Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Possibilities



I prefer movies.
I prefer cats.
I prefer the oaks along the Warta.
I prefer Dickens to Dostoyevsky.
I prefer myself liking people
to myself loving mankind.
I prefer keeping a needle and thread on hand, just in case.
I prefer the color green.
I prefer not to maintain
that reason is to blame for everything.
I prefer exceptions.
I prefer to leave early.
I prefer talking to doctors about something else.
I prefer the old fine-lined illustrations.
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems
to the absurdity of not writing poems.
I prefer, where love's concerned, nonspecific anniversaries
that can be celebrated every day.
I prefer moralists
who promise me nothing.
I prefer cunning kindness to the over-trustful kind.
I prefer the earth in civvies.
I prefer conquered to conquering countries.
I prefer having some reservations.
I prefer the hell of chaos to the hell of order.
I prefer Grimms' fairy tales to the newspapers' front pages.
I prefer leaves without flowers to flowers without leaves.
I prefer dogs with uncropped tails.
I prefer light eyes, since mine are dark.
I prefer desk drawers.
I prefer many things that I haven't mentioned here
to many things I've also left unsaid.
I prefer zeroes on the loose
to those lined up behind a cipher.
I prefer the time of insects to the time of stars.
I prefer to knock on wood.
I prefer not to ask how much longer and when.
I prefer keeping in mind even the possibility
that existence has its own reason for being.

- Wislawa Szymborska

13 comments:

Renee said...

Wow this is amazingly amazing.

I love it. I also love that you discovered at 40 what so many people don't discover their whole lives.

Your blog is really beautiful. I love it.

Renee xoxo

Gabby said...

Simply, absolutely lovely! For such grace, I offer back a few lines from Machado:

"Against the flowering mountain,
the wide sea surges.
The comb of my honeybees
has gathered grains of salt.

Against the black water.
Scent of sea and jasmine.
Malaga night.

Spring has come.
No one knows what has happened.

Spring has come.
White hallelujahs
from the brambles in flower!

Full moon, full moon,
so pregnant, so round.
This serene March night,
honeycomb of light
carved by white bees!"

Relyn Lawson said...

I really, really love this. Really, really. Mine won't sound nearly as wonderous, but I think I'll have to try writing one of my own.

robin laws said...

this was delightful!! and like relyn my first though was like "OH i want to try this!" which is usually not my train of thought when i feel a blog challenge coming my way. i usually freeze on the spot without a thing to say.
you dear heart have posted so many beautiful things the past week. this in particular just made my heart contract with recognition and a desire to do this in my life:

If you see good in people, you radiate a harmonious loving energy which uplifts those who are around you. If you can maintain this habit, this energy will turn into a steady flow of love. ~Annamalai Swami

and your heart is so full of child-love. this adorable perfect image is a balm to all that is wrong in the world:

"Every child is a story yet to be told." --LWB

Typhanie said...

Hi Yoli,

Thanks for stopping by and wishing me happy birthday... I love the above picture. It makes me feel like any woman can rule the world (which we can).

A Beautiful Mess said...

Y,

Like this. Gave me pause..which I never do quite enough of these days!

I am going to see how well I do with this one myself!

Samosas for One said...

This is gorgeous! By the way, I'm not in India.

Tess Kincaid said...

I ADORED this!! Thoroughly enjoyed reading all of these. And the photo is oh-so-classy!

Unknown said...

So much beauty here...sitting in the stillness soaking this all up.

Brenda Pruitt said...

You know, it gets even better. I just turned 52, and I have found the fifties to be very liberating. You stop wanting to please, wanting to be the best, wanting to be with people. You savor being alone, not having the TV on, talking to yourself rather than anyone else! (Or perhaps early senility? Well, I prefer not to know!)
Brenda

in another lifetime said...

I'm so glad you visited my site! Something wonderful is going on here at yours, from the Amelie music box music to the beautiful images and spiritual sentiment!

Annie Coe said...

Okay, I am with the rest of you who want list of their own, this should be fun :-).

Denise Fasanello said...

thank you