by Kat | May 1, 2018 | General, In This Moment
Because Poetry Month should be longer than a month, I am going to keep it going here at Casa del KatKnits and share with you all another poem from Derek Walcott.
The Rainy Season
For Stephanos and Heather
It is coming with the first drops mottling the hot cement,
the patters budding in the pool, with a horizon
as wide and refreshing as the rain-veiled Georgics,
with the upward swoop of the dove, with the heron
quickening its gawky stride; watch a sail
hide her face in the mist and the barred sun shrivel
into gathering cumuli, those huge clouds
trawling gauze skirts of rain as camera-flashes
of lightning record the rattling thunder
and the lances of drizzle start marching
But nothing can equal
the surge of another’s presence, the separately beloved
whose reign is the rain’s, whose weather is the fragrant darkness
of the parlor, in the kitchen, the lightning’s cutlery.
But O
when the bursting storm rattles the sky’s ceiling
and her body draws closer as a vessel warping
into you, her port, her aisle, and she gently rocks,
her ribs brushing yours, O, on your wedding day
may the worried banners of cirrus fade as the storm moves away.
P.S. Apparently, Apple thinks poetry is pretty great too: “Poetry Is Magic: Poems make your day better. Here’s proof.” Yes, I downloaded a poetry app or two!
by Kat | Apr 30, 2018 | General, In This Moment
When I am in a rut, the best thing to get out of that rut is to find a new perspective! Welcome to that new perspective!
Instead of focusing on what has passed, I am instead focusing on what lies ahead.
With joy…
And excitement…
And, just maybe I will find myself more focused and productive for the week!
With that frame of mind – a better breakfast has been a topic I have been contemplating for some weeks now and last week I tried something new: overnight oats…And, guess what? I really loved this little change in my morning routine! They are simply delicious and so quick and easy to make! This week I am trying some new variations! It seems the possibilities for overnight oats are endless…
I am also spending some time this week thoughtfully reviewing my volunteer time – without even really noticing, it has crept into a much larger slice of my week than I originally intended. There is a solution in this tangle, I just need to find the wherewithal to say no…sans guilt. And for me, the best thinking time comes while I am making and this week I hope to have a Uniform tunic or two completed along with a solution to my problem!
There you have my plan, or at least some of the plan for my week. What does your Monday hold in store?
by Kat | Apr 27, 2018 | General
Spring has sprung in my neighborhood and that can mean just one thing – Nest Wars! Yes, that’s right. We have one determined Robin who wants to build a nest on our porch. And, they are so determined. I have removed seven nests in various stages since last week. Note the bag on the light is not deterring her from building the nest on top of the storage cabinet!! Yesterday, I took two down in a span of about four hours! Silly, silly robins! And, yes… I removed another one this morning!
The knitting is strong with Lucinda though! I am almost done with my second skein of yarn, which means I am just about to the halfway point of the body! It is a wonder what a few minutes dedicated to knitting can do each day!
Yesterday was Poem in Your Pocket Day and wow… there were so many, many, many great poems filling up my blog reader! Thank you all for such inspiration and for introducing me to so many new poets! April is just the best month and I am kind of sad to see it end from a poetry standpoint! I have both enjoyed sharing poetry and reading the poems that you all have shared!
Now, how about some links?
I love Adine Pullover
Isabell Kraemer has a new pattern out: interstellar
Rainwashed and Sandalwood are also lovely!
I also love Around in a Round very much! The construction is so interesting!
And, the texture in Kuben…
And, Scramble! Oh, my! It is adorable!
Perhaps socks in your preferred warm(ing??) weather knit? Brick and Mortar
And, finally…there is a fade for everything! And, it is free through the end of today!
There you have it, Gentle Reader, another week draws to a close! See you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Apr 26, 2018 | General, Words
Kym so kindly reminded me yesterday, today is Poem in Your Pocket Day! She asked us to share our favorite poem. I could easily share with you two of my absolute favorites: Fog by Carl Sandburg or Joyce Kilmer’s Trees. But, today, I am hoping that the poem you put in your pocket changes you, wakes you, and engages you – and while these poems do that most certainly. Today, I am sharing something that does those things to me!
One of my absolute favorite poets is Pablo Neruda and I first became aware of him more than 20 years ago in the film Il Postino. And, so began my love of Neruda.
Die Slowly
Pablo Neruda
He who becomes the slave of habit,
who follows the same routes every day,
who never changes pace,
who does not risk and change the color of his clothes,
who does not speak and does not experience,
dies slowly.
He or she who shuns passion,
who prefers black on white,
dotting ones “it’s” rather than a bundle of emotions,
the kind that make your eyes glimmer,
that turn a yarn into a smile,
that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings,
dies slowly.
He or she who does not turn things topsy-turvy,
who is unhappy at work,
who does not risk certainty for uncertainty,
to thus follow a dream,
those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives,
dies slowly.
He who does not travel, who does not read,
who does not listen to music,
who does not find grace in himself,
she who does not find grace in herself,
dies slowly.
He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck,
about the rain that never stops,
dies slowly.
He or she who abandon a project before starting it,
who fail to ask questions on subjects he doesn’t know,
he or she who don’t reply when they are asked something they do know,
die slowly.
Let’s try and avoid death in small doses,
reminding oneself that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing.
Only a burning patience will lead
to the attainment of a splendid happiness.
There is my poem for your pocket today, Gentle Reader. As always on Thursdays, I am joining Carole where you just might find another poem or two as well!
by Kat | Apr 25, 2018 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings, Unravelers!
How is it even possible that this is the last Wednesday of April?? What is usually the loveliest of spring months here has been hardly spring like at all, but it seems in the ‘weather battle’ spring is finally gaining some ground. I have a lilac bush that is filled with blooms waiting to burst open and I am so excited for that to happen! This lilac bush came by way of salvaging her from a neighbor’s yard trash after they did some serious ‘pruning’ of their massive bush. But, she took root and this year she is showing signs of truly flourishing, with lots of new growth and blooms-to-be galore!
One would think that with all the wintry weather we have had, I would have finished another wool sweater – but something inside me just rebelled at the idea. And, so I knit other things (and gladly!) Now, with hints of spring increasing – I have started what I hope will be a transition piece. I thought it would be slow going, but I have managed to get a good bit done as I had to be some place yesterday and wait for an installation technician to work his magic. Sometimes, volunteer work has its benefits and 4+ hours of knitting time is a good benefit! (And, actually I was trapped for over nine hours with a good 4 hours of the time trying to help troubleshoot! This might have outweighed the benefits of knitting time, just sayin’)
My reading has been at a fevered pitch as I have gotten an onslaught of books off hold at the library and I had a Net Galley finish as well! This week I can share the following finishes:
My one Net Galley selection for the month was Jo Nesbø’s Macbeth, which was one of the Hogarth Shakespeare series. I am a fan of Nesbø so I jumped at the opportunity to request this book. Macbeth did not disappoint at all, despite a bit of a slow start…and I don’t mean a slow start in what is going on in the story, but rather slow in my reading as there is lots going on and lots of characters to remember! Nesbø hits a homerun with his adaptation of Macbeth. Throughout the book, as the characters unfold, I questioned whether absolute power corrupts or does a corrupt person take advantage of absolute power? All the characters are flawed, yet some rise above their flaws and find the inner strength to make the right decisions. If you are a fan of Nesbø, Macbeth will not disappoint! I gave it 5-stars and highly recommend this book!
I also finished Louise Penny’s How the Light Gets In, and wow! This book ties up some of the loose ends from previous novels and Penny does the tie up’s in a wonderful way. I cried, I laughed, and I grew to love even more the characters in Penny’s novels. 5-stars and a must-read series!
I also listened to The Death of Ivan Ilych as I dipped my toes into Tolstoy. I must say, for a short story, this one is packed full of thought-provoking things! It is short, the narration was wonderful, and I highly recommend!
I am currently reading The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian and listening to Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie – although I am not sure I will continue with Home Fire but, I am giving it a try.
AND, I got a book from the library that I have been waiting for that I am excited to read!
And, what about you? What are you making and/or reading today?
If you are joining us today, please leave you link below, and thank you!
[inlinkz_linkup id=777243 mode=1]
by Kat | Apr 24, 2018 | General, In This Moment
As National Poetry Month draws to a close, I thought I would share a poem from a newly discovered poet (Thanks, Kym!).
After reading a poem by Derek Walcott on Kym’s blog earlier this month, I check out an anthology of Derek’s poetry from the library and have been reading a poem or two a day during the month. I have enjoyed his works tremendously. He has given me a different perspective to look at things, which is always a very good thing.
Forty Acres
by Derek Walcott
to Barack Obama
Out of the turmoil emerges one emblem, an engraving –
a young Negro at dawn in straw hat and overalls,
an emblem of impossible prophecy: a crowd
dividing like the furrow which a mule has plowed,
parting for their president; a field of snow-flecked cotton
forty acres wide, of crows with predictable omens
that the young plowman ignores for his unforgotten
cotton-haired ancestors, while lined on one branch are a tense
court of bespectacled owls and, on the field’s receding rim
is a gesticulating scarecrow stamping with rage at him
while the small plow continues on this lined page
beyond the moaning ground, the lynching tree, the tornado’s black vengeance,
and the young plowman feels the change in his veins, heart, muscles, tendons,
till the field lies open like a flag as dawn’s sure
light streaks the field and furrows wait for the sower.
