Tuesday, August 5, 2008

She who reconciles the ill-matched threads
of her life, and weaves them gratefully
into a single cloth—
it's she who drives the loudmouths from the hall
and clears it for a different celebration

where the one guest is you.
In the softness of evening
it's you she receives.

You are the partner of her loneliness,
the unspeaking centre of her monologues.
With each disclosure you encompass more
and she stretches beyond what limits her,
to hold you.


Rainer Maria Rilke
From The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

9 comments:

deanna said...

Rilke's words sound beautifully like you. Welcome back.

Sandy said...

Haven't visited in a while. I'm glad to see that you haven't changed! You are still being creatively yourself and most interesting.

I love this poem, and the song video was a great link, makes me wonder.

I hope all is well in Canada!

Angela said...

thanks, deanna. rilke makes me sweat. for real.

Angela said...

hey sandy,
good to see you around here again. i missed you. thanks for coming.
i'm gonna go bump myself over your way now.

myleswerntz said...

Wow. I haven't read Rilke since college, but that gave me chills.

Angela said...

myles,
so i'm sitting at the breakfast table last week and this poem is read out loud and immediately my face starts burning and my eyes water and i can hardly breathe, and then it's read out loud again and, glory, glory, i nearly pass out from it.

it completely flattened me in all the ways that poetry can. i've been walking around reciting it for a week.

cecily said...

You're back!!! Welcome. I missed you. :-) How was your trip?

and i LOVE that poem.

Angela said...

hey cecily,
i don't know what weird thing is going on with my comments, but yours seems to have not shown up here, though it did in my mail box...
anyways,
yes, i'm back. my trip was um, how detailed am i allowed to be in a public forum...? it was complex. i had some good, good fun with my dear friend and some sore heart times with her, too. might as well do it in england instead of home if it has to be done and it was so good to see her. i never got you that postcard though. sigh. does thinking of it count? you are a way better person than me and you would totally win if life were a competition or somethin'.

Angela said...

o.k. now that i've posted a comment, yours shows up. sheesh.