Sunday, January 6, 2008

somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond, by e.e. cummings



somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands



[I have been marinating in the toxic world of political primaries this past week. My writing brain, not willing to share grey space with polls and punditry, seems to have flown. And I can't say that I blame her. So for now, I will lean on my Cummings crutch again. Hope you enjoyed this!]

11 comments:

Pallav said...

this strikes deep, last stanza is a killer. Poetry over politricks any day :)

hey by the way, try getting 'I do not love you' by Pablo Neruda that is a beaut in itself :)

Cheers to Poems!

N

Abhinav Maurya said...

Intensely fragile. Looks like someone is a diehard cummings fan. ;-)

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;


So beautiful, it almost tore my heart out. And the pic is as good as a real rose for the effect it has. ;-)

Hope you soon return from the world of politics to the blogosphere. :-)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic!

Steve H said...

although i've missed you, cummings is a wonderful alternative!!

Sarah Hina said...

Nothingman, thank you so much for the Neruda. I loved it.

Abhinav, another reason why I love this poem so much is that it figures prominently in one of my favorite movies: Woody Allen's "Hannah and her Sisters." The last line is so nonsensical, but just so...right.

I agree, Wayne! :)

Thanks, Hotwire! In all honesty. I've missed me, too. ;)

Anonymous said...

The media coverage of primaries frustrates me to no end. If it were the world according to me, all the primaries would be on the same day. The fact that candidates already think about pulling out after one or two states is ludicrous, but an undeniable reality in how it works today. We should save ourselves the drama and just have Iowa decide the whole thing.

Anyway, I digress. I found this poem curious in that it speaks about a person's eyes opening another person. So many times, we react by closing, not opening. To celebrate opening so, well, openly, is refreshing.

Chris Eldin said...

Thank you so much for turning me to ee cummings. I love the poems you choose, and relish these posts.

Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

I love to come here to read whatever you offer and I prefer poetry to politics too. You always choose the best e.e. cummings poems, but, I prefer yours. :o)

moonrat said...

yes, thank you.

Sarah Hina said...

Jason, I agree, with one caveat: I like that primary voters (in albeit select states) have an opportunity to really explore their choices, and see the candidates close-up. This would be more difficult on a national scale, and would likely mean that the candidates with the cash and front-runner status would cruise to victory.

For the Obamas, Edwardses, and Huckabees of the campaign, I think small scale primaries (not so much caucuses, which strike me as pretty undemocratic) are a good thing. But it is frustrating as a voter who doesn't have a say until March, when it will likely be decided already. And it is rather ridiculous how much ethanol and other local issues can come into play, as candidates pander for votes.

Anyway, enough of that. I don't like how involved I am with the process right now, but I am passionately behind one candidate, and am resigned to riding this wave for now. Hopefully, I will reclaim my brain tomorrow. ;)

And thank you for your comments on the poem. Lovely.

You're welcome, CL! I'm so glad I've opened a door for you.

Wow, that's high praise, indeed, easywriter! But I thank you for it. :)

Glad you enjoyed this one, moonrat.

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

totally enjoyed it! Love Cummings! Love your blog! Can't wait to read more of your stuff next!