Friday, October 22, 2010

Poems, Quotes, Analects, Proverbs

From Parabola:

Illustration: Simeon Solomon (1840-1905), “Hypnos, The God of Sleep.


Simeon Solomon (1840-1905), “Hypnos, The God of Sleep.”

The Elusive Something



Was it in the smell of freshly baked bread

That came out to meet me in the street?

The face of a girl carrying a white dress

From the cleaners with her eyes half closed?



The sight of a building blackened by fire

Where once I went to look for work?

The toothless old man passing out leaflets

For a clothing store going out of business?



Or was it the woman pushing a baby carriage

About to turn the corner? I ran after,

As if the little one lying in it was known to me,

And found myself alone on a busy street



I didn’t recognize, feeling like someone

Out for the first time after a long illness,

Who sees the world with his heart,

Then hurries home to forget how it felt.



—Charles Simic, courtesy of Poetry Daily

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