I have been so busy of late. I got out of my regular morning routine of some spiritual reading, prayer and meditation before breakfast, and listening to music during breakfast. For example, I would have breakfast in my office and multi-task doing something at the computer while eating. I took time off over the long Memorial Day weekend, and this morning did my old regular routine for the first time in a long while. At one point, while listening to music, I dissolved in tears that had no apparent locus. And I remembered this poem.
The Tear “Hug yourself” she said And I held myself as tenderly As this thinking being That I call a person Could manage. We cried out great cries of despair Keening the grief of ourselves And of our planet. Perhaps I felt this anguish As a single tear formed in my eye. “Hug someone” she said And I held another as tenderly As this thinking being That I call a person Could manage. We silently held each other As the healing music That was more than music Filled the room. Perhaps I felt this balm As a single tear formed in my eye.
Beautiful poem. It is interesting that this music is often associated with deep grieving, which differs from the associations held by the composer. I think this is instructive because what speaks to us individually as spiritual art might not have been the artist’s intention. A beauty that takes our breath away becomes coopted into personal taste when we try to cling to it or put it into a category.
not that personal associations are bad. they are the dancers that spin meaning and value.