this reminds me of my dad. and what it is to (try to) write.
by Wendell Berry, from Given:
HOW TO BE A POET
(to remind myself)
Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill - more of each
than you have - inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your work,
doubt their judgment.
Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred placed
and desecrated places.
Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.
These are great words for when I feel like I want to write but can't seem to get the pen moving or the keys typing. Gracias for sharing! :-)
ReplyDeleteenrique
Wow, I'm glad I stumbled across this!
ReplyDeleteMarit- it's Myrna. I'm sitting in NW Portland at the tailend of a wonderful week of not-doing-much and completely unplanned city exploring with Shane, while our daughter (Tyler) is soaking up Rock n Roll Camp for Girls.
ReplyDeleteAnyway- this week has provided a much-needed wedge of space for thought and easy breathing in the midst of our always hectic lives. And what comes up of course is- what the heck am I doing?? and how do I muster the studio discipline to keep making art no matter all the rest??
I picked up 'Book Design' at Powell's, visited the Oregon College of Art and Craft and toured the boot arts studio & met a professor, perused any & all design and print related jobs on seattle craigslist, looked at friends and not-friends press' websites, searched for literary letterpress happenings, and then ran across your blog. And your most recent post is one of my favorite Wendell Berry poems.
SO, finally I am contacting you! Thought maybe we could meet for coffee and talk shop, so to speak. I'd love to hear/see/think about making art happen of the letterpress persuasion. I'm feeling the press and possibility of the opportunity I've surrounded myself with, and the stark petrification that often comes in the face of such rad opportunity coupled with a kitchen full of dirty dishes and so many unpaid bills. I thought- maybe- we can support one another somehow in this kind of pursuit?
We'll be home (Poulsbo) Sunday night.
myrnaknode@gmail.com
360.434.2093
hope you're well!
Myrna
myrna - just sent you a text. (what an awesome surprise!) xoxo
ReplyDelete