Morrison and Pushkin

I have very little poetry memorized. It turns out that loving something and being able to memorize it are, for me, two separate skills. Because, in general, I like Ahkmatova better than Pushkin, but I don’t know any Ahkmatova by heart.

Here’s what I know of Pushkin by heart:

The less you love her when you woo her

The more you draw a woman in.

And thus more surely do undo her

Within the witching webs you spin.

That’s from a translation Southern Illinois University Press put out a million years ago. It’s a good one because it gets across the relentless da-dum, da-dum, da-dum, da-dum of Pushkin’s poetry and also the beauty of it.

But here’s what I realized just now–the other bit of poetry I have memorized? Also a series of relentless da-dums.

The night is young and full of rest

I can’t describe the way she’s dressed

She’ll pander to some strange request

Anything that you suggest

Anything to please her guest.

Is Jim Morrison our Alexander Pushkin? Should we all spend our lunch hour writing poems of relentless da-dumming?

I don’t have the answers to these questions, I’m afraid.

Uncle Walt!

I’m kind of jealous of both Uncle Walt and Oscar Wilde in this story.

I Need to Get My Act Together

I’ve just been kind of coasting lately–not writing, not revising, just reading and socializing and watching TV with the boys. I guess, at the least, it’s good to get out and be around people.

But I also feel like it’s time to make some goals and work toward them.

Maybe just make some goals.

I might not be ready to work toward anything yet.