Monday Morning Musings:
“Time makes room
for going and coming home
and in time’s womb
begins all ending.”
From Ursula K. Le Guinn, “Hymn to Time”
“Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears”
–from “Sunrise, Sunset” Jerry Brock and Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler on the Roof
The dream flits,
flutters
spreading its wings
and soars
as the moon whispers
and shadows dance–
circles of light,
circles of darkness,
together, apart
beginnings and endings
all one thing,
in time
timeless.
***
A hot July day
time with a friend
not wanting it to end
we drink, eat stay
talking of what was
and what now is, because
we’re catching up
he knew us way back when–
the before, and then
we went our own ways
but kept in touch—
and now this lunch
though life intrudes
as I get texts about my mother
one after another
but still we laugh
then part, agree to meet
again soon—sweet
are friendships,
fleeting is time,
the clock chimes
echoing
through city streets
in buzzing beats
between the pauses, I feel
dreams rise from the cobblestones
beneath us buried bones.
***
We watch a movie
of fantasy and dreams
and my mom dreams, it seems
not certain of what is real
sometimes, but to her
fantasies, we defer.
And it is hotter now
some water ice to keep cool
in shaded bower, where statued pools
spray and children play
while others kept in cages
cruelty growing in stages
“Lock them up!” “Send them back,”
the ugly crowds chant
as the demagogue rants
and I listen to the fiddler play
and Yiddish spoken–
a culture not yet broken
entirely, and being revived
though they tried to kill us
six million then—but let’s discuss
how hate never goes away
entwined with fear
year after year
beneath the surface
like a dream.
Do you hear the scream
of those in a nightmare life
who are fleeing?
What are you seeing
when children in cages
appear before you?
Ho, hum, it’s nothing new.
Japanese, Jews, camps
of them, this and that–
and off them someone gets fat
(follow the money)
through history. We watch
a movie–does the cop botch
his life,
or is it ordained
as we see it explained
backwards through time.
Sci-fi and noir, violence and lust–
was it a story that must,
that always ended a certain way?
So many ifs and could-have-beens,
the outs and ins
of love and time
dances in circles, intertwine—
sometimes–
but the sun rises and sets
through our laughter and tears
and the years
circle in seasons
round and round–
light and darkness abound.
We watched two Netflix movies this week. In Sicilian Ghost Story, I liked the way dreams were a key part of the story and the fantasy of it; my husband not so much. We both liked The City of Last Things. The story is told backwards in time.
I listened to this Fresh Air episode about the Yiddish version of Fiddler on the Roof. Well worth the listen, if you have the time.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Always a joy to read your Monday Musings. You and your hubby really have a nice thing going and it’s fun to see you share various activities.
Have a fabulous week, Merril!
Thank you, Dale. Yes, good and bad. 🙂 You, too.
Yum…water ice is my favorite way to stay cool! I think I might have been tempted to take a dip in that gorgeous fountain, too.
Thank you, Jill. 🙂
Am I reading too much into your musings or were you/are you feeling a bit more reflective than in past musings? When we visit with old friends, people who live thousands of miles and an ocean away, I always feel reflective after, thinking about how much we change and yet don’t change. And there is your mom, the changes she is going through that you all would rather delay. But you always find joy in the here and now, the simple pleasures of a fountain and water ice. We can be angry about the crimes against humanity that our government commits, but we must still enjoy what there is to enjoy in life.
Thank you for your close reading, Marie. It’s hard to say if I’m feeling more reflective or not. I usually write these in in an hour or two on Monday morning. It was great seeing a friend who had known my husband and me since 9th grade–and it struck me that there are things that only he would know or remember. And then all the stuff with my mom–then listening to that Fresh Air episode after being with my mom. . .
And I could always be just transferring my reflectiveness on to you 😉 Your poems have a way of making me turn inward and think about things …
Aww–thanks. 🙂
Sorrow and joy mingled here on a Monday.
I’m thinking again of Andrew Marvell’s lines “But at my back/I always hear Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near” taken out of context for sure, but fits the mood I detect in your musing.
Yes, thank you, Marian. That’s a favorite poem of yours! 🙂
The past and present mingle as usual. Shadows and light, always.
I read a wonderful story of how they put that Yiddish Fiddler together, but I can’t remember where. I’ll have to check out what Fresh Air has to say. (K)
Thank you, Kerfe. I really enjoyed the Fresh Air interview–it gets into family history and immigration, and there are also song clips.
Those songs are timeless in any language.
Yes, they are.
Old friends are to be most valued. Excellent merging of past and present
Yes, they are. Thank you!
Your Mondays musings are full of contrasts and deep, Merril. I do think it is hard not to look back when spending time with someone close, who has known both you and your husband. Sometimes the simple past has a sense of idealism, hopefulness for many of us. The harsh reality is so present now that it creates shadows, dark/light. I’m so glad you had fun, found meaning in the films. I have always loved Tevia’s song, “Sunrise, Sunset.”
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Robin. You are quite right about the looking back sometimes with a sense of idealism (that might not be the reality). “Sunrise, Sunset” was never my favorite, and I seemed to get overplayed at weddings and such–but as I get older, it’s become more meaningful. They mention it and play a bit in the Fresh Air interview–the woman who plays Golde, Tevye’s wife has a beautiful voice!
Beautiful, as always. Joy, sadness, life. I felt a little weepy reading some of this, but that seems to be the way of things these days (without hormones to blame for it!). I’ve noticed that your images are beginning to tell stories of their own (or maybe that’s just me, since I am a photographer).
Thank you, Robin. I’m pleased that my musings here evoked so many emotions in you! That’s interesting about the photos. I think perhaps I’m getting better (sometimes) at photographing things with my iPhone camera :)–though I did have to kind of scrounge to come up with photos for this week, since we didn’t do so much walking or going place in the heat and with other things going on. . .
These musings always flow so well, but this one especially.
Thank you so much, Ken! They are almost always written on Monday morning in an hour or two–sometimes I have an idea of how to tie my thoughts together before that, and sometimes not. 🙂