"A Splash Quite Unnoticed"

W.H. Auden wrote about the fall of Icarus in his poem, "Musée des Beaux Arts" about the apathy with which individuals view human suffering. The poem was written after his visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels in 1938 and is about the painting of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus". Auden uses juxtaposition, enjambment and flow-of-thought technique to contrast the Old Master's technique of depicting casual daily life with the contradicting tragedy of Icarus drowning.

The same painting was written about later in a poem by an American modern poet, Williams Carlos Williams, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus." The use of enjambment in Williams' poem helps to create a spiraling sense of urgency and disorder to the flow-of-thought technique. The broken lines also force our eyes to spiral to the next line, to digress from the sky to the landscape and to the sea where Icarus fell in the painting, surprisingly almost insignificantly.

In each of their poems the poet and the artist are using similar techniques.



In another poem by Stevie Smith, "Not Waving But Drowning," the indifference of humanity to recognize the suffering of others is brought to the reader's attention with the technique of parallel writing, where the narrator and the subject are juxtaposed to draw the reader in and identify with the subject who has drowned.

In Stevie Smith's poem there is no painting, but the psychological imagery and auditory impression of the dead moaning are impressed upon the reader in a vivid way.

Imagine "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

Reading T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" brings many images to mind. His poem is rich with descriptions that create emotions, a sense of setting and descriptions that reveal the character J. Alfred Prufrock who dares to disturb the universe to step out and ask a question. Although the poem is abstract, he makes some references which create images of an aging man in pursuit of life and love, although he doesn't seem quite sure how to go about it and seems to wonder if it is too late. The poem's use of fragmentation and allusions to other works such as Dante's Inferno are similar to techniques used in his poem "The Wasteland," although the references were more recent works. His stream of consciousness was also similar, yet the transitions were more evident and his poem seemed more modern in its technique. He seems to be evolving, yet not quite solving the riddle, but answering the question with his own questions of a man's place in the universe.

I couldn't help wondering how others might imagine the protagonist Prufrock, so I looked online and found some interesting artwork with images of him:









There will be time "for revisions and decisions which a minute will reverse."

Edith Sitwell and "The Beekeeper"

Edith Sitwell's poem "The Beekeeper" was set to music by Priaulx Rainier as "The Bee Oracles," as mentioned in her biography on the link to Wikipedia. I like that her work included her love for landscaping and an interest in bees, as well as her notorious reading of Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene as she toured the United States with her brothers and did poetry readings.

Although I didn't find a recording of Priaulx Rainier's "The Bee Oracles," her stringed trios were famous for their representation of nature in her sounds. The recording found on Youtube mentions that a BBC Invitation Concert in 1967 presented four works, including the first performance of the String Trio and the Suite for solo cello. In 1976 the BBC recorded and broadcast the complete chamber music, including her largest chamber work "The Bee Oracles."

Sitwell's interest in the distinction between poetry and music, applied to abstract performances is also something that I appreciate about her work as well, and that her flat was a meeting place for young writers which she befriended and helped with their work and publishing.

Faerie Garden

Faerie Garden:
Butterfly house made from a cigar box (photo).

I've always loved cigar boxes. I used the cigar box above made of wood with an aromatic scent to make a butterfly house. Inside the box is a strip of bark for the butterflies to make their habitat. The tree stump is a stand for the box as well as a habitat for small insects and frogs that hide there. A hummmingbird feeder hangs from the opposite side and a ceramic mushroom rises from the bottom of the stump to provide an umbrella of shade for small guests.



Looking at the garden center plants on Saturday morning I stumbled upon a bumble bee among the perennials. He was drinking deeply from the pink chalices of the Summer Romance variety which seems to be filled with sweet god-like nectar. His wings were glistening in the softened sunlight filtering through the mesh netting, his colors bright and vibrant. His wings fit like a vest sized too small for his bulbous body which lifted him from chalice to chalice in an almost clumsy effort that seemed to defy gravity. Although the flapping of his wings could not lift his heavier body, the bumbblebee has discovered the secret of vibrating and creating enough lift to get the job done, which has the added effect of producing his buzzing sound.

This humble bee was even patient enough to allow me to watch him close at work, or at his leisure, for he was sipping delicately from the top of each blossom and seemed to be enjoying each goblet down to the last drop, tipping them to reach their core before going to the next. According to some sources, not all bees behave as well, some rob the flower by drilling straight into the core from the bottom, draining the flower without the flower benefiting from the pollination. Ahh, such a gluttonous little bee! And I, such a voyer of nature.

How The End always is:

The end is near to another semester, a final count down ... My best to all your finals ...

... and hoping to see you back in the Fall again!
Unless you're a die-hard like me and come back for summer sessions.

join me on youtube anytime:

http://www.youtube.com/user/matsu1977?feature=mhum

Updates

In January, Mori was born healthy and already putting his parents to the test. When the time came for his arrival, the plan to have a home-birth came into full-bloom suddenly. However, the arrival of the midwife was delayed while she was caught in traffic on her way from Tulsa to Norman. The father, Michael, had to follow through with the delivery himself, while Cassie put her trust in her husband to bring them safely through! Moriah was definitely a joyful beginning, putting his life in his father's hands while teaching his first lesson on who's the boss, at least for a little while, Go Mori! Father, Mother and son were all doing fine afterward with an experience to remember that few have shared.

Last week I got a call from my friend John that I got back in touch with recently. He was at the hospital after having some tests done for his liver and treatment. He said that his doctor told him he would not be getting on the list for a liver transplant. I asked him why not, I was worried that maybe he wouldn't be eligible if it was necessary. John said, "It's because I am doing so well my doctor said I won't be needing one!" The doctor told him that his liver has improved and is in the process of healing itself since the stints were put in place during his last surgery. What great news to share!

The concert we were going to attend with his roommate's band last month however fell through. They decided to check out the place before committing to play and the venue turned out to be a redneck bar that would have been more likely to develop into a scene for fights and harassment, so not really worth it.

This weekend will be a different venue, so we are looking forward to trying again. Next month, Leonard, his roommate who plays the drums, will also be playing at the the Hawq Lakes Bike Rally and will be playing drums on stage with Otis Redding and Black Oak Arkansas. Wow, I can't believe that band is still around! If I'm up to it, I may go for the last day of the event to hear them play, we'd get to go in along with the roadies so it will be hassle-free.




As for my daughter, she is getting ready to take yet another bus trip, this time to Lawrence, KS to visit her father. I should be relieved that at least she will be visiting her dad and her uncle, right?

Interpol - Cain's Ballroom 4/20, Tulsa

Interpol

Being in Tulsa on Wednesday for doctor appointments has been an opportunity to take in some culture when possible. This week was exceptional, with a show including Interpol that opened with The School of Seven Bells. If you haven't heard TSSB before, they have a sound similar to the Cocteau Twins. Interpol was amazing to see live! The lead vocalist/guitarist, Paul Banks always makes me think of Ian Curtis/Joy Division. Although I sat/stood on the bench on the side of the ballroom, it was close enough to enjoy the show close up and relax at the same time. Don't let my doctor know I took in a show, the smoke was from the fog machines...

The only excitement aside from the show was the fact that when I got back to my car, my banana had liquefied in its plastic bag! I have no idea what would cause a banana to do that! It wasn't even hot outside. Pretty scary, what if that had been my brain?