Monday Morning Musings:
Still More
“How do you know but ev’ry Bird that cuts the airy way,
Is an immense world of delight, clos’d by your senses five?”
–William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790)
I still have more to say about color,
the frequency and hues,
and how we parse the natural world
and what we choose to name–
Would they be the same–
the roses and the stars—
if we didn’t claim them so
What color was the sea? Did the moon
sing a different tune?
What was before blue
of sky and blue jay wing
and what of the unseen,
and the in-between.
What does the heron perceive
in the grey of his feathers
or the ultraviolet that they see, like bees,
an Umwelt unlike ours, but like trees
connected and a part—
now think about our hearts
and all the types of love, friendship, fear—
look at dogs, cats, turkey, deer—
animals that love, have their friends, and run
in play and fear.
So many words, so many shades,
but hate has only one. It never fades,
it’s a black hole,
trapping light within—
and yet and yet and yet
it’s not that simple or set–
light bends and echoes around it
seeking a way, as if to not forget
and we–
have ways to see and be–
we’re hardwired to parse and name
color and light, and to sense the unseen–
Monet’s violet waterlilies somewhere in our genes.
Again, the Marginalian got me thinking about color and light. I found this short video that I think does such a good job of explaining how we and animals see color. For more on Monet’s eyesight, I found this short article.
We watched another strange Merril movie, Censor. Here’s a review from the Guardian. We both liked it, but it is very strange. I’m still thinking about it though.
We did a lot this weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Friday night out to dinner (outside) with daughter and son-in-law. That was after an amazing launch for Afterfeather also attended by Ricky. I have a poem in this anthology, which is published by Black Bough poetry from poems curated by Briony Collins from Top Tweet Tuesday.
A winery on Saturday late afternoon/evening. And a bridal shower luncheon on Sunday.
William Heritage Winery
Bridal Shower, Special Time With friends
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Hate is a black hole – yes. Colors are light and joy and musings into soul. The aster – sigh. Beauuuutiful.
Thank you so very much, Pam!
I just bought an aster this weekend! Beautiful musing today, Merril. I love the deer taking a leap!
To me, the deer seemed the epitomy of, “So long, suckers!”
Hahaha.
LOL!
Thank you, Jill.
We bought the asters with our goldenrod from a place that only sells native plants. The bees seem to like it.
Yeah, that deer did not want to hang around. The fence leads divides the park from the river.
Reading your musings, it occurred to me that one of the greatest joys in my life is the ability to perceive nuances of color. I’d never thought about it in just this way before.
I’m so pleased I made you think about it, Liz!
I feel like there’s more I’m pondering about this–about seeing, or perhaps sensing, and naming.
Hate stands with many, in its black hole. Unfortunately.
As a costume designer in film, me & my crew had to make quite specific notes for continuity.
Orange was never just orange, but pumpkin, orange sherbet, burnt orange, Popsicle orange, etc.
So it was with all colours. Sea foam green, lime green, forest green, grey green, turquoise green, malachite, teal green.
Love the shot of the blue jay in the greens!
Thanks for the musings, Merril!
Thank you, Resa.
Yes, of course, you’d have to be specific with colors for designs and filming. I often try to use a more precise image-word, but it depends on sound and rhythm, too.
The blue jays are very active now–lots of shrieking!
Haha! Shrieking… it’s their singing. Okay, so not really songbirds, but you sure know when they are around!
You definitely do. Sometimes they really are yelling!
I always say they sound like squeaky clotheslines!
Maybe our NJ blue jays have more of an attitude! 🤣
Hahaha!! Maybe! 😂🤣
🤣
Good times, good food, good friends. All do much to balance the hate.
I read a book about Monet awhile ago that talked a lot about his eyesight and the water lilies. I can’t see too clearly these days myself, so I identify with it. But the color, thankfully, remains. (K)
Thank you very much, Kerfe. It was fun to get out and see people and do things in beautiful weather.
I’m sorry about your eyes.
Old age. It’s not going to get better, but evidently not that much worse either. Probably a good thing I don’t need to drive though.
I’m glad it’s not going to get worse. I don’t drive at night. And I can only wear my contacts for part of the day because my eyes get so dry.
Love all the shades of this Merril! Hate is such a bleak colour – do those who hate know what they’re missing?
Thank you so much, Susan.
I don’t think the haters care.
You see much so well; you must have waited for that deer leap; beautiful smiles; congratulations on the Afterfeather publication.
Thank you so much, Derrick. 💙 We are both observers, I think. I did wait for that leap.
X
Wonderful musings with beautiful pictures. Fascinating links, too. Hate is definitely a black hole. And wow… that movie “Censor” – I didn’t picture you as watching this genre!
Thank you! I’m pleased you liked the poem, photos, and links.
I like horror, but I am not a fan of gory, slasher horror. (I watched some of American Horror, but it seemed like torture porn to me and I stopped watching.) That isn’t what this is. The main character is a censor, who watches these “video nasties” to decide if they should be made available to the public or not. So, it’s kind of a social commentary and also it’s unclear what is real and not, or how reliable her memory/thoughts are.
Very much!
I love that you do (and no, the gory slasher crap is not pleasant to watch and I do not see the attraction.
Hmmm… Might be something for Marc and I to watch 🙂 He did, after all, get me to watch Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House – both excellent and nice and short series 🙂
I liked both of those, too–but I was terrified of the old Hill House movie (1960s?), which does not show ANYTHING! This one does have gore, but it’s like once removed in films inside the film, if that makes sense.
Oh, I didn’t see the old movie. And yes, it does make sense. Midnight Mass was perfect in that there was just enough. Hill House I jumped more than once. We’ll be truing Blythe Manor soon 🙂
They (the people who did Hill House, Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass) have a new one coming out soon on Netflix, Midnight Club.
Bly not Blythe… I knew there was something off 😉 I knew they were all part of the same family (and the actors play in more than one).
Oooh… I’ll have to take note – though I am pretty certain my partner in crime already knows…
🙂
You start of with a favourite quote of mine, and pose some interesting questions: nice work Merril 😊
Thank you, Ingrid! I did think of you with the Blake. 😏
😊
“Seeking a way, as if not to forget” and “see the unseen.” These phrases speak to me. I think some of us are born to see the unseen (as you seem to suggest when you mention genes). It is a gift and a burden, sometimes! I don’t know if that makes sense to you, but art is a collaborative process between artist and reader (or viewer or whatever).
Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem!
Thank you for reading, and for responding so thoughtfully. It does make sense to me. I think creating art of any sort, visual, poetic, dance, whatever accentuates the unseen so perhaps we can almost see it (or sense it). But I imagine some may sense things that they cannot express, and that would be a burden. But I also was referring to our limited senses–how other creatures can see and hear things we cannot, but that there could be an ancient gene that’s sort of turned off in humans–hence Monet being able to see ultraviolet. But yes, that’s just what was going on in MY brain. 🤣 Readers may interpret in some other way.
Your photos offer a banquet of color and your words conjure the rainbow in our world. Hate is a black hole, but I’m glad you didn’t dwell on it.
Right now the late afternoon sun is bathing some of my potted plants in bright light, spotlighting the few remaining blossoms of the red penta, pink halo, and (rather drab now) anise hyssop. A couple of weeks ago I repotted a cutleaf coneflower and it is FINALLY starting to bloom, albeit extremely slowly. I also repotted a shrimp plant which has since burst out with several blooms. I think it’s their “last gasp” before fall technically kicks in 😉
Thank you so much.
This is such a beautiful time of year.
Those “last gasps” are extra special. 😊