“O river of stars and shadows, lead me through the night.” –Siegfried Sassoon, “Before the Battle” (June 25, 1916)
I walk briskly in October’s chill, but the tune I hear is adagio, a darkly pensive melody, wind-cello and a bird-horn. The river flows on unconcerned, history in its currents, rippling reflections of pastel tones and morning greys turned indigo under stars that sparkle brighter in fallen frosted air, and the light! The splendid slant of it, skewed through boughs, shadows stretched bounding like deer to lead travelers– animals, geese, and me– across the seasons and through time. Again, once again. The walk of us all, from first dawn to final night.
For dVerse, I revised a golden shovel poem about shadows, though it’s from October.
Though I walk brisky in October’s chill, its music is adagio, a pensive melody with darker undertones, a cello and a horn. The river flow on unconcerned, history in its currents, it reflects the hues of changeable skies. Pastel tones and morning greys turn indigo under stars that sparkle brighter in fallen frosted air, and the light! The splendid slant of it, skewed through boughs, shadows stretched to bound like deer, and lead travelers, animals, geese–and me across the seasons and through time, again and again. The walk of us all, from first dawn to final night.
Jane Dougherty has inspired me to try a golden shovel poem. I used the second of the Sassoon quotes above. One of the war poets seemed appropriate today. I have distant relatives in Israel. I hope they’re all OK.
We had summery weather early in the week. We were almost too hot when sitting outside at a winery this past Tuesday, but now, after rain and fog, it feels like autumn. I made a pot of soup, baked some bread, and baked an apple crisp for dessert.
Today is Indigenous Peoples Day. Some still celebrate it as Columbus Day. He is part of history, but he was a horrible person. Study him, don’t venerate him. Where I live was once called Lenapehoking, the ancestral lands of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribal nation.
I’ve shared this song before, then high school student, Emma Stevens, singing the Beatles, “Blackbird” in Mi’kmaw. If you can’t play the video, there is also this article.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 