A Pair of Poems

A Negro Speaks of Rivers 

I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

     flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln 

     went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy 

     bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

-Hughes

Lucinda Matlock

BY EDGAR LEE MASTERS

I went to the dances at Chandlerville,

And played snap-out at Winchester.

One time we changed partners,

Driving home in the moonlight of middle June,

And then I found Davis.

We were married and lived together for seventy years,

Enjoying, working, raising the twelve children,

Eight of whom we lost

Ere I had reached the age of sixty.

I spun, I wove, I kept the house, I nursed the sick,

I made the garden, and for holiday

Rambled over the fields where sang the larks,

And by Spoon River gathering many a shell,

And many a flower and medicinal weed —

Shouting to the wooded hills, singing to the green valleys.

At ninety-six I had lived enough, that is all,

And passed to a sweet repose.

What is this I hear of sorrow and weariness,

Anger, discontent and drooping hopes?

Degenerate sons and daughters,

Life is too strong for you —

It takes life to love Life.

i'm a minimalist.






amen.

Thirsty

I have an inexplicable thirst for inspiration.

Or maybe its God in me.

I Can Hear Music

I forgot that I like music. I enjoyyy it!

Beck. mmmmm. mhm. 

"Crawling out from a landfilled life

Scrawling her name up on the ceiling

Throw a coin in a fountain of dust

White noise, her ears are ringing."

Sculpture, Decalogue

I met Liviu Mocan last weekend. He is the bearded, eccentric, extremely talented, and most prominent sculptor from Romania. I sat through the whole discussion about the piece of his that is coming to California and I enjoyed it very much. He was available to chat with people after the little discussion so I went and met him. I explained to him how inspiring he is to me and I was so nervous. Famous people make me nervous. He sort of stared me down for a minute, then he said "You make me happy." Needless to say, it was a good day.

Revolution

I think I need to do a happiness project.

And I Ask Myself

I find myself asking, over and over and over again, "Why am I not doing amazing things with my life?" I want to do so many things, but it is so hard for me to not get discouraged over a Geology test. There's some sort of dichotomy between "amazing things" and school and everyday life. I want to intern everywhere. I want to learn to be so many things, and I want to do it all in order to help people. However, I can't even get my homework done in a reasonable amount of time with a relatively good attitude. I wish I could drop everything I am now and switch into "amazing life" where I volunteer places, and feed people, and love people, and council people, and teach people, and love people. I wish I did not have to work so that I can have money so that I can have and do things and be prepared. I wish I did not have to work so that I can keep up with the system; I wish I did not have to work so I can prove my worth as a woman. But that is how I feel. I feel like I have to trade this for that and that for this. "Amazing things" and "amazing life" is running quickly away from me and it seems like I will never catch it. I know the kind of life I want comes with experience, but I want it now. I don't know what to do with myself in the mean time. 

Any ideas?

Amado amame como tu sabes amado amame totalmente.

Its a Wonder

What some red nail polish and a new bedspread can do to my outlook on life. 

I need to keep this in mind.

Or maybe I just need to learn to get over being depressed more quickly.

And to do my laundry more often.

And to read uplifting literature.

And to get my homework done ahead of time.

And to give good gifts.

And to listen to folk music. 

Some things.