here. a small sliver of poem. to go with the glimpses into my travel journal.
taken from New Years by Dana Gioia
because sometimes i like the little bites better than the whole piece.
But can this blur, this smudgy in-between,
This tiny fissure where the future drips
Into the past, this flyspeck we call now
Be our true habitat? The present is
The leaky palm of water that we skim
From the swift, silent river slipping by.
The new year always brings us what we want
Simply by bringing us along—to see
A calendar with every day uncrossed,
A field of snow without a single footprint.
Amy G. says
Mary Ann, those ribbons look like they pop right out of the picture! Beautiful!
chris says
These comments are as poetic as the poem. I’m not a day crosser because I used to know what day it was, but now even though I never know what day of the week it is, I can just glance up at the right hand corner of my iMac and voila! I used to keep my Victorian calendars, because I use some of the images for Valentine’s cards. Last year I forgot to buy a new calendar so used a 1984 Victorian calendar that had the same days. Is that thrifty or cheap? For me, I just enjoyed looking at the images again. The url to find out if you can use that calendar again is: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/repeating.html?year=2012
eli says
many many times I like the little bites better than the whole piece 🙂
connie rose says
what a wonderful poem snippet!
Chelsy says
Beautiful poem, beautiful journal pages.
Jenny says
Such a lovely snippet, it makes my pulse quicken a bit…
Leslie J. Moran says
“A calendar with every day uncrossed,” the most wonderful sight of the New Year. I’m a crosser offer. At the end of the day, I love to cross off each day on the calendar and consequently, at the end of the year not only do I know where I’m at, but I also have a “completed” year. I also love to cross off things on the to-do list. Feeling of power I suppose. Lovely poem.
donna, doni, lady d says
gave me shivers up my spine. xoDonna
Beth in NE PA says
As to the calendar with the days uncrossed…. who says you have to cross off days….. you can embellish them with all the fun and joy you find on that day. Isn’t that why we keep art journals?
I did enjoy the poem… especially the line about “A field of snow without a single footprint..” Having lived in Maine for many years I do understand the joy of that, the waking up in the morning to a new coating of snow, untrampled. It always gave me peace for a bit.
Cynthia says
“A calendar with every day uncrossed, a field of snow without a single footprint.” Wow, that is beautiful! I see I am about to follow Violet in the comment section, so I will add, “a chocolate cake with no fingerprints in the icing, a freshly painted journal page background with no pawprints on it…” Thanks for the tantalizing glimpses into your latest travel journal, MA!!
Violet Cadburry says
Harrruuumph! I wrote something similar in 7th grade and my teacher gave me a C. Well, I did write fleaspeck, instead of flyspeck. I also was a bit more descriptive about the virgin snow and all, and my perspective was from a crossed-eyed individual who couldn’t decide where to mark x’s on the calendar. Otherwise, it was lyrical and at the same time, dramatic, but contemporary without being maudlin rap.
ellen says
The new year is like snow without footprints, is it not? I do have to admit, tho, that my new year has had a few smudged and muddy prints…but that is life and it happens.
Dear Ms. Moss…love you. You are an unblemished snow bank in my life. e. (e.w.)
catherine lucas says
I miss reading your blog on a daily base like i do when at home… But today I found a computer and here I am. Lovely photographs of Mexican things. At least that is what I see. My mr Wonderful got me a Virgin of Guadelupe… A wooden one. I will try to snap her soon.
I love your macro shots of tulips, and I agree, sometimes tulips are very seductive…
So sorry for your kittie… He was a gorgeous cat!
Joan says
A field of snow without a single footprint….love that line. Creates a lovely picture in my mind of waking up to new fallen snow when I lived in AK. Is there anything more pristine than that?
Have you found a new village to visit in Mexico? Just wondering.
sheila says
i love this poem, even a smidgen of it. i do. thanks.
Domenico says
I don’t get poetry, wish I did, but I don’t. Love the smiles.
Lisa Hoffman says
watching you embellish a journal is really all I want to do.
So much for 49 things…or was it 47….?
Corky says
Tiny fissure where the future drips? Sounds like how my feet feel sometime! Cool poem – I like. Your journal looks like so much fun I wish I was there -looking over your shoulder.
Judy H. says
Oh my! Beautiful! Lots of food for thought in this snippet.