Painter

[Aleksandra]

You taught me about God and our Home.

How can I forget that you are a painter

who colored my graphite sketches?

There's nowhere else to go;

the world is the same for us all.

[waxwings]

I like, but are you not placin 'home' on a pedestal equal to God?

 

Latvians and others speak of giving all for God, country and freedom, as testified by inscriptions on many monuments. But there, it is written in upper case letters. God is put first, and thus stands higher than the others.

 

What I am talking about is pointless capitalization of words that have enough weight without that, I may be wrong but that practice suggests a certain pretense of the goodness/importance of the poem.

 

This poem is so very good it needs not such. Big thanks for sharing it.

[dr_con]

Perfect, wondrous and precious. A wonderful piece. WW has been bound to the world of religion and science not poetry... All is thus:

 

End of story, I speak too much etc. Brilliant, and well done glimpse of the total moment.

 

Many Thanks!

 

DC&J

[Larsen M. Callirhoe]

aleksandra you are fast becoming my second favorite living poet. your poetry is so vivid and real and very honest and true in my opinion. i don't think waxwings realises jesus freed us from the laws of a old book called the bible or in greek canon. i know he knows this maybe he is jewish like me than again who knows. you dont have to make a comment about your nationality waxwings. im very familiar with the 600 plus jewish laws. i was asked to be a komiean priest spelled wrong by me. it is cloud in hebrew. i was raised a christian and not of my jewish herktage. the jewish people are ready to rebuild the temple solomon built. i was asked to be one of the priest their because i have traveled all over the united states and my last name is a priest family name from zadok. i broke my neck or i would have excepted their offer. but i don't believe animal sacrifice is really needed but i know ho they do it. i apoligize waxwings.

 

aleks please pray for me you and tony. i was diagnosed with ms two months ago. im very depessed and start counsoling tomorrow.

[Aleksandra]

I like, but are you not placin 'home' on a pedestal equal to God?

 

Latvians and others speak of giving all for God, country and freedom, as testified by inscriptions on many monuments. But there, it is written in upper case letters. God is put first, and thus stands higher than the others.

 

What I am talking about is pointless capitalization of words that have enough weight without that, I may be wrong but that practice suggests a certain pretense of the goodness/importance of the poem.

 

This poem is so very good it needs not such. Big thanks for sharing it.

 

Hi ww, thank you for your comment as always. Let me explain about Home :). In this poem with Home, I refer to Heaven, which I believe is our Home. That's why it's capitalized, to make point that I am not talking about home in general... I hope it's pointless capitalization in this case, because otherwise would be not so clear what I am talking about.

 

Aleksandra

[Aleksandra]

Perfect, wondrous and precious. A wonderful piece. WW has been bound to the world of religion and science not poetry... All is thus:

 

End of story, I speak too much etc. Brilliant, and well done glimpse of the total moment.

 

Many Thanks!

 

DC&J

 

Thanks Dr.Con, for your words. Glad you like this piece.

 

aleksandra you are fast becoming my second favorite living poet. your poetry is so vivid and real and very honest and true in my opinion.

 

aleks please pray for me you and tony. i was diagnosed with ms two months ago. im very depessed and start counsoling tomorrow.

 

My dear, Victor, thank you for your lovely words. You know that you are always in my prayers, my dear friend. Please be fine, and God be with you.

 

Aleksandra

[goldenlangur]

Hi Aleksandra,

 

 

Full of questioning and a beautiful lament. I particularly love the juxtaposition here:

 

colored and graphite sketches

 

graphite is an inspired detail which suggests colorlessness, monotony, lack of hope and inspiration,. In contrast you have the painter who with his colors bring illumination and transcendental aspiration (God and Home).

 

With this painter now gone the world seems to slip back to its mundane plane and you evoke a sense of loss of hope and inspiration.

 

 

I think this poem is one of your best so far. Saturated with a sense of existential and creative loss and questioning. In your use of language which suggests rather than tells, it is reminisicent of Zen writings. So much to immerse in and take what one seeks from it.

 

 

 

Thank you.

[tonyv]

Very vivid, Aleksandra. It's clear that "Home" is God's world. Thus, the capitalization is appropriate, even necessary.

 

I agree with Goldenlangur's observations about graphite and the role of the painter. And as for this:

 

There's nowhere else to go;

the world is the same for us all

... let's not forget that the same holds true for the painter himself. There's beauty in your charcoal sketches.

 

Still yours,

 

Tony

[waxwings]

There is no question that Aleksandra does work that is essentially very poetic, but it is the 'score' that occasionally needs some markup to alow the performance of it by a reader to 'hear' the poem shine as brilliantly as it deserves to.

 

I noticed some comments that puzzle me.

 

!. Alex speaks of graphite. That implies drawings in pencil, not charcoal. Pencil drawings can be as precious as work done in other media and can provide painters, esp. watercolorists with means for creating some extraordinary work, such that either pencil sketches or colored media alone would be unable to produce. Methinks oils or any other non-transparent media would cover the pencil sketchings too much or even completely.

 

2. It seems I am conceived as being naive because I assume we all know that God's world is our home and vice versa. I'd like to know why capitalizing "Home" is appropriate.

 

3. I also noticed that poor WW, whoever he is, is accused to be bound to real things. On her/his behalf I must say, "is it not fortunately true that to be a poet one must be bound to something real and significant.

Edited June 1, 2010 by waxwings

[tonyv]

I noticed some comments that puzzle me.

 

!. Alex speaks of graphite. That implies drawings in pencil, not charcoal. Pencil drawings can be as precious as work done in other media and can provide painters, tsp. watercolorists with means for creating some extraordinary work, such that either pencil sketches or colored media alone would be unable to produce. Methinks oils or anyother non-transparent media would cover the pencil sketchings too much or even completely.

You're right, Ikars. Alek did say "graphite." I erred when I conflated the two in my reply.

 

2. It seems I am conceived as being naive because I assume we all know that God's world is our home and vice versa. I'd like to know why capitalizing "Home" is appropriate.

I don't think anyone thinks you're naive, but it makes no difference whether "everyone" (or anyone) recognizes God's world as "home." The capitalization is to distinguish, in a poetic sense, this Home from any other home. Most people would probably presume that, capitalized, the word functions almost like a proper name. Even if one could argue that the capitalization is unnecessary, it's certainly not a fatal flaw.

 

Tony

[Aleksandra]

Thanks guys for taking time to read closely this piece, and to debate about this poem. I will be a little bit out of here - going on vacations - so I hope when I come back I'll have something more to share. See you soon.

 

Thanks again.

 

Aleksandra