Finding Words

Something that I have started doing in the last year is writing poetry. I was struggling with a novel (my usual state) and decided to take a step back, to find some way of freeing up my thoughts and language. I've only written one poem in my life, in sonnet form. If you like you can search it out here in the deep recesses of my blog.

Since then, I've written a few prose poems. I'm freeing up, with the encouragement and amazingly insightful critiques of my writing group. Oh yes, I joined one of those too, and they are really special people, for whom eating and drinking is as important as writing and sharing. My kind of people.

Well, my poetry is for them right now. So here I'd like to share a poem by a true master, Pablo Neruda, inspired by my other passion, pottery. The English translation comes after the original Spanish.


EL ALFARERO

Todo tu cuerpo tiene
copa o dulzura destinada a mi.

Cuando subo la mano
encuentro en cada sitio una paloma
que me buscaba, como
si te hubieran, amor, hecho de arcilla
para mis propias manos de alfarero.


Tus rodillas. tus senos,
tu cintura
faltan en mi como en el hueco
de una tierra sedienta
de la que desprendieron
una forma,
y juntos
somos completos como un solo rio,
como una sola arena.The Potter

~~~~~

THE POTTER

Your whole body has
a fullness or a gentleness destined for me.

When I move my hand up
I find in each place a dove
that was seeking me, as
if they had, love, made you of clay
for my own potter's hands.

Your knees, your breasts,
your waist
are missing parts of me like the hollow
of a thirsty earth
from which they broke off
a form,
and together
we are complete like a single river,
like a single grain of sand.

An Outing with Bruce

Easily distracted at home, I decided to take my writing to the Toronto Islands. Bruce came along for the ride. We took the ferry to Ward's Island, as I'd just missed the one for Hanlan's Point. The islands don't allow cars, so it's a pretty idyllic spot.




On the ferry.

We picked up a burrito at the Island Cafe.

At our table. The writing went well. Bruce sends a fond hello to his friend Harry the Bat!

A late-afternoon ferry back to the mainland.

Tandem Tale No More...

Unfortunately, we are unable to continue the current tandem tale... in case you were reading it. :)

New Blog

I've been quite remiss of late with this blog. Just been a bit busy. BUT... not too busy to create a new blog today: a tandem tale, which is a much-needed way to release some creativity with a long-time writing friend of mine. We've had so much fun with them in the past. We must have written about 20 by now.

This is usually a very spontaneous, un-thought out story, that veers wildy around, blissfully unconcerned with logic, historical accuracy and consistency. Instead it frees my creative mind to do the other work I have to, or want to, do.

http://tandemtale.blogspot.com/

And, by the way, I'm "J" and he's "M".