Fold and Gathers

Posted on by

Monday Morning Musings:

Folds and Gathers

“The past and present wilt—I have fill’d them, emptied them.
And proceed to fill my next fold of the future.”
–Walt Whitman, Song of Myself, 51

I look from above and from within
turbulent waves, caught in crosscurrents
and riptides,
a herring–

watch me slide red into a school of silver,
one distraction in a multitude of thoughts
cloud-drifting, space-rifting, pausing,
moving on.

I fold and unfold the wrinkled cloth
of time. Try to smooth it, but there are no
neat accordion pleats, it’s crumbled and creased,
the disheveled bedclothes of a restless sleeper

who has tossed pockets of crumbs and treasures,
babies with tired eyes and distended stomachs, roofs
in rubble, purple anguish in blackened streets,

a single red flower, a manifold mix of yellow, pink, violet
and more
multitudinous birds, a kaleidoscope of feathered, chirping hues—
robins fill the dawn with song,
eagles soar with crow chasers,
as the moon is swallowed

by blueberry skies and strawberry dreams, a respite,
a reflection captured in a small lull, a breath caught,
an exhalation, a dog-eared fold, marking a place in time.

We have had several days of perfect weather, but of course, it could not last. This week will be more humid, with a chance of rain and/or thunderstorms. And the downside of beautiful weather and people outdoors—violence at parties and family events. Sometimes I just hate people. Speaking of which, the orange one is now a convicted felon. We heard the news on Thursday afternoon that the jury had decided. This was just before we were leaving for my book club meeting. We listened to NPR in the car, and I was so anxious until I heard guilty on all 34 counts! What that means is yet to be determined, but it was good news for a change. His cult has their minds made up, and nothing will change them, but perhaps it will sway some people.

My daughter hosts a book club that meets at Blue Cork Winery in Williamstown, NJ. The book we read was The Women by Kristin Hannah. (My husband kindly comes as my driver.) I liked the book, maybe not as much as some people, but it sparked a great discussion. This was probably my favorite meeting, as we had a small, lively group, and we got to sit outside on a beautiful evening. The novel is about a woman (more than women, as we all agreed) who was a nurse in Vietnam. The first part of the book was very intense, but also probably the section I enjoyed the most. However, I liked some of the other characters much more than the protagonist. Though I was impressed by what she learned and accomplished in Vietnam, I was also annoyed by first her gung-ho naiveté, and then her series of bad decisions. Still, the book is compelling, and it honors the women who served. Our discussion focused on the era, as much as the book, with my friend Chris and I the oldest members there. Though I only remembered my family protesting the war and had no family members who served there, she had different memories and had a POW bracelet.

I then read Absolution by Alice McDermott. This covers roughly the same era, but it is about the US corporate wives, all White, living in Saigon. It is much more a literary novel, but I think I enjoyed it more. It is written from the point of view of one of those wives much later as she writes to the now grown daughter of one of the other women she knew there. The main character is also naïve, swayed by Charlene (the novel’s most fascinating character) into do-gooder schemes without understanding the consequences, without really understanding anything about the people who live there.

This year we have a weekly farm share from Buzby Farms. We pick it up at the Collingswood Farmers’ Market. On Saturday, they had an open house for their farm share members, which included a tour of the farm, picking strawberries (the free amount determined by your share), and then complimentary lemonade and strawberry shortcake. Our daughter and her friend (who was our older child’s best friend since elementary school) also have shares, and they were there, too. It was such a beautiful day. We took a walking tour of the farm, and we got to see the kiwi berries they grow, the greenhouses with radiant floor heat. They power it with a wood furnace, and the wood comes from branches, dead trees, scraps of wood on the farm, etc. We also saw the hydroponic structure used to grow tomatoes. We were amused by the energetic dog(s) who ran all over the farm. I think everyone, people and dogs, must sleep well at night. It is a family farm owned and managed by two generations. I made a batch of freezer jam with some of the strawberries.

Thank you for all who read this entire post. I got carried away today. 😅

39 thoughts on “Fold and Gathers”

  1. Beautiful poetry and photos, as always. I find these lines especially striking:

    “I fold and unfold the wrinkled cloth
    of time. Try to smooth it, but there are no
    neat accordion pleats, it’s crumbled and creased”

    I also love the blueberry skies.

  2. You’ve been busy, in a good way. Can’t say the same of the rest of the world. I’m glad you get out and about so much, meet so many people and do things. It save me having to bother xx

  5. I enjoyed this post from the opening photo, which I’d caption “Woman on Stilts” all the way to your thumbnail sketches of two Vietnam-themed books, one of which I’ve read. 😀

    • Thank you very much, Marian.
      I think I want a more poetic caption. 😊

      Did you enjoy The Women? It would have been fun to have you there at the discussion to add a different perspective to the era.

      • Coming from a very sheltered background, I saw Frankie’s naiveté as credible. She had a strict, Catholic upbringing and arrived in Viet Nam overly idealistic and vulnerable, traits which may have played into her poor decision making, especially regarding men.

  6. Please do get carried away! These Monday Musings are slices of life that often leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. I love these lines:
    “I fold and unfold the wrinkled cloth
    of time.” I often find myself trying to “smooth out” time as if it were fabric, but, much like my clothes, it’s never wrinkle-free.

    Ah, Teflon Don is now Felon Don (I forgot who said that). I don’t think even the Supreme Court can help him now … even if they wanted to. I know they haven’t ruled on his claims of immunity yet, but even if they rule for him, these convictions are about what he did before he was president. Anyway, I’m fatigued with joy that the justice system worked (for once).

  7. The post was rich with beautiful words and images, Merril! I like how your poem contrasts the gorgeous majesty of nature with the dark human-caused events throughout the world.

  8. I always enjoy your musings, Merril, they are never too long.
    Great photos (also as always). And same weather pattern here. It’s nice not to have endless rain for a little while anyway.
    I don’t think the Trump conviction will make a bit of difference to voters, honestly. But it’s nice to see the justice system work as it was intended to. The Supreme Court, of course, is another story…(K)

  9. “who has tossed pockets of crumbs and treasures,
    babies with tired eyes and distended stomachs, roofs
    in rubble, purple anguish in blackened streets,” is so simply powerful

  10. I LOVE this stanza. It’s such a perfect metaphor for time.

    “I fold and unfold the wrinkled cloth
    of time. Try to smooth it, but there are no
    neat accordion pleats, it’s crumbled and creased,
    the disheveled bedclothes of a restless sleeper”

  11. A lovely Monday, all in all.

    What’s freezer jam? There’s lots of strawberries right now. I’ll make some.

    Yes, lotsa glee up here about t’s conviction. Still, the aspholes are coming out of his holes and gathering around.

    Do the republican politicians really believe what they are saying?

    I find the 2 points of trump view in the USA are growing further apart. He has truly wracked evil upon your democracy.

    So, the debate is in 3 weeks. That should be interesting!

    Okay, now I’ve gone on.

    Happy Week!

    • Thank you, Resa!
      Freezer jam is jam you don’t have to cook and can–because I was too lazy to do that. You mix the crushed strawberries with sugar and pectin, pour it in jars that you can store in the freezer.

      I’m not sure that I’ll have the stomach to watch the debate. I can’t stand to hear THE FELON talk at all. Yes, he didn’t start it, but he gave the evil legitimacy.

  12. Hi Merril, I really like this poem, especially these lines:

    I fold and unfold the wrinkled cloth
    of time. Try to smooth it, but there are no
    neat accordion pleats, it’s crumbled and creased,
    the disheveled bedclothes of a restless sleeper

    I will skip the Vietnam book as it would probably annoy me. Absolution sounds more up my street. The strawberry and other picking sounds like great fun.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.