Saturday, June 7, 2008

This Is What I Saw







Spring

This is what I saw – old snow on the ground,
Three blackbirds preening themselves,
And my neighbor stepping out in her nightdress
To hang her husband’s shirts on the line.

The morning wind made them hard to pin.
It swept the dress so high above her knees,
She had to stop what she was doing
And have a good laugh, while covering herself.


~ Charles Simic






Isn't it good to be able to laugh at yourself? Much better than being embarrassed.


Happy, happy weekend to you and yours.


Sursum corda. Lift up your heart.









I love laundry hanging on the line. This perfect photo was taken by Sarah Huntington.

6 comments:

dulcy said...

I love, love, love that photo!

xoxo
dulcy

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

You've always got something wonderful to say and a splendid way to say it. And that poem- wow. I gather all the poems I like into one file and I will be adding this. I do have some Charles Simic in there but I hadn't known this one.

beth said...

photos are a wonderful thing...well, so is laughing at yourself...
and this photo took me to my grandmother's yard where she hung all of her laundry to dry and I would watch in fascination of it all.
Then we take it all off and I would watch her iron everything....everything including all the sheets and pillow cases !!

No wonder it's her home where my fondest memories are from.

tangobaby said...

Oh, that photo is wonderful! How ever do you find these things?!!

I did pop over to tell you that I gave you a little award today. You can see what it is on my blog. ;-)

Anonymous said...

i love the combination of this image, the poem and your commentary on the importance of humor over vanity. it becomes ever more important, IMO, as we age. if i can laugh and enjoy my foolishness then maybe i can live to 95 with a joyous heart rather than a sad one. wow that is a deep thought...and i'm in las vegas for the week!! ...well maybe that is why this strikes me as so wonderful a post. everyone here under 30 seems to take their image mighty seriously. i think it causes people to age prematurely :) oh and the other reason i like the image so much is becasue it has been a desire of mine for quite sometime to take a series of photographs of laundry. can you picture how magnificent that could be?!
thanks for coming to see me relyn :)

Relyn Lawson said...

Dulcy,
Me, too. Sakura*Aya has insprired me completely. Jeffrey is on the hunt for a loupe for me like she uses. I'll post the resulting pictures, if I ever get one. ~ R


The Elementary,
I collect poems and quotes, too. But, that was actually my first Charles Simic. What are your favorites of his? ~ R


Beth,
I adore all things laundry. One of these days I'll have to do a post about it. One of Jeffrey's summer projects is to put up a laundry line for me in the backyard. I also iron pillowcases. I draw the line at the sheet though. On sheets I only iron the top strip that gets to so wrinkled. ~ R


TB,
I spend many hours looking for them. Seriously, I must have looked at 400 pictures of laundry looking for one to go with that poem. It takes a lot of time, but it's such fun to discover the perfect picture. ~ R


Birdtweets,
I can't wait to hear about Vegas. I do think laughing is likely the key to lifelong youthfulness. Of course, you already have the key to being young at heart, and beautiful. Hope your trip is full of fun - and WINS. ~ R

Oldies, but Goodies