Ottawa's flying fauna...

[fajrdrako]

A nice thing happened when I was on my way to work today. No, no falling fish. It was a monarch butterfly that flew by my nose.

I used to see a lot of those, when I was a kid; not so much, now. It cheered me up immensely to see it.

Comments

[filkferengi]

And now it's cheered all of us up as well. Thanks for sharing your "Dust of Snow" with us [http://www.online-literature.com/frost/743/]. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful poem - I'd never read that one before. What a lovely expression of the same thing - thanks so much for the link!

[filkferengi]

You're very welcome. Should I point you towards Teasdale's thoughts about coins and barter, or have you seen them already?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I can't remember reading this. Sarah Teasdale? If I've read it, I've forgotten.

[filkferengi]

Sara Teasdale has 4 books of poetry up on the Gutenberg Project, here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/t#a223 . They're fairly short, & I recommend them all highly.

From _Flame and Shadow_:

The Coin


Into my heart's treasury
I slipped a coin
That time cannot take
Nor a thief purloin, --
Oh better than the minting
Of a gold-crowned king
Is the safe-kept memory
Of a lovely thing.


From _Love Songs_:

Barter


Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.



[Trust a filkferengi to like these. ;)]

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"Barter" was in a book of poems I had as a kid, and I loved it, but hadn't remembered it as being by Teasdale. No wonder the name was familiar.

The other one is lovely, too.

Thank you!

[filkferengi]

You're very welcome. I hope you enjoy the books, too.

I may not play or sing, but have been known to do poems in the filk circle, "Barter" especially.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Good choice. Very good choice!