Om

I have been thinking of a poem about a river - infact the line of my earlier Blog page is a line from my poem as yet not progressed. Then I came across The River God in the book that JG so gen erously donated on a lifetime loan to me. I thought that was such a lovely gesture. He said that it was because he and I had had such an inspired conversation about some poems and that he rarely gets an opportunity to discuss like that and he misses it. I felt very priviledged to be able to talk freely with my complete lack of education with someone so learned. And as with most things the original poem To His Coy Mistress led to discussions about metaphysical, John Donne and so on. Very, very interesting. I was upset that PD thinks my interest is more of an addicion rather than what I had though was a general inquisitiveness about the wonder of the world. I realised tonight that this is a similar message from my dad. Actually I said my dad but it was my mum who laughed and said I couldn't write a book when I told her that's what I was starting. She said I could never make it interesting and didn't have a goo command of vocabulary to be able to write. So I stopped there and then.
So now I do what I do just for fun and because I can. I will add my poem about the river when I ever get to working on it again. In the meantime I read this and it evoked a lot of feelings.

The River God (1957)
Stevie Smith
I may be smelly, and I may be old
Rough in my pebbles, reedy in my pools,
But where my fish float by I bless their swimming
And I like the people to bathe in me, especially women.
But I can drown the fools
Who bathe too close to the weir, contrary to rules.
And they take a long time drowning
As I throw them up now and then in a spirit of clowning.
Hi yih, yippity-yap, merrily I flow,
O I may be an old foul river but I have plenty of go.
Once there was a lady who was too bold.
She bathed in me by the tall black cliff where the water runs cold,
So I brought her down here
To be my beautiful dear.
Oh will she stay with me will she stay,
This beautiful lady, or will she go away?
She lies in my beautiful deep river bed with many a weed
To hold her, and many a waving reed.
Oh who would guess what a beautiful white face lies there
Waiting for me to smooth and wash away the fear
She looks at me with. Hi yi, do not let her
Go. There is no one on earth who does not forget her
Now. They say I am a foolish old smelly river
But they do not know of my wide original bed
Where the lady waits, with he golden sleepy head.
If she wishes to go I will not forgive her.

It's so eerie. Sinister. I started reading and thought at first of the power of nature, that the Universe is all so powerful.
Actually this brought to mind the earthquake in Christchurch. And how today the HD was flying to NZ because his brother had been discovered dead. How tragic. And the news that was tragic but distant suddenly became personalised even though I barely know my HD. I found it so tragically sad that he had realised that he was watching his brother being discovered under the rubble of a building as he watched the news here. He didn't realise it was his brother as he watched but learnt alter on. He of course was aware that his brother was missing. Poor man. Powerful planet earth. Destructive! We are no match. And I got this from the poem too.
It also brought to mind Hotel California - You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.
Another song/poem that is eerie and yet powerful. Stab it with your steely knife but you just can't kill the beast!
And an other thing came to mind whilst reading this poem -

 Millais' Ophelia
And I have had the privilege to see this. It was the beautiful white face. It just reminded me even though of course Ophelia is not at the bottom of the river. But also the weeds and the reeds, whilst Ophelia has flowers and colour.

River - Joni Mitchell

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river

I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on

Joni gets it so spot on!
I would like to have her ability to put my feelings into words like this. Right now as I write this I woud like to be able to skate down a river or teach my feet to fly.
Not sure what is going on.
 
Bliss XX