Robert Creeley & The Meaning of Beyond
Some day they'll see me on park benches and subways, eyes glued to my New Testament, sub-vocalizing lines of Robert Creeley which I know so well they are friendly Scripture to me. In this poem written around 1980, Creeley is evidently practising epitaphs. If I could come to the same acceptance of my life as he does his here, I'll judge this sojourn a flamboyant success:
ECHOES
Step through the mirror,
faint with the old desire.
Want it again,
never mind who's the friend.
Say yes to the wasted
empty places. The guesses
were as good as any.
No mistakes.
--Robert Creeley, from, "So There: Poems 1976 - 83"
And how's this for the transcendence of failure and regret? If Emily Dickinson reincarnated as Samuel Beckett (happy 100th, Sam!), this is how the output might read. Of course, you know that the title "Ambition" is ironic, meant as slyly comic relief from the very values the word conjures. Creeley, some say, was a hermit. To me, he's a renunciate. What a clean break this monk makes here! No looking back. No further wrestling. Living in the merciful beyond of his refusal.
AMBITION
Couldn't guess it,
couldn't be it--
wasn't ever
there then. Won't
come back, don't
want it.
--Robert Creeley, from "So There"
ECHOES
Step through the mirror,
faint with the old desire.
Want it again,
never mind who's the friend.
Say yes to the wasted
empty places. The guesses
were as good as any.
No mistakes.
--Robert Creeley, from, "So There: Poems 1976 - 83"
And how's this for the transcendence of failure and regret? If Emily Dickinson reincarnated as Samuel Beckett (happy 100th, Sam!), this is how the output might read. Of course, you know that the title "Ambition" is ironic, meant as slyly comic relief from the very values the word conjures. Creeley, some say, was a hermit. To me, he's a renunciate. What a clean break this monk makes here! No looking back. No further wrestling. Living in the merciful beyond of his refusal.
AMBITION
Couldn't guess it,
couldn't be it--
wasn't ever
there then. Won't
come back, don't
want it.
--Robert Creeley, from "So There"
posted by David Federman @ 11:24 AM
1 Comments:
At 6:52 AM,
zecalouro said…
Hi David Federmann,
Nice "little blog" you have here, congratulations.
Sorry for this out of topic comment, it is just to keep sure that it will reach you.
About Angela Maria at Loronix:
I was sure that Angela would be appreciated and kept amongst your favorites.
In fact, she is wonderful. There are several career records and it is very hard to point the best.
BTW.: I have been researching on your last comment about the Brazilian standards, such as we have available in the US. Believe me, it is something that was never formally structured from our researchers.
I'm fascinated about this subject and I will have lunch with a friend next Thursday that will try to bring more clarification on that.
I'm looking forward to take this issue back to you later this week.
zecalouro
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