It would be a sad thing for the young woman inside who was dying to live to have to die along with the old woman. It would take work to free her, just as it took work to free the old woman inside who wanted to die and was stuck inside someone who wanted to live.
As an old woman who doesn't want to die, born a few years before Mary Ruefle, I'm grateful to be alive for poems like this one, for the beauty and mystery of life. Poems that are open to interpretation, in the way this one is, engage me fully.
My mind went blank for some time, unable to summon up even one thing that was "the saddest thing I'd ever seen." Then I remembered myself as a child of six or seven years old, always hoping to catch a wild bird and hold it in my hands. It was autumn in the desert in south central California and I was alone, walking along the narrow side-walk-less street in our quiet neighborhood filled with mature deciduous trees that kept the oil company employees' houses cool during the hot summer days. When I saw a bird on the ground not far from me, I ran to try and catch it. As I got close to the bird, I was stunned to find that it was on the ground because it was dead. I clearly remember the profound sadness I experienced in that moment. Up to then, that was the saddest thing I'd seen in my life. Nothing else stands out so clearly, to this day. That first intensity.
Ah, Amanda. Thanks for sharing this. "That first intensity" -- what a perfect phrase to capture those moments that stick with us and shape us forever. Appreciate you.
Wonderful post, Devin. I'm always discovering poets through your meditative pieces. Thanks.
Regarding "Personalia": in some ways it felt like a parallel to Frost's "The Road Not Taken". Especially in how there is uncertainty in just who the locus of regret & desire is. Frost's poem is ambiguous about the "I"'s referent in the final stanza, and here, the "her" in "I work on her" is equally ambiguous.
What a wonderful article and poem selection about Mary Ruefle. Such powerful poems and though I'm familiar with some of her work, I didn't know those poems! I hope to do your workshop and will register after the holidays!
Old and young exist simultaneously in our lives - a "push-me-pull-you" game of who has the moment https://pmpygame.com/. Respect for the other player happens all through our lives enhancing the balance of each moment...
It would be a sad thing for the young woman inside who was dying to live to have to die along with the old woman. It would take work to free her, just as it took work to free the old woman inside who wanted to die and was stuck inside someone who wanted to live.
As an old woman who doesn't want to die, born a few years before Mary Ruefle, I'm grateful to be alive for poems like this one, for the beauty and mystery of life. Poems that are open to interpretation, in the way this one is, engage me fully.
My mind went blank for some time, unable to summon up even one thing that was "the saddest thing I'd ever seen." Then I remembered myself as a child of six or seven years old, always hoping to catch a wild bird and hold it in my hands. It was autumn in the desert in south central California and I was alone, walking along the narrow side-walk-less street in our quiet neighborhood filled with mature deciduous trees that kept the oil company employees' houses cool during the hot summer days. When I saw a bird on the ground not far from me, I ran to try and catch it. As I got close to the bird, I was stunned to find that it was on the ground because it was dead. I clearly remember the profound sadness I experienced in that moment. Up to then, that was the saddest thing I'd seen in my life. Nothing else stands out so clearly, to this day. That first intensity.
Appreciate your Sunday posts.
Ah, Amanda. Thanks for sharing this. "That first intensity" -- what a perfect phrase to capture those moments that stick with us and shape us forever. Appreciate you.
Such a beautiful reflection! And now I have heart pang nostalgia and longing for that train ride 🍂
Thank you!
Wonderful post, Devin. I'm always discovering poets through your meditative pieces. Thanks.
Regarding "Personalia": in some ways it felt like a parallel to Frost's "The Road Not Taken". Especially in how there is uncertainty in just who the locus of regret & desire is. Frost's poem is ambiguous about the "I"'s referent in the final stanza, and here, the "her" in "I work on her" is equally ambiguous.
Yes! Thanks for noticing that. Appreciate you reading.
What a wonderful article and poem selection about Mary Ruefle. Such powerful poems and though I'm familiar with some of her work, I didn't know those poems! I hope to do your workshop and will register after the holidays!
Thanks, Jen!
Old and young exist simultaneously in our lives - a "push-me-pull-you" game of who has the moment https://pmpygame.com/. Respect for the other player happens all through our lives enhancing the balance of each moment...
Really really loved everything here, Devin.