I have had a lifelong love affair with journals. My first had a black plastic cover and a bank logo on the bottom right-hand corner. I took it to the woods behind my house and filled it with everything important to my seven-year-old self. That's the way it goes; you write only what is important to you. My journals are filled with verses, lists, poems, and anything that delights me that I wish to remember. In the Renaissance, scholars called these sorts of journals commonplace books. If you’re a snoop like me, go to the Harvard Online Library, and view a collection of commonplace books. They’re scanned in, so you get to see the original handwriting. Some are fascinating and vast in scope. Still, most are just modest collections of favorite poems. My daughter started her first this summer. In the process of writing her poems out, she inadvertently memorized a few. This delighted me. Her poems weren't classic or profound. Even better, she chose simple little rhymes that appealed to her.
My Kitten by Aileen Fisher
My kitten
has the softest fur,
as soft as silk to touch.
I smooth her,
and she starts to purr:
“Thank you very much."
as soft as silk to touch.
I smooth her,
and she starts to purr:
“Thank you very much."
Daniel Ladinsky, a poet I’m quite fond of, knows hundreds of poems by heart.
“They just become a part of me from holding them so close.*”
It’s not the feat of memorizing the lines of some great poet, but rather it’s the importance words have when we bother to take them in. They're there to pacify, delight, and perhaps even to challenge us to live our lives better.
I memorized a single quatrain this summer. I did so as I traveled through clouds high over the Atlantic.
Eternity by William Blake
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise.
Happiness requries that we live in the moment. We cannot bind ourselves to a certain idea of contentment, but rather we must approach life with open, lucid hands. So be grateful and
Put your lips to the world
and live
your life.**
Interesting Article: Why Memorize poems
Eternity is a quatrain: A four line poem that rhymes.
*Daniel Ladnisky, Purity of Desire
**words by Mary Oliver
I re-read this post. Once again, it made me smile. It brings to mind my Lily. She also is always scribbling away on scraps of paper, or whatever she can get her hands on, writing her every thought. Sometimes she makes lists of wants; other times she writes about her day; often she creates stories. This is the most exciting for me, as I also had notebooks full of stories. Sadly, I didn't keep them. I wish I had had the foresight to hold onto them for the day that I became 30 and longed for a peek back at the thoughts of my 13 year old self.
ReplyDeleteI remember a picture of Lily going on trip and taking with her a fresh notebook. You even shared a page of her writing. I loved seeing her spirit on that page. I try to keep back certain pieces that the kids do, but I need to find some way to organize it all!
ReplyDeleteI have a few short stories I wrote in elementary school. They are so morbid and dramatic. Too, I had a flair for passion (which I'm sure Brian now appreciates). I'm glad I felt free to write those strong emotions. Michelle, are you currently writing anything? .
I can't seem to find a way on blogger to receive follow-up notifications, so I am just catching up now.
DeleteI am not currently writing anything but what finds itself on Facebook! My mom encourages me to pick it up again, but I am not really sure where to start! I read and wrote devastating stories when I was in high school about lost loves and things of a nature that I had no business writing about then. I've considered happier topics, like food or family blogs over the last few years, but I'm not sure if I could commit to the demands of a regular post.
Perhaps, when I grow up...