| A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never heard). It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness. Edith Wharton (1862 – 1937) |
“We only begin to live when we conceive life as tragedy.”~ W.B. Yeats
Writing is a socially acceptable form of getting naked in public.
– Paulo Coelho
I remember talking my grandmother ‘s poor ear off. Her typical responses to my endless questions were proverbs. I didn’t understand the complexity of a proverb until I was much older. They appear, on the surface, to be gems of wisdom which have been passed down through the ages. I don’t know how many times I have nodded my head and accepted without further discussion. I still remember the day someone pointed out to the that most proverbs have an exact opposite. I felt foolish because it seemed so obvious to me. Why didn’t I note the contradictions? Do you catch yourself responding to a younger person with a proverb?
Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.
Opposites attract.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Hitch your wagon to a star.
Don’t bite off more that you can chew.
Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Clothes make the man.
The squeaking wheel gets the grease.
Silence is golden.
Clothes make the man.
You cannot judge a book by its cover.
If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Don’t beat your head against a stone wall.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
Two heads are better than one.
Paddle your own canoe.
Haste makes waste.
Time waits for no man.
You’re never too old to learn.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
Talk is cheap.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Nice guys finish last.
All Good things come to those who wait.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Cold hands
Warm Heart
Confession is good for the heart
Let sleeping dogs lie
Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
What I wouldn’t give to hear your voice again Gramma…. Irene Tenney Poupart.
If you know some other proverbs, please feel free to share.
“For every poet, it is always morning in the world. History a forgotten, insomniac night; History and elemental awe are always our early beginning because the fate of poetry is to fall in love with the world, in spite of History.” ~Derek Walcott
Walcott passed on March 7th, 2017 at his home in St. Lucia. His metaphorical poetry captured the physical beauty of the Caribbean while never forgetting the complexities of his existence in a two culture world. Walcott was a mixed race poet living on a British-ruled island.
“Where shall I turn, divided to the vein? I who have cursed …
I who have cursed …
The drunken officer of British rule, how choose
Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?
Betray them both, or give back what they give?”
I’m fascinated with creating poetry whether it be from a quote or an excerpt from another poet that inspired me or simply a blank page compelling me to write. If you think about it are our pages blank. We have ghosts of other poems, songs, catchphrases, even those silly tv jingles cast shadows on our blank page.
Do you remember that famous T.S. Eliot quote “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.”
I love making something from something else. Think of it as recycling creativity into a different creativity. Poetry, crafts, cooking, photography and other hobbies or passions it’s something as artists we share in common by deriving pleasure from old things to new things or vice versa.
A boiled corn beef dinner with potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Hash on Saturday with diced beets added. Healthy eating. 🙂
Yards of fabric cut up and pieced back together a quilt. That same quilt invites the best cuddles ever on a cold evening. I’ve got two different ones in progress, I love learning new patterns.
Where does inspiration take you?
W.S.Merwin says it the best, “I think there’s a kind of desperate hope built into poetry now that one really wants, hopelessly, to save the world. One is trying to say everything that can be said for the things that one loves while there’s still time. I think that’s a social role, don’t you? …We keep expressing our anger and our love, and we hope, hopelessly perhaps, that it will have some effect.”
“People are afraid to empty their minds fearing that they will be engulfed by the void. What they don’t realize is that their own mind is the void.” ~ Huang Po
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