Tuesday, November 8, 2011

TC: James Schuyler: Salute


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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Death_valley_flowers_1.jpg

Unidentified Asteraceae, Death Valley National Park: photo by Mila Zinkova, 2005




Past is past, and if one
remembers what one meant
to do and never did, is
not to have thought to do
enough? Like that gather-
ing of one of each I
planned, to gather one
of each kind of clover,
daisy, paintbrush that
grew in that field
the cabin stood in and
study them one afternoon
before they wilted. Past
is past. I salute
that various field.





James Schuyler: from Salute, 1960





http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Death_valley_flowers_2.jpg

Wildflowers, Death Valley National Park: photo by Mila Zinkova, 2005

9 comments:

Lally said...

As always Ton, a brilliant selection. Thanks for posting it.

TC said...

Thanks Michael, great to hear your voice, as ever.

(Of course it was Jimmy did all the work... light lifting, shall we call it?)

Nin Andrews said...

Yes, beautiful. Very Buddhist.

TC said...

What a lovely thought. Wild flowers in a serene temple of eternity.

In Death Valley, yet.

Anonymous said...

Salute in petals! Thank you. --Martha King

TC said...

And thank you back, Martha.

Let us salute also a wild new garden blooming in Brooklyn at King Ink.

Marcia said...

"...is not to have thought to do enough?" I love Schuyler! And together with the lovely flowers blooming in Death Valley. More cannot be expressed.

Marcia said...

"...is not to have thought to do enough?" This wonderful Schuyler poem together with the photos of beautiful blooms in Death Valley -- no more can be said.

TC said...

Marcia, that's what's so beautifully encouraging, still, even (especially?) in difficult times -- life may break out surprisingly, unexpectedly, in the least likely places.