of matter - energy, all in different forms and that thoughts are also energy. I am no metaphysicist; science was never my best subject at school but I believe in the power of our thoughts. Sending positive energy at a specific time for example by a group of people can only intensify that energy.

I believe in the power of ‘thought energy’; some call it prayer and may attach it to their own particular organised religion, their own particular version of ‘God’. Call it what you will, it has helped me in the past when Christian prayer groups have prayed for me. I know the benefits of ‘distant healing’, M and I both use this to try and help loved ones far away and even if it works for just one person it is surely worth it.

I love the phrase ‘Our thoughts are the world we live in

Problems are all about perception, change your perception and you change the problem. Try and turn negatives into positives. Hard sometimes, don‘t I know it.. However…….

The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives.
Louise Hay

I will sign off now,

And as the dear Dave Allen used to say:
May Your God Go With You,

Bye for now,
Caitx

12 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear you're not going away now. Hope M feels better soon.

    No, it's not you - strawberries don't taste "like wot they used to". Haven't tried organic so I can't help you there I'm afraid!!

    I quite like the rain too - especially walking in really heavy downpours - it's so liberating somehow!

    I'd love to have thick hair like you. Mine is so fine and lacklustre, it's one of my greatest bugbears!!

    Loved the poems - and the photos!!

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  2. That was a lovely blog. 10/10 for the piccies and the poems. ToadyXX

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  3. Beautiful poems, Cait.

    Strawberries - we grow our own and they are totally delicious and sweet, but if you have to buy them, I would always recommend local, organic ones.

    The pics of Aberaeron are gorgeous - brought back happy memories for me.xx

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  4. Gosh, those pictures are gorgeous.

    Beautiful poetry and a lovely blog. Thank you.

    Crystal xx

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  5. Thet are indeed lovely poems (and photos).

    Sorry to hear M is not well and hope you can maybe go away at a later stage.

    warm wishes
    x

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  6. Hope M gets better soon and you can get away. I like a fine summer rain, and also couldn't live somewhere with baking heat every day, but too much damp weather (especially at the wrong time of year!) makes my asthma bad and I get recurrent chest infections - so it's dry weather for me every time! I grow my own strawberries but the crop has been ruined with all the rain. Organic ones definitely taste better in my opinion. GOrgeous photos - I am starting to get obsessed with Wales without ever having gone there - and lovely poems.

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  7. Gosh very similiar photo's and talk of strawberries too, wished you could have tasted the one's I used to grow !!

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  8. I just love coming to see you and hearing the music, reading the poems and the blog, very good.
    Blossom

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  9. Lovely sugared almond photos - they look so still....

    Your blog does me good. Trying hard to get over my problems - or rather get away from my head where my problems live. I can't explain very well.... but you do me good, and I'm grateful.

    Used to love Dave Allen.

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  10. OH Cait that was pure joy...those lovely pictures and 'Beautiful Noise' ..Neil Diamond and 'Islands In the stream' while I read the poems...the pic on my blog is the river just above the main road in Aberaeron. West cork...thats it I'm off again..I love Ireland with a passion! Now I'm racking my brains for a book I bought whilst there......Falling for a dancer? Beaura peninsula? Unfortunately all my Irish pics are non digital and with no scanner I'm a bit stuffed! I shall just have to go back...to the old men digging peat, sheep shearing by hand, fishing off the jetty, those brown sails on the blue water...Ooooh cait ...I can feel the need for an Irish Ferry...well Stena perhaps!

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  11. So sorry that you cannot get away now Dear Cait. Do hope that 'M' chest infecton will soon get better. What beautiful poems, I just love poetry. I am like you with weather, Spring is my favourite time of the year, do not like it too hot. I used to love watching Dave Allen.
    Camilla.xx

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  12. Hi Cait - the photos are so beautiful - almost unreal. Someday I'd like to see the real thing.
    The best strawberries are the tiny ones found in the woods and they are very hard to find these days. I find it so odd that the monstrous Mexican strawberries are for sale in Costco all year round. I never buy them and shudder when they're served at friends'.
    I wish I had thick curly hair!!! Mines straight as a horse's mane and goes limp in the damp weather!

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment.