29.6.06

If you rise before dawn you can transcend the day

Inspired by a W.S.Merwin poem:

The Flight

At times in the day
I thought of a fire to watch
not that my hands were cold
but to have that doorway to see through
into the first thing
even our names are made of fire
and we feed on night
walking I thought of a fire
turning around I caught sight of it
in an opening in the wall
in another house and another
before and after
in house after house that was mine to see
the same fire
the perpetual bird.
-- by W.S.Merwin from The Compass Flower Copyright 1977

9 comments:

Patia said...

Gorgeous photo and poem.

I've just discovered your photoblog and am adding it to my blogroll!

Maureen said...

Hi Patia, it's been a kindof hidden blog for awhile. Not something I'm actively promoting, more of an attempt at some kind of discipline. Thanks for looking and commenting. I'll see you around here occasionally I hope.

kerrdelune said...

Gorgeous image and exquisite poem, what I needed although I didn't know it. Thank you!

Joyce Ellen Davis said...

I just went and bought another WS Merwin book. I spend half my time at Amazon lately looking for poetry books. I also bought 3 Wm Stafford, and a bunch more.... I'd rather buy books than anything!

Thanks for this poem. And the picture is wonderful.

Maureen said...

kerrdelune, don't you just ove it when you come across the exact thing you need ... and you are open to it? Thanks for reading and commenting. I love this poem too.

Pepek, I hope you're not wearing your wallet thin with all the poetry book buying! lol. Yes -- I love buying books too. Even with my last $5 I'll buy a book (or flowers) rather than food. ;-)

Tammy Brierly said...

Lovely poem and photo! I love this little known corner of yours :)

Paul D. said...

Wonderful,

And the photograph is so right for the Poem, especially the delicate way the window is lit by the light.

jillscherb7 said...

Lovely poem and photo. It's 2008 and I'm still returning to this page.

Maureen said...

thank you jenell, your return to this post reminds me, too, to revisit the feelings in Merwin's poem, and this photo. I appreciate that you come back here. I haven't been posting much lately, I'm grateful for your comments