“Artistic growth is a refining of the sense of truthfulness. The stupid believe that to be truthful is easy, but only the artist, the great artist, knows how difficult it is.”
Poetry, favorite quotations, and journal entries. My inspiration is this quotation by Loren Eiseley: "Everything in the mind is in rat's country... Nothing is lost, but it can never be again as it was. You will only find the bits and cry out because they were yourself...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Rat's Country: Sometimes I am certain
Sometimes I am certain I am on someone’s Most Wanted list. I just don’t know whose. I worry that they will find me, arrest me, and when they tell me what I did, I will be surprised. “That’s my crime?” I will say.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Rat's Country: "How I Carry Myself
The image of two me’s, one carrying the other. Sometimes the “me” I carry is a burden, a sack, a lump, something I can hardly wait to put down, let go of, drop, regardless of the consequences. That “me” is a sack of oats, a bag of potatoes, the garbage waiting to be taken out.
The other is a “me” to be carried lightly, gently, with affection—the way I held my babies. No matter the discomfort, I always loved carrying them.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Rat's Country: I have an evil twin...
I have an evil twin named Mia Culpa, who runs around screaming, “Mia Culpa Mia Culpa,” especially when she’s drunk.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Rat's Country: What taking a risk feels like...
I understand it feels like walking on a log high above a fast-moving stream. You feel unbalanced, self-conscious, and you have to stretch your arms to keep from falling. You can do it!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
If Anger Were a Place
If Anger Were a Place
For years you walked in the wind,
learned to lean forward,
head down,
trained yourself to narrow your eyes.
One day the wind stopped.
You waited.
When the wind didn’t resume,
you became the furious one.
You felt way too old
to learn to walk in stillness
and livid that you spent your life
in a windy place
although you chose it.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Rat's Country: Like an old sheepdog gathering lambs...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Rat's Country: Be kind to yourself today...
Be kind to yourself today, and know that you will have no trouble distinguishing kindness from self-indulgence.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Rat's Country: Whenever I come to a one-way street...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Rat's Country: The sound of the truck...
The sound of the truck pulling into the driveway made her cringe: an emotional hearse loaded with sadness.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Rat's Country: When my life is going well...
Friday, September 11, 2009
Rat's Country: It is pathetic to think of her...
It is pathetic to think of her putting all that effort into loving someone who is incapable of reciprocating, like a little dog mounting the leg of a chair.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Rat's Country: My Definitions:
My definitions: To be intimidated must mean “to be made timid.” To encourage yourself must mean “to give yourself courage.”
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Rat's Country: It's hard to come up with a poem
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Rat's Country: After you let go of a rope...
After you let go of a rope you have held tightly, your fingers want to stay curled and it hurts to unbend them. This discomfort doesn’t last long. When you let go of an attachment or an attitude, expect your mind to stay curled in resentment. It won’t last long. That’s my goal: to let go of tightly held anger and resentment. I expect residual cramping, but I know it will go away.