It's a Wendell Berry kind of week. I'm reading Jayber Crow, which I'm liking and expect to love, as I adored Hannah Coulter.
This week, I'm sharing Berry's "September 2." It's an observation of the season, but also a poignant meditation on the inevitability of time and change, and the value of what we've invested. He has such a deft hand, wielding precise words in all the right places and ways:
"... there grew an acceptance of decline."
I read him, I nod, I exhale, I scribble his words in my journal.
September 2
In the evening there were flocks of nighthawks
passing southward over the valley. The tall
sunflowers stood, burning on their stalks
....
(Read the rest here, at The Poetry Foundation.)
~~~~~~~~~~
Heidi Mordhorst has has the round-up this week at My Juicy Little Universe.
12 comments:
Thank you, Karen. I am getting to know W Berry after reading Old Jack this summer, as well as some of his poems. Beautiful!
"My leaves all dissolved in flight." It's all wonderful but this end, wow! Ruth wrote about her excitement that the birds who leave us in the north would soon arrive in Haiti. We here in Denver were asked to keep our lights off last night because possibly 10,000 birds would be flying over, "leaves", right? Thank you, Karen. Wendell Berry's works are special.
This is stunning, Karen--thanks for sharing. And it merges perfectly with Irene Latham's poem this week and my comment on it!
I just commented on Irene's post with a "What Laura said ^^^" and I'll do that again here!
I want to add a thanks for educating me about Wendell Berry's non-poetry writing. I added a BUNCH of his books to my TBR list because of you!
Karen, I'm so glad you're getting to know Berry!
Linda, wow to the 10,000 birds flying over Denver in the dark. I love that image!
Laura and Mary Lee, I just headed over to Irene's and you're so right — love that kind of serendipity on Poetry Friday. :)
And Mary Lee, I'm so pleased Berry is helping fill up your TBR! Don't you love the book-sharing that happens through PF?
A lovely meditation on the season of autumn - and life. Thanks for sharing this poem!
Yes, abandonment is perfect. Thank you for sharing this - I don't recall reading it before.
Thanks for stopping by, Elisabeth!
Ruth, glad you liked it. I don't think I'd ever seen this one before either!
Thanks for posting this poem, Karen. Exactly what I needed to read today. :)
I'm so glad, Bridget! :)
Yes, yes...flocks, stalks, rags, leaves, tossed in abandonment, acceptance. Can we be like the lilies of the field, like the nighthawks to the summons our blood knows? Ahh, Wendell.
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