I recently finished reading Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies. The last maybe 50 pages while I was in Vegas. Man, can this woman write!
Here is a link to an article under the topic “Teenagers” that she wrote from Salon Magazine. After reading the book, I found myself curious to know what happens in the rest of her life and with her son Sam. Reading “My son, the stranger”, is like a little chapter preview to that book, if she were ever to allow us to be privy to it.
“that wonderful line of Blake’s…we are here to learn to endure the beams of love” – Anne Lamott (Traveling Mercies)
So here we are
to learn to endure
the beams of love
are we?
How Do I love thee
let me take a shot
at defining
beams of love
So that it sounds less romantic
Here’s my version
or at least what I
think
of it
I haven’t lived that long
on the earth
but I think I know something
more or less
I am no poet
but somehow
I think this is a poem
I am no English major
but still that’s no excuse
for not reading any
of Mister Blake
Now for the beams of love
what are they?
Why they can be romantic
why not?
But more often
they are learning
how to skate
on the ice
and falling on your bottom
They are two ice cream cones
one for your niece
one for your nephew
none for you
They are everything
you’ve ever done
repeated over and over
bawl your eyes out
and cry
waking up to sunlight the next day
Only to find out
It’s not sunlight
a lightning strike
but who knows
maybe it’s gonna sun light
tomorrow
But seriously seriously
Not so seriously
Beams of love
sometimes more like beans of love
upon obedient and satisfying consumption
lead to too much toot
the more you eat the more you do
I don’t know where that came from
But seriously
what do I know about
beams of love?
Plenty
We all know about
disappointment
rivers flooding
bullets spraying
typhoons raging
homeless people
AIDS
Who is Jesus?
Gay
Why
Not necessarily in that order
Not being able
to explain it
having no words
of my own
Beams of love
aren’t
so
Knees bow
Heads pray
And so you see
to endure
beams of love
are perhaps
the hardest
of all
Beams of love
are pimples on your face
seeing past
and through
each one
maybe
it would help
to be received
So there you go
Mister Blake
I don’t know
If that’s what you meant
When you wrote
Beams of love
But then again
it’s poetry
not at all
to be worked out
in the head
and so it is
with beams of love
I saw the film Unmade Beds the other night, at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It was very good. Excellent soundtrack! I hope they play it again during VIFF repeats! Some tracks from the Mouldy Peaches and another new song that I really like!
Philippians 1
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,
I finally borrowed the 2006 film Bella from the library and hope to see it soon.
Here is the trailer:
I also missed the screening of Allan King films at the Vancity Theatre in tribute and to the filmmaker who died at the age of 79 on June 15, 2009. I still have yet to see Dying at Grace.
