Monday Morning Musings:
The Eternal Endings and Beginnings
“In other words,
once there was air,
a bird
could be got.”
–from Lia Purpura, “Beginning”
I.
In dreams
time has no meaning,
our ghosts live again,
disclose the truth of stories.
II.
Invisible birds call
proclaim themselves in
the grey-blanketed world
where there is only them—
and me—but they are
shapeshifters, black dots
that honk as the mother mallard
laughs
then
the blue of jay, the red of cardinals,
spots of color in the monochrome–
is the universe
what we imagine? What comes first?
III.
Cycles and turnings,
sun, moon, earth,
mother and child
reborn
endings become beginnings–
and now, on New Year’s Day,
here, washed clean, sparkling,
it begins. Again.
Helllo, again. This is my first Monday Morning Musings of the New Year. For those who have been away from blogs, I hope you had a good holiday season, and I wish you a very happy and healthy new year. 2022 was quite a year. Friday will be the anniversary of when the US was almost destroyed. I 2022, I had loved one dies, and I also had my first book of poetry, River Winds, published by Nightingale and Sparrow Press.
At the start of this past week, we got together with family. Our older child and their wife were here with us over Christmas and for a few days. We will see more family and friends this week.
We said goodbye to the old year with wine and cheese from Tria and a virtual tasting. It was a fun and educational event with Tria’s wine director, Lauren Harris and Tria’s Cheese Director, Madame Fromage (Tenaya Darlington) who was in Belgium. I liked everything. My husband and I who do not generally like rosé, enjoyed this sparkling one from Italy, and every single cheese was delicious. Really delicious. It was a good night to stay in, as it was foggy, then rainy outside.
But yesterday, New Year’s Day, was sunny and mild.
In my dream early this morning, my children were still children, my mother was around, and so were old pets. It was a past and now. Old and young, dead and alive.
Perhaps I was influenced by what we watched, The Eternal Daughter, a film by Joanna Hogg in which Tilda Swinton plays both mother and daughter. It’s a definite Merril movie that I highly recommend. It’s a mystery with ghostly overtones set in a grand old house in Wales. Merril movie should tell you that it has layers and that it is not an action film.
We also streamed the Lantern Theater’s one-man show version of A Christmas Carol. We had seen it live a few years ago for my birthday. Dickens used to perform it himself, too. Also highly recommended. My husband said, “I could watch that every year.”
Shows: We re-watched the final two episodes of 1899 with our older child and daughter-in-law. We finished Let the Right One In, a Showtime series based on the movies about a vampire girl and her friendship with a boy who needs friends. It’s vampires, but it’s really a show about family, friendship, and what you will do for love. We had started Wednesday, didn’t love, but went back and ended-up enjoying it.
I’m currently reading, The Whalebone Theater: A Novel by Joanna Quinn, and thoroughly enjoying it. I’m also reading some unpublished manuscripts, and poetry that I will review soon.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
sounds like a full, rich holiday experience.
Thank you so much. It was, and more this week!
A rich week! The fog is magical. You have the eye for your words. (K)
That is a particularly lovely comment coming from an artist/poet. Thank you very much, Kerfe.
And we were at my sister’s yesterday.
Walks in nature, books and movies enrich your writing life.
Now when I gaze at the sky and ducks and geese on our lake, I’ll think of your words: “but they are
shapeshifters, black dots
that honk as the mother mallard
laughs”
Thanks, Merril!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Marian.
I’m so pleased my words resonated.
It was so foggy that I really only see some dark shapes. It’s usually just geese, but there was a very noisy laughing quack. My bird app told me it was a mallard, and when I looked it up later, I discovered it was the female birds who made the sound!
The photo with the cardinal in the tree took my breath away. So perfect! A lot of bad happened in 2022, but you seem to have ended the year on a warm and fuzzy note. Here’s to 2023. May our grip on democracy become even stronger 🙂
Thank you so much, Marie. I’m so pleased you had that reaction. I was quite pleased with it, too. I had missed an earlier shot of a cardinal by the river. 🙂
I so agree with you–yes!
🙂
I’m happy you had a nice holiday with your family, Merril. Your photos are fantastic! I especially love the shot of Spruce Street. Happy New Year!
Thank you so much, Jill.
That Spruce St. photo was taken from the car. 🙂 I’m pleased you like it. That’s Washington Square Park at the end of the street. Happy New Year to you!
Lovely Monday post-something hopeful about it. Or both energetic and ephemeral – happy New Year Merril 🦋
Thank you so much, Susan!
I like energetic and ephemeral. 😊
Merril, this is the one I read this morning. It too is wonderful, I like the I, II, III form but haven’t really tried it. Merril, this is really wonderful. You will have a hard time living up to and witnessing all you have seen and done in 2022. Again, no resolutions here.
..
Thank you, Jim! Happy New Year!
This is not any particular form. The poem simply called out for the numbers. It’s not something I can explain, but thank you for your kind words. I don’t make resolutions either. The past few years have been very difficult with many deaths and political challenges, but I have had some wonderful poetry successes.
Merril, I think our children will always be children somewhere inside our minds and hearts and our pets will always be with us long after they have left this earth. I love how your poem is punctuated! by the photos. Really lovely.
Thank you, Luanne. That means so much to me! 💙
I love your foggy morning photos. The Eternal Daughter sounds like a movie I would really enjoy.
Thank you so much, Liz.
I thought the movie was very good. I would watch it again to pick up on little things I might have missed.
You’re welcome, Merril.
Happy New Year, Merril. The movie (The Eternal Daughter) sounds like a Robin movie so I’ve added it to my ever-growing list of Merril movies. Your words and images are beautiful. 2022 was a mixed bag for me, too. Here’s hoping that 2023 brings about good change.
Happy New Year, Robin! Thank you!
Did you see The Souvenir, Part 1 or 2? By the same director, also with Tilda Swinton, and Swinton’s real life daughter playing her daughter (the main role).
Yes, let’s hope for a great new year!
I have not and just added them to my list. Thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome!