Monday, July 21, 2008

Beautiful World (Eliza Gilkyson)

I am beyond excited... in that I am leaving for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival first thing tomorrow morning - last year's preview and review posts pretty much sum it up!

This will be FRFF's 20th anniversary... and my 10th - in addition to dear Dar Williams, artists performing are Janis Ian, Patty Larkin, Tracy Grammer, the above-mentioned Eliza Gilkyson... and so many others. I am delighted that Danny Schmidt has been chosen for the Artist Showcase - there will also be a Dave Carter song circle early Sunday morning... and, despite my probable lack of sleep, I will most definitely be there...



POEM: Not to Sleep by Robert Graves

Not to sleep all the night long, for pure joy,
Counting no sheep and careless of chimes
Welcoming the dawn confabulation
Of birds, her children, who discuss idly
Fanciful details of the promised coming —
Will she be wearing red, or russet, or blue,
Or pure white?—whatever she wears, glorious:
Not to sleep all the night long, for pure joy,
This is given to a few but at last to me,
So that when I laugh and stretch and leap from bed
I shall glide downstairs, my feet brushing the carpet
In courtesy to civilized progression,
Though, did I wish, I could soar through the open window
And perch on a branch above, acceptable ally
Of the birds still alert, grumbling gently together.

QUOTE: "In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." ~ Kahlil Gibran

2 comments:

  1. What a lovely verse!
    I think that is what I most enjoy about your blog: the poetry. It's especially wonderful to see a quote following the poem.
    Were you once a teacher? Still an instructor?
    ***
    I L-O-V-E poetry. My fave poet is W.H. Auden. And in terms of "dealing with" death and dying, Auden's "Funeral Blues" says it like no other writer.
    For its whimsy, I adore E.E. Cummings's work. "maggie and molly and milly and may" is a verse I recite oh-so-dramatically to my students.

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  2. Hey, Kate -

    Just back from the festival - I always appreciate you stopping by to comment!

    I was a preschool teacher for 10 years and director for 4 - old teacher habits die hard, eh?... :-)

    I too love poetry... and appreciate your recommendations - my favorites would have to be Wendell Berry, Marge Piercy, William Stafford and Ellen Bass... although there are so many others who touch me on a regular basis... <3

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