Tags
#bringingbacktheglosa, #HappyNewYear, Canadian poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elaine Stirling, glosa, Spanish medieval fixed verse
~~a glosa~~
But then it does not matter. Strange how few,
after all’s said and done, the things that are
of moment. Few indeed! When I can make
of ten small words a rope to hang the world!
—from “Interim”, Edna St. Vincent Millay
The year is new. I have not found
a meme or dubious quotation yet to press
upon the friends I mostly haven’t met.
There’s been no sunset at this longitude,
only rise through which I slept and dreamed
of small regrets. I should get out and do,
but what? One friend is on a plane,
another has six horses to attend. The one
who’s dieting thinks she must lose a size or two,
but then it does not matter. Strange how few
the options seem when the calendar
is fresh, and life and death do not hang
in the balance. I could be content,
pursue new lines of thought, imagine
worlds that might have been, and could be still.
If I’m unfed, one day, by images of war,
infernos, floods, and raging politics,
would I be less a worthy citizen? Would my
withdrawal wound the Senate, leave a scar?
After all’s said and done, the things that are
would be such anyway, or could it be—
strange brew—that my continued
observation seeps like mustard gas
into habitual, low-lying banks of thought
where greenery and possibility once
flourished? Oh, give my head a shake!
Go play outside. Fresh air will do you good.
Inspiration didn’t come back then—I swam
in it, a dolphin, flippered, finned, with no mistake
of moment. Few indeed! When I can make
of this day a borderless idea that the planet
will outlive my worry, longevity’s irrelevant,
that those in little boots with flashing lights,
absorbed in making snowmen, are more
worthy of my admiration than the crumbling
antiquated systems that confused and whirled
me from frivolity to lockstep, then perhaps
I will have made some worthy contribution,
after all, an original pattern knit and purled
of ten small words, a rope to hang the world—
a bright infinity scarf to warm this good New Year!
Happy 2016!
~~~
© Elaine Stirling, 2016
Bridge2Vision said:
Wow Elaine. That last stanza drapes the warmth of primary purpose in a compelling, original and articulate burst of clarity. What a perfect reading to begin my New Year. Happiest 2016 to you and your family!
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elainestirling said:
Thank you, Bridge! It’s such a funny process…when I selected those four lines from Edna a week or so ago, I could not imagine reconciling a “rope to hang the world” in any positive sense. But I so loved the punch of it. She rode my left shoulder unconcerned until, pretty much, the 720 minute mark of this year. Happy New Year to you and yours–I’m looking forward to sharing our continued adventures. 🙂
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lutialausane said:
Yet we are still here Elaine. This is indeed a strange time of New Year
Sent from my iPhone
>
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elainestirling said:
Wishing you the happiest, Lutia!
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Clive said:
Enjoy the minute, the hour, the week, the month, the year, stay present with the good thoughts and let uh-oh exit stage left as soon as it arrives.
Best wishes to you and yours for a great 2016.
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elainestirling said:
It’s so lovely to hear from you, Clive! Always good to be reminded of how to handle the uh-oh! Thank you for the kind wishes. Happy New Year to you and yours! 🙂
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nancypagh said:
Having written a Millay glosa I was online searching for others who must have done it too. I love this, Elaine, and am so happy to have bumped into you and discovered your beautiful site here 😉 NP
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elainestirling said:
Thank you, Nancy! I visited your page–oh my gosh, you are a seriously prolific poet. I’m honoured that you dropped by, and tickled pink that you’ve also written a Millay glosa. The glosa form is my favourite (wrote a whole book of them in 2013). It kind of feels like Edna introduced us. 🙂
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nancypagh said:
Elaine, I feel like I must have met you or your work before but Iâm just not sure how. Were you at the CCWWP conference in Toronto this June? Maybe I saw you there? I went to UBC for grad school and have lots of Canadian friends who are writers, so maybe weâve connected through one before. Not sure how, but anyway, I admire your work and am glad to have run into your lovely blog! ~Nancy
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elainestirling said:
I don’t know if we’ve met, Nancy, but we’ve definitely wandered similar circles. I lived in Kelowna decades ago and went to a Romance Writers Conference in Seattle in my romance writing life. Poetry began for me very recently, and I haven’t attended anything in that role in “real life”…yet. Please do let me know next time you’re in Toronto! Once again, my thanks–lovely to talk with you! –Elaine
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