Two short poems have meant a lot to me for more than 30 years. Not to the
exclusion of a great deal of poetry, poetry that has moved me variously to laugh,
cry, harden or soften, see in a different manner, experience another's music
opening my ears. The continual joy of poetry is to encounter new surprises. Many
of the choices in this thread have given me that lift, thank you.

The first is a haiku by Basho, the second is one of my own (here in its original
form). I don't recall now which came first! I just know each has been a beacon of
how to see for these many years.

Basho:

between the moon coming out
and the sun going in
the red dragon flies

This small poem is a simple observation of the natural world that resonates from
the micro (real insects) to the macro, mythological (real red dragons), earth to
heavenly bodies, with perspective and color, a painters eye. That simply stated,
more can be said than intellectualizing a moment.

The other poem I value because I knew once I'd written it that the poem was a mile
stone for me personally, a road mark in my own poetic journey to that point and
beyond.

THE WEEKEND

we saw a cock
in the Valley of the Moon
the color of autumn vineyards
high in a ripe persimmon tree

To my delight this little poem is not only a marker for me but remains one of my
ex-wife's all time favorite poems. We're both very lucky to continue to value
beauty shared.

Cheers,
Frank

**************************
Frank Parker
[log in to unmask]
http://users.montereyisp.com/frank




>-----Original Message-----
>From: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and
>poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Claire Gaskin
>Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2002 6:15 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Presiding spirits
>
>
>here from Octavio Paz,
>
>
>Touch
>
>My hands
>Open the curtains of your being
>Clothe you in a further nudity
>Uncover the bodies of your body
>My hands
>Invent another body for your body
>
>
>I love the passion of the Latin poets. There is no apology for being poetic.
>I go back and I go back.
>
>
>And here from Basho
>
>
>A branch of wild azalea
>Thrown into a bucket,
>Behind, a woman tearing
>The meat of a dried codfish
>
>
>In haiku life is poetry. Its in the seeing. Its stoping being still and
>seeing.
>
>
>Even a horse
>Is a spectacle,
>I cannot help stoping to see it
>On the morning of snow.
>
>
>There is no war in this.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Alison Croggon" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 8:47 AM
>Subject: Re: Presiding spirits
>
>
>> Thanks all for the responses - they are all fascinating and there are
>> some poems I have never met before. Keep them coming! Yes, it is
>> very hard to choose one poem, I just went for the oldest and most
>> enduring. I was finally very torn between Blake and Rukeyser, but I
>> met Blake first.
>>
>> Yesterday's anti-war rally was large for Melbourne - organisers said
>> 45,000, commercial tv said "more than 10,000", so I figure my
>> estimate of between 20,000 and 30,000 was about right. A various
>> crowd, from Muslims for Peace, Jews for a Just peace, Museums against
>> War, Doctors against War, families, trade unions, the Greens, the
>> Democrats, a Labour splinter group, the usual crowd of Marxists. I
>> was with the Actors for Refugees. All overshadowed sombrely by the
>> bombing in Bali. As the US rhetoric rattles up, I fear such things
>> will become more common: it lends credibility to what is now being
>> called Islamism, or fundamental Islam. These things feed each other,
>> evil Janus faces.
>>
>> A friend wrote me yesterday quoting Plato, which seems somehow
>> relevant to both the poets and the war:
>>
>> "I suppose it is
>> profitable to their rulers that the subjects should not be great in
>> spirit or make strong friendships and unions, which things love is wont
>> to implant more than anything else. In fact, our own despots found that
>> out by experience; for the love of Aristogeiton, and the friendship of
>> Harmodios, grown strong, brought their rule to an end." and so he goes
>> on to say that these prohibitions against individual reality and feeling
>> make the laws out of "the grasping habits of the rulers and the
>> cowardice of the ruled" or "laziness of soul."
>>
>> Best to all
>>
>> Alison
>> --
>>
>>
>>
>> Alison Croggon
>> Home page
>> http://www.users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
>>
>> Masthead Online
>> http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
>