On a Joyless Day
Posted on Aug 1st, 2007
by 
Catherine
Catherine
a song and a flavor
I felt it where the cool sands shift
a blue terry towel
as big as my bed
inviting me to lay down gently
within tranquil turquoise ease
settle in, settle down
the delicate touch, reminding
my body, still dizzy
like a bottle of beer
shaken too long
feel, feel me
simply this, simply feel me
was all it said
the sun and its little fingers
warmly pleaded for resting eyes
puffy, tear bathed far too long
long glances between peaceful eyelashes
quieted the popping corn frenzy of my thoughts
smoothed brows long furrowed by one word answers
and joy, so simple, brushed my cheek
teased a smile through the sadness
soothed by what must be true
where do you find joy, on a joyless day?
sometimes that is all you find,
when you find, there is nothing
to find
©2007 C. L. B. Callender
I felt it where the cool sands shift
a blue terry towel
as big as my bed
inviting me to lay down gently
within tranquil turquoise ease
settle in, settle down
the delicate touch, reminding
my body, still dizzy
like a bottle of beer
shaken too long
feel, feel me
simply this, simply feel me
was all it said
the sun and its little fingers
warmly pleaded for resting eyes
puffy, tear bathed far too long
long glances between peaceful eyelashes
quieted the popping corn frenzy of my thoughts
smoothed brows long furrowed by one word answers
and joy, so simple, brushed my cheek
teased a smile through the sadness
soothed by what must be true
where do you find joy, on a joyless day?
sometimes that is all you find,
when you find, there is nothing
to find
©2007 C. L. B. Callender
Access: Public
comfort
May 2008
“where do you find joy, on a joyless day?
sometimes that is all you find,
when you find, there is nothing
to find”
In his book, Shambhala - The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chogyan Trungpa, wrote, “A genuine sense of humour is having a light touch: not beating reality into the ground but appreciating reality with a light touch.” He goes on to say, “The way you comb your hair, the way you dress, the way you wash your dishes - all of those activities are an extension of sanity, they are a way of connecting with reality.”
This poem does this. It approaches life and low-spots with a gentle touch. Witnessing it all with quiet compassion. My eldest daughter has a post-it note stuck on the shelf above this computer we share. It says, “This too shall pass.” Your poem says that to me.
Ah thank you so much Otter… and finding this “light touch” has become a challenge lately… so your ever insightful comments are all the more appreciated!
This is one of my favourites of what I've seen from you. I've noticed that the emotional drive of your poems has moved from surface to undercurrent, and become more complex in the process… it seems to happen gracefully and naturally in your recent poems and I admire that. What otter calls your “gentle touch” has been there all along, but that part of your voice has a greater strength as well. “Quiet authority” I think would be the way I'd describe what I see emerging in your work.
There is more that seems to be becoming natural, musically, in your poems also that you may not be aware of:
a blue terry towel
as big as my bed
inviting me to lay down gently
within tranquil turquoise ease
out of context, the alliteration of “tranquil turquoise” would call attention to itself in an awkward way, but in this case it's prepared by the b's (blue, big, bed) and the less intrusive alliteration of “terry towel”. This stanza, I think, is an example of how your music is forming itself, perhaps unconsciously, into what it wants to be.
I'm enjoying your poems and looking forward to more.
Donny,
wow… I enjoyed your analysis of the poem very much… I actually love hearing people's understanding and dissection of my poetry from an emotional point of view as well as a language use point of view because the experience of actually writing it is far removed from any analytical focus from me.
I consider myself a rather analytical person in most other ways, but the way I treat my muse is quite “hands off”. (laugh) I sit down at my computer… and just let it come. As far as the musicality… it is something I shoot for, so am pleased that you feel it that way. As I work on my poems, I read them aloud to myself… and trust my ear with very little intellectual interference as to whether or not it evokes.
I’ll agree with Nalukataq regarding the emerging depth of your poems. as pretty a phrase as tranquil turquoise ease is, i am more moved by the pathos of the last stanza, and the bodily feeling the descriptive lines comparing the body to a bottle of beer shaken. yeah, just a great poem, very moving.