Moderation is Not a Negation of
Intensity, But Helps Avoid Monotony
John Tagliabue
Will you stop for a while, stop trying to pull yourself
together
for some clear "meaning" - some momentary summary?
no one
can have poetry or dances, prayers or climaxes all day,
the ordinary
blankness of little dramatic consciousness is good for the
health sometimes,
only Dostoevsky can be Dostoevskian at such long
long tumultuous stretches,
look what that intensity did to poor great Van Gogh!;
linger, lunge,
scrounge and be stupid, that doesn't take much centering
of one's forces,
as wise Whitman said "lounge and invite the soul." Get
enough sleep
and not only because (as Cocteau said) "poetry is the
literature of sleep";
be a dumb bell for a few minutes at least, we don't want
Sunday church bells
ringing constantly.
6 comments:
Awesome. Any lesson on balance on moderation, especially such a clever one as this, is good for me...and my family...and my soul.
For some reason I have an aversion to the word 'moderation'. However, this poem is a gem; I like it a lot!
(See how I didn't say 'love'? :P)
M.
For someone who tries to pull herself together at all moments of the day, the first line really got me! Nice choice!
Kris. Where do you find your poems? They are unique and different and thus refreshing!
moderation is hard for me. Success or miserable failure seem to be my methods.
Beth, Garrison Keeler is my poetry guide right now. Look into "Good Poems" and "Good Poems for Hard Times". He edited both books and chose some good ones.
My favorite line is "only Dostoevsky can be Dostoevskian at such long long tumultuous stretches". I knew I could never make it as a poet when I started to savor peace and happiness. All my poetry (in high school, mind you) came out of angst, which I generally try to avoid these days. Thank you for another fun, gem (as Marigold said) of a poem!
Post a Comment