Monday Morning Musings:
“I should have loved a thunderbird instead; At least when spring comes they roar back again. I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. (I think I made you up inside my head.)” --Sylvia Plath, Mad Girl’s Love Song
We prepare for winter
with blankets, tea, and books,
candles to light the nooks
of home, as heart, brain
given free rein, see in the shadows,
ghosts, cold, pain,
the fear of what frozen months bring,
the fear of known and unknown things—
we prepare to be together,
we prepare to be apart
our hearts sing, sigh
say goodbye in forlorn wandering
the air waves, weaves strands of grey with light
though it also shoots frozen silver darts–
yet, see
there’s magic still simmering, glimmering
at the surface where sea serpents shed their scaly skin
to dance with water sprites
Waves of water, sand, and air. A sea serpent leave her skin. ©️Merril D. Smith, 2021and eagles soar from bare-branched trees,
again into light,
over the river, the sky is grey
Bald Eagle 
Bald Eagle 
Bald Eagle
but the gulls rise, and there are patches of blue–
spring is coming
Gulls 
Gulls 
Gulls
despite the mud-stomped snow,
the geese know time flows
“we’re coming, we’re coming,” they honk and cry,
Momma Cardinal at our feeder
it’s coming, Spring,
the cardinal couples call,
and the nuthatches laugh,
and the crows gather (not murderous at all)
but aware
that love is in the air.
And if I made you up,
then a wondrous dream it’s been,
there will be more snow, but in birdwing flight
and woodpecker’s drumming
I know spring is coming.
Merril’s Movie Club: So, you know, pandemic. . .we didn’t go anywhere. AND, the GOP senators, except for seven, couldn’t find their spines, or even worse, don’t care to. So. . .I really wanted to see a Merril movie, the kind we would have seen in a Philadelphia theater. I rented one from an NYC arthouse theater instead (filmforum.org). It’s less expensive than going to the movies, but of course, there are more distractions at home, so the experience is not the same. We rented, Preparation to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, Hungary’s entry for the Academy Awards. It’s a noirish story of a neurosurgeon who after meeting a man at a conference in New Jersey, plans to meet him in a month in the Liberty Bridge at the Pest side in Budapest. He doesn’t show up, and when she tracks him down, he says he doesn’t know her. Thus, begins a story of did she imagine this whole romance? My husband and I both liked the movie a lot—he was still talking about it the next day. It’s not up there with Cold War (sigh), but it’s still a good movie, beautifully filmed. The quote from Sylvia Plath was at the beginning of the movie.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries 
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Love that Plath quote! And the photo of the sea serpent shedding it skin🙂. That movie sounds good. That cat.. snoozing with tongue out gave me the giggles, thank you!
Pat
Thank you so much, Pat! He’s does that often–he when he was still a kitten. 😀
🙂
As ever, beautifully done (including photographs).
“there’s magic still simmering, glimmering
at the surface where sea serpents shed their scaly skin
to dance with water sprites” is a lovely stanza
Thank you very much, Derrick. Much appreciated!
Lovely musings today, Merril. The cat shot is priceless!
Thank you very much, Jill!
He’s my baby–sitting on my lap now (tongue in).😀
Delightful in every way Merril – except for the senators who lost their spine. But the photos and prose are lifting. I like the sound of those movies. Will investigate:)
Thanks so much, Susan!
What a sky! And the birds, of course. Your synopsis of the movie sounds like much of my life. I’m never sure if what I remember is made up or real. (K)
Thank you! The birds are getting very active. I might have seen that eagle again–something big anyway. And a hawk.
Memory can be tricky. 😀
There is definitely something wondrous about those early, early signs of spring. In northern New England, the first sign of spring is the smell of snow melting. Next is birdsong from unseen birds. I love the photo of waves of water, sand, and air–and the sea serpent’s shed skin, of course! Your Valentine’s dinner looks very good.
Thank you very much, Liz. The snow is melting here because we had rain and today it’s in the high 40s, but then it’s getting colder again, and we’ll have snow, sleet, rain. . . We did enjoy the fondue and chocolate treats!
You’re welcome, Merril. We awoke to freezing rain this morning. Winter is having a hard time letting go, for sure.
I think that’s always the case.
Lovely poem and photographs! The geese do herald the coming of spring…so ready for that. Your pictures are wonderful!
Thank you so much, Linda!
Beautifully done, for sure. And grey the days may be, but you’ve still captured some beauty.
So funny, as you were describing the moving, I immediately thought of Cold War! And then you go and say it’s not quite as good as! It’s playing on Netflix. I think I’m going to have to watch it again. Oh… there goes that song immediately into my head ..
Thank you!
I keep telling my husband I’m looking for a movie that affects me like Cold War. I am glad I saw that one in a theater, but I may have to watch it again. In this music, the man does like music though. 😉
I’m glad I saw it in a movie theatre, too!
I just might have to put it on my list. 😁
Me, too. I didn’t see it on Netflix. Maybe Prime.
Oh maybe that’s where I saw it…. Gets confusing after awhile!
It does!
🙂
You are so very …. internationally learned.
I admire you.
The poetry is simply beautiful!
Thank you so much, Resa!
I’m not sure what internationally learned means, but it certainly sounds impressive! 😀
It means you have a worldliness about what you write and say. Well read, talented writer, versed in food and wine, movies, love of all nature and love itself. If I didn’t know where you lived, it wouldn’t matter.
Oh, that’s so kind, Resa! Thank you. I feel like I’m so not all of those things, so it’s lovely that you think so. 😀
You must be all of those things! Otherwise, why would I get that message?
You are amazing. Just keep writing all of those wonderful words you put out here.
You are the oracle, even when using the oracle.
Awww—thank you so much, Resa! 😘
❤