Continued cool in the marsh—39 this morning when Carol went to play tennis a little after 8, but warming to 50 now at noon, sunny and cheerful. Yesterday’s temperatures were about the same but with solid low gray overcast the day was gloomy and raw.
I am downloading GRIBs and checking other weather sources. I am skeptical of long range weather forecasts, but if they can be believed I might get away next Tuesday or Wednesday. As always I want to sail with at least a couple of days of likely favorable conditions and then I will adapt to whatever happens.
At present my two books of daily poetry are JAPANESE DEATH POEMS and the anthology, STAYING ALIVE. A pleasing juxtaposition. I have read both before. I have books in my Kindle app arranged by ‘recent’ so when I finish one book of poetry I simply scroll to the bottom of the list and start rereading whatever is there.
The Japanese death poems are all very short. Many are haiku. They are presented not chronologically, but alphabetically by author, so the reader is skipping back and forth through centuries. When known the date and age of the writer at his or her death is given. I make it a point to read the names with the thought that for a brief instant a slight remnant of that person is still alive. Here are two poems by Raizan who will also live again for an instant through you.
The Japanese poems reminded me of what William Butler Yeats wrote for his gravestone. Some of you will recognize this from the photos on my main site.
And here is an unrelated poem from STAYING ALIVE I believe I have posted here before.
Wishing you well from the marsh.
2 comments:
Hi Webb,
I came across the following quote of yours in “The Spirit of Sailing” by Michael Kahn.
A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind.
I don’t know if there is a way to upload the photo of that page from the book. It’s quite beautiful.
Thank you, Ray, for letting me know. Those words have entered some of the tribal consciousness.
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