Monday Morning Musings:
“The world was filling with ghosts. We were a haunted country in a haunted world.”
–Louise Erdrich, The Sentence“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
–William Shakespeare, from Macbeth (spoken by Macbeth after Lady Macbeth’s death)
Apparitions slip
between worlds, linger like words–
the spoken and unsaid–each
waiting to be seen, heard,
read and remembered, infinite
combinations, in
every language, past, future
meld in the timeless sea where
yesterday’s twinkling light
haunts and comforts. Does tomorrow
on the horizon
give a straight-lined smile? Or false
the glimmer of hope? Sound and
fury—nothing or all?
Candles burn bright, yet mimic stars.
The light comes again
reverberations, colored
by space-time meandering
carrying messages
in microscopic dust missives.
Now, winter’s blanket
lays etched with sharp lettering–
yet beneath, cursive tendrils
wait to write new stories
spirits and words hover, beckon
with endless stories,
whole books, unfinished chapters
brief verses, epic sagas,
chronicles and reports.
The universe shouts and whispers.
I decided to try a wayra again. It forces me to think and choose words in a different way.
We’re bouncing from very cold to warm for January to cold. We had snow last night, but it’s been washed away by the rain, and there’s a wind advisory for later in the day into tomorrow.
It’s soup and blanket weather. I made clam chowder (without bacon) last night, and vegetarian onion soup earlier in the week, served with oven french fries.
Merril’s Movie, Books, TV. . .
I couldn’t quite stay up to finish Louise Erdrich’s new novel, The Sentence, last night, but it’s wonderful—words and books, tribal lore, ghosts, and social commentary.
We watched A Perfect Ending (Amazon Prime), a psychological thriller with Polish actor Tomasz Kot as an architect delayed by a young woman in an airport. It definitely kept me interested till the end. And since I forgot to cancel Apple TV, we also watched The Tragedy of Macbeth, a new adaptation by Joel Coen. Purists may not like the streamlined version, but it’s excellent, filmed in a stark black and white where shadows loom and the Weird Women become birds. The supernatural elements of the play really come through in this version. Denzel Washington plays Macbeth and Frances McDormand is Lady Macbeth. She’s so good.
The book and movies share connections of ghosts, regrets, deaths/murders, and memory.
We’ll be watching the finale of Yellow Jackets tonight, a show that I’ve really enjoyed. (I wasn’t sure I would from the opening scenes.) And I suppose there’s a connection here, too.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Enjoyed your post Merril – photos, poems, and recommendations.
Thank you so much for reading!
My pleasure!
I love the liminal space you’ve created with your images and words, Merril! 🙂
Thank you very much, Ingrid! 😀
This was a lovely read, Merril. Unusual and interesting.
Thank you so much. I appreciate that!
Magnificent write
Thank you so much!
It’s a pleasure
Terrific images – and the wayra appeals – gotta try that one!
Thank you so much!
Jane Dougherty was writing lots of wayras, so I tried it last Monday.
Love your Wayra chain. Beautiful images in both words and photos.
Thank you so much, Dale! 💙
🧡
What a lovely post, Merrill. Your poetry and photos were stunning. ❤️
Thank you very much, Colleen! ❤️
I love your “Early Morning Reflections” photo! The lines that resonated with me in your poem are:
Does tomorrow
on the horizon
give a straight-lined smile?
This is such an intriguing metaphor!! I’m going to keep thinking about it.
Thank you very much, Liz. That makes me happy that I’ve given you a metaphor to think about! 😀
I’ve added it to my “favorite metaphors and similes” folder.
Oh my! I’m honored! 💙
🙂
Such rich blues…they always give hope. (K)
Yes, indeed.
Glorious photos, and I enjoy your wayra. You’re right, the line limit does make us search for words, sometimes not the one that first springs to mind.
Macbeth’s soliloquy is one of my favourites. I studied Macbeth at school when I was 14-15 and learned great chunks of it by heart.
Thank you! 😀
I never studied Macbeth in school, but it is such a good play. I’ve seen in performed live and in filmed versions. I like this soliloquy, too. You probably would not have liked how much was cut, but I enjoyed this version. Very theatrical, and the oppressive atmosphere that I always imagine in the play was palpable .
It’s a great play. Yes, the oppression starts from the opening of the play and never lets up. We were taught to see the strength of Lady Macbeth compared with Macbeth’s weakness, like Portia and Brutus in Julius Caesar. I often see references to how blood thirsty she was and how she perverted Mr Nice Guy Macbeth. Funny how times change—regressing!
In this version, she seemed to be the instigator (after the witches planted the seeds)–but it didn’t take much. They seemed an evenly matched couple.
As I remember it, she was ambitious for him, but she was the stronger of the two, urging him on when he hesitated. She broke because she couldn’t cope with what power entailed, all that killing. I don’t think Macbeth balked at the killing. He was a soldier after all. But he lost his nerve when he thought he might not be successful.
I think you described it perfectly!
It’s the interpretation we were pointed at. The nuns were at the spearhead of feminism then 🙂
😀
Definitely haunting, Merril. None more so than the evening snowfall’s spots of light and cursive tendrils
Thank you very much, Derrick!
The Wayra is an appealing form. You use it very well and, as usual, your words and photos complement each other perfectly.
Thank you so much, Marie!
Great use of the form for musing & contemplation.
Thank you, Ken.
Lovely post, Merril. 🙂 I went to add The Sentence to my reading list and found it was already there.
Thank you so much, Robin. 😀
Very late in responding Merril (travelling, cataract surgery) – but just to say this is lovely and your accompanying words to the Shakespearean quote sounds Shakespearean in timber. The photos are lovely!
Thank you so much, Susan! What a lovely comment!
I hope your cataract surgery went well. When my husband had his done, he could already see better in day.
Reblogged this on The Wombwell Rainbow.
Thank you once again!
Love the opening from Shakespeare.
You have followed the footsteps.
Wonderful, thank you!
Thank you, Resa!