Lost in the Clouds

Cloud-Seer

Cirrus clouds drift
across the sky like
lines of verse,
pretty but a bit
vague and slack
in rhythm, though
the image is clear.
Or could one
assemble six into
a hexagram from the
I Ching, perhaps
Chun—Difficulty
at the Beginning?
Is there a cloud-seer
to read the sky’s oracle?

January 31, 2007

Note: I chose the hexagram from
a random page of the I Ching.

Comments? Questions? I Ching readings?

Artistic Strength

"Artists, if they are any good, are (physically as well) strong, full of surplus energy, powerful animals, sensual; without a certain overheating of the sexual system a Raphael is unthinkable— Making music is another way of making children; chastity is merely the economy of an artist—and in any event, even with artists, fruitfulness ceases when potency ceases— Artists should see nothing as it is, but fuller, simpler, stronger: to that end, their lives must contain a kind of youth and spring, a kind of habitual intoxication." —Nietzsche

Some food for thought for the weekend.

Revision & News

Thanks to Naomi's keen ear and eye that led to her very helpful comments, I have revised my poem from last November. Also regarding poetry, I received the very welcome news that my poem "Improvisation on a Line From Weldon Kees" has been accepted for publication in the online journal Innisfree Poetry Journal (click to see the current issue). My poem will appear in the 4th issue, which is due to be posted in March. I'll let everyone know when it's online.

Drinking Bourbon on the Porch at Night

Twist the cap,
break the seal, and pour:
Ice snaps
and the world begins
to ripple like the whiskey
in the glass.
Your nostrils tingle
at the stinging caress
as you lift the glass:
The first sip chills
then warms the back
of your tongue, and trickles
down your throat to fuel
the radiant fire in your belly.
Time stops,
or — no, it flows out
endless like the night sky
full of sparkling dead stars.

February 2, 2007