The world offers itself to your imagination
so I hopped on its wings and flew away
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
― Mary Oliver
What I’m listening to:
Arthur Fields - How Ya Gonna Keep’em Down On The Farm, 1919
This song was mentioned in the book The Paris Wife, which I read a few weeks ago. I had to look it up. It’s pretty catchy. :)
What I’m watching:
Jack Kerouac - Reluctant Icon | Biographical Documentary
I’m about to listen to On the Road, but wanted to refresh my memory a little about Jack first. Such a sad story. I’ve never read On the Road, and hope it’s not too depressing. Will see.
Totally Drunk Guy Is A Famous American Novelist Who Viewed Hippies With Disgust On National TV
The “totally drunk guy” is Jack Kerouac, and it was filmed in 1967. There’s more info in the description of the video.
THE LAB: DECOY | 6 Photographers 1 Man - A Portrait Photography Session With A Twist
6 photographers photograph one man. The results are interesting.
Decoding the Great Pyramid NOVA Remix
What I’m Reading:
A Ticket to Ride by Paula McLain - the author of The Paris Wife, which is such a good book. I’m hoping this one is just as good. I like it so far.
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
This is a book of poetry. I like to have an assortment of books going on at the same time so I can pick & choose what to read in the moment. I’m almost done with this one.
The Life of Chuck by Stephen King
I used to read Stephen King books every summer when I was in high school. Those days are long gone, but since I’m on such a reading kick right now, I figured why not see what he’s been up to? I picked this one because it’s only about 100 pages, and I won’t have to invest much time on it. I’m not a fan of horror these days. The world has changed drastically over the years, and I get enough of real life horror on social media. Just got this one last night on my library app when it became available, so haven’t started reading it yet. It’s gonna be another busy reading week for me.
My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks (US shipping only), Etsy, and eBay
I ship globally from Etsy & eBay - for now. This is subject to change without notice, since I can’t predict what the US government is going to do on any given day.
You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.
I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.
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May you be well, happy and peaceful.