13: Poet’s To Do List
1. Tingle and jingle not only rhyme, they mean close to the same thing, only a tingle is less loud than jingle.
2. Things that make me curse: when I fix a fresh cup of tea on my way out, put on the floorboard of my car, and it spills before I have a chance to take a sip.
3. In the north we say “swear” instead curse or cuss.
4. I recently woke up thinking that I’d like to wear more dresses this year. Does that qualify for a New Year’s Resolution?
5. My friend Jayn made me my own mock mince meat pie for Christmas, which I’ve been enjoying a little bit of each day. I especially enjoy the crust because I can see her pressed fingerprints around the edges, making the gift such a personal sharing.
6. Listening to the poetry and the wisdom of David Whyte on living a meaningful life, recorded on a six CD series call What to Remember When Waking, is like going church for me.
7. When Whyte reads his poetry, he frequently repeats the lines twice, like I listen to his poems and repeat the lines by rewinding so I can write them down.
8. I just watched the movie Larry Crowne and can’t believe how much Tom Hanks is starting to look like Walter Matthau. His humor is similar too. He’s the Walter Matthau of his generation.
9. If you look at THIS for a full minute, I guarantee you’ll be spooked.
10. I went to Times Square on New Year’s sometime in the 70’s and thought it was overrated. This year I saw a news clip of the mess after everyone went home and thought that would be more interesting to me (to see and photograph) then being stuck in a mob that I couldn’t see beyond.
11. In an article about writing poetry, Wendy Cope says: “I find that the most important and helpful question to ask myself when I’m working on a poem is “Am I telling the truth?” T. S. Eliot said that the greatest difficulty for a poet is to distinguish between “what one really feels and what one would like to feel”.”~ From She Writes.
12. Stars are like snowflakes that rarely fall, like pinholes in the world’s fabric that make me want to know the light on the other side.
13. “Create a sense of spaciousness around your approach to life, which involves allowing the unconscious to be itself without constantly try to convert it into names which would be too small for what is about to occur . A good relationship with the unknown is just as important as the pointers. ~ David Whyte
Thirteen Thursday headquarters HERE.
January 5th, 2012 5:43 am
tangle and jangle are pretty close too. which is louder?
11. pretty interesting. wish I liked Cope better than Eliot, just because of cheering for the girl team.
13. neat.
January 5th, 2012 7:13 am
Another great list.
January 5th, 2012 8:28 am
Oh, I like number 11. The question–“Am I telling the truth in writing?” It’s something to think on. Thanks. I’ll check out the article too.
http://otherworlddiner.blogspot.com/2012/01/want-to-improve-your-writing-thirteen.html
January 5th, 2012 10:09 am
#9 did spook me, but I was glad she didn’t scream out!! Oh and I loved watching the ball drop in Times Square in 1974! It was one of my best memories!!
January 5th, 2012 11:06 am
Good one, Pearl.
Going to Times Square is a great memory for me too, She, and I’m glad we did, but the ball drop thing was nothing but a mob and I didn’t see a thing. When I look at images of it each year I kind of cringe thinking about those crowds. When the streets were empty there was confetti and stuff flying everywhere and I thought it told a good story.
January 5th, 2012 11:09 am
I like curse or cuss better than swear…I’m very fond of southernisms 🙂
I did similar to my cup of coffee the other day…Dunkin Donuts that Dave got me…I dropped it and the cup broke. Coffee all over the floor!
re: #9…I didn’t get spooked 🙁
January 5th, 2012 12:12 pm
#2 – you need to get yourself a cup with a lid on it that won’t spill. who IS that in #9? I’ve always thought I couldn’t do Times Square – much too crowded and they don’t allow any alcohol. where’s the fun? happy new year to you Colleen.
January 5th, 2012 12:29 pm
I just a sucker for a good stoneware mug, seems to make the tea taste better. Eight times out of 10 they don’t spill but when they do … !
It’s Tilda Swinton as the Ice Queen in the Narnia series.
January 5th, 2012 1:22 pm
Great list, Colleen…I like the one about the Truth….!
Times Square on NYE always sounded too crowded and crazy to me—but I LOVE the idea of seeing the aftermath…as you said, THAT would be interesting…!
Thank you so much for your kind and caring words about my dear Sweerie…..
January 5th, 2012 1:28 pm
#8 His new movie with Sandra Bullock is fantastic and a lot to think about.
January 5th, 2012 2:08 pm
Larry Crowne wasn’t much to speak of but I look forward to his new one.
January 5th, 2012 7:42 pm
What a charming list! You’re right — we northerners don’t curse or cuss. And whenever I think that I’d like to join the crush at New Year’s in Times Square, I stop to consider the public potty situation and I shudder. Tom Hanks is aging, isn’t he? Fortunately, I on the other look just as dewy and fresh as I did when I watched him on Bosom Buddies. 🙂
January 6th, 2012 9:07 am
Writing and studying poetry is a most excellent use of time. I should do more of that. Great TT!
January 6th, 2012 3:45 pm
If you think spilling a cup of tea is bad, how about
this —
Three weeks ago we actually received two inches of snow. Returning from the store, I slipped a little in our parking lot. Didn’t fall, but the bag with the milk slid off my shoulder and hit the ground at just the right angle. Despite the old adage, I nearly cried watching half a gallon of milk pour out into the snow. At least I was able to save half of it, though my cloth bag, pants, coat and mittens were a sodden mess.
January 6th, 2012 4:20 pm
Maybe worse, I fell with feta cheese soaked in water once and stunk for days.
January 6th, 2012 5:46 pm
Love this list…but especially the last two. So inspiring!