Sunday, January 17, 2010

Stephen Morrissey: The Summing-Up

After wo I rede us to be merie.
---Chaucer, "The Knight's Tale"

My life isn't quite
an open book,
but I stand behind
what I've done--
I did what I had to do
to survive. I thought
survival was enough
but it leads to stasis,
and denial of transformation;
I thought redemption
lay in confessionm,
but it can lead to
self-absorption,
or strengths beyond
what others know.

The beginning of wisdom
is in the love of God,
but some people
have to wait a long time
before they learn anything.
I am like the body of a man
found preserved in a bog--
he was removed
from his thousand year long
rest, both legs broken
so his spirit couldn't return
at night to haunt the living
--his wrists
tied with rope
braided from straw

My legs aren't broken
but something kept me here
long after others fled this place.
My hands aren't tied
behind my back,
but I carry the burden
of my parent's life,
unconscious, unaware,
and deflected onto me
to examine. I've lived
on the end of strings,
controlled by obligations,
duty, responsibility
and a rigid sense
of who I am.

In early November
in my fiftieth year,
I lie in bed
by the open window,
sunlight illuminating
autumn's yellow leaves;
ivy around the window
while in the yard
the single apple tree
still hasn't lost its leaves.
The complexity
of every leaf,
vein and fibre;
sunlight traveling
millions of miles
before casting long shadows
across the yard.

Then there is the flight
of birds across a blue sky,
as though synchronized
with the flight of other birds
or the rustling of leaves.
Insects move silently
in the dark soil;
I think of the human heart
and soul, the intricacies
of blood and life,
bone and thought,
brain and muscle.
I am in awe
of all creation,
and love God
as I did when a child.

I certainly hope anyone passing through will enjoy this poem by Stephen Morrissey! It is from his latest book, Girouard Avenue-please read the post below this for more details. Peace and love to anyone stopping by!

18 comments:

Julie said...

What a wonderful poem. You must have quite a collection of them. Hope things are well with you, Devin. Take care...

Anadæ Quenyan Effro said...

Devin, I'm crying fr. this heart-tugger by Stephen Morrissey. I'd've taken a picture utilising my PhotoBooth capability on my Mac & linked an URL to it, but, hey, then there'd be this weepy-faced elf face that thousands of strangers, maybe millions, would see on the net. No. I shan't. Just take my word for it.

Also, what's up with the commentator who leaves a hyperlinked link to that Japanese 13-year-old slut site? Jeebus, man. As tho' people the world over don't already know that 13 is the legal age of consent over there. Phtht!

Always the best wishes,
Anadæ Effro (•8-D

Devin said...

Julie and Anadae-thanks so very much for commenting on this most excellent poem!!!!!
I am going kind of quick right now as I have been having some connection problems -and havent been online in about 3 days because of it
-i dont know whether to go back to constant moderation because of these stupid porno things or what
again I really appreciate your thoughts
all the best int the world to you both!!!!

Anadæ Quenyan Effro said...

Yeah, man, awesome, self-revelatory prose from Mr Morrissey. As for full-time moderating. Erm, no, Devin, I cast my ballot for not. Just peel 'em off (delete) when ya find 'em. Lotsa bloggers are getting 'em, not just you. Lookin' forward to your next. Stay well. I'm sending you a Hippocrates Health Inst. magazine. I got a duplicate copy. All the best, always ~ (•8-D

Devin said...

Anadae-I agree
I am going to leave it as unmoderated (until the 7 day level) and i will just delete the stupid things
thanks so much - for everything my friend
am going to try to check some things out and appreciate your links!!!!
puter is already acting funny (saying i am offline etcetera) will have it looked at
at beginning of month
best to you my friend!!!!

Devin said...

ps-in regards to Stephen's work-I am going to get "The Yoni Rocks" hopefully right at beginning of Feb
would urge anyone who can to do the same-i gno times are tight-but i will go without some things to have great poetry and books instead-please check out Stephen's blog if you get a chance too (hope to also get work of other folks i link to in early Feb-and donate if I can)btw -what did you say your "best" gnome book was?
all the best!!!!

Anadæ Quenyan Effro said...

Best "gnome" book? Why, that'd havta be Wil Huygen's, masterfully illustrated with what appear to be watercolours by rien poortvliet, simply entitled Gnomes! That is for their 30th anniversary edition. I jus' gotta try the Stephen Morrissey link later, Devs. Swoosh! I'm logging off!

Devin said...

Thanks so much Anadae!!
for everthing!! take care and hope to chat soon!!

Unknown said...

Devin I could relate to this on so many levels it was as if the guy read my mind!!! This is brilliant with it's introspection.

Thank you for sharing this.

Devin said...

More than welcome Ricardo-more than welcome!!
thanks so much as always for your thoughts and stopping by!!

Justin R. said...

Superb choice of poem there Dev. A real soul call that. By the by, you might want to delete my blog from your list, as I've annulled my little web venture. It was an interesting experiment for a while.

Go well.

Devin said...

Justin I am so glad you enjoyed this also !!
I am trying to think of a response to a review by Bruce Whiteman of Stephen's work- that I didn't understand -
I am sad to hear you are not going on with your blog-now of course if this is because it got boring to you- or you are too busy that is one thing-
I am having huge a huge "energy crisis" right now and haven't done a thing-but if it is not for some personal and private reason- maybe you just need a break?
Not trying to pry- I will just miss reading your thoughts and work
-your friend always!!

Justin R. said...

No probs Dev. I guess that I realy took the blog down as I realised it was a complete and utter nebulous load of crap with no central theme, jumping from one subject to the other haphazardly, and was largely a failed experiment. An interesting failed experiment however where it served for me to try out some ideas.

I may be back with a different blog in the future. Maybe.

Go well Devin.

Devin said...

Haha-Justin that is all my blog is -one hopping from one topic to the next-I am actually going to stop doing this so much -thus the current slow time here-what I disagree with is the "nebulous load of crap" i thought you were great-and i mean that sincerely-if you start blogging again let me know here- (of course at this point i should say if i still am!)

i wish you all the best in whatever and wherever your life takes you-your friend always,
Devin

X. Dell said...

I'm taking an opportunity to reply to things in general, since I only have a few moments to sneak back into cyberspace.

In your previous post, you ponder the question of what makes good writing. That's a good query, especially for a blogger.

I don't know if there's such a thing as bad writing, even though there is writing that we can call great--i.e., meaningful, transformative (as you describe Morrissey's latest, 'holy'), across a wide spectrum of people. It's like food. There are gourmet dishes, and there are MREs. Both will sustain life, but you'll probably find more people lining up for the former than the latter.

So, it's really up to the individual to decide on which wriing she likes the best. Still, we really should be reading the writing of a broad spectrum of people, the styles of some of whom we might not like.

A compelling writer (to me) has something to say, and can say it without ambiguity, pretense, or coyness (I'm guilty of these latter two on the blog, but I don't claim that as my best writing).

For me, your writing is helpful in that your work--particularly on MFM--complements my own so well. I have little patience to delve into esoterica for esoterica's sake, and really only engage in it to explain a larger issue (e.g., the Priory of Sion, ufology, Manson, and so forth). You've also presented her people I have missed, topics and viewpoints I didn't know about. I've delved into further simply because I found them fascinating (e.g., Nancy Cunard). And with people I'm familiar with (for example, John Dees) you have prodded me to dig up added layers of meaning to their existence.

I realize (boy, do I realize) the struggles that prevent one from engaging fully in this enterprse we call blogging. I'm still trying to catch up with everyone. And I notice that the old gang (those cyberpals I've hung out with since 2006) isn't posting as much as we used to. So go with the flow.

Unknown said...

Thank you Devin!

Chris Benjamin said...

philosophy in verse, cool!

Devin said...

Xdell thanks so much for your very well thought out comment - and taking time to say hi- i think my writing would be below whatever MREs are:-)
you brought up some very good points here as always- but I dont think you are guilty of doing those things at your blog- if anything Xspot is so extremely incisive-it is like you take a microscope to all of these major (and some not so major-but still very important in the conspiracy world) and look at each aspect of these cases like a jeweler looking for the flaws (and the good) in the "official" stories we are told-which usually turn out to be BS in many ways-and you always -at least with me anyway- make me review and rethink every previous assumption I have made - which I enjoy enormously -as I think I learn to think much more critically this way
-I also want to apologize for my laziness to you, Ricardo, benji and pretty much everyone else on my bloglist for not checking out their work-
this past week especially- my energy level has been so low i feel as if i am walking around in a coma (being overdramatic as usual:-) but it really does seem lately that I just can't get anything done- I just got online again after being off for about 3 days-I am going to try to do a post or two this am- and if i am online tomorrow-or the next day- i am going to do nothing but try to get caught up at least somewhat with people who comment here
also thanks to not only you Xdell but also Ricardo and benjibopper -the 3 of you write so well (well obviously in benji's case:-)
as he is a published author-
I am so glad you enjoyed this work by Stephen-the people who comment at my blog are much smarter than moi in my opinion- and I read a review in an online site out of Quebec-where the man writing the review missed the whole point of Stephen's poetry completely- so it makes me feel fantastic that people who comment here obviously "got" what this man didn't-I think Stephen can tell this reviewer to take a hike-(and that is putting it nicely) and I also think the number and quality of the comments of his other poem on my site "Reincarnation" also show how Stephen is on the right track and does wonderful work-best to all of you and I will get caught up with you very soon!!