Friday, October 05, 2007

"I sat once again on the bench I'd been sitting on before. The sun was going down. And I have to say that the colors in the park were quite extraordinary--almost edible, one would have to say. The air was a kind of rose color, and the light which ran through it was a twinkling yellow.
What were we waiting for? The appearance of the Messiah? Was all this nothing? I was quite fed up with the search for perfection. And rather amazed by all that I had--the lemonade stand with its lemonade, the cafe with its irritable customers and staff, the carousel, the squirrels, the birds, the trees. I'm sorry, Howard, your favorite grove was cut down. But so much remains. This light, so beautiful and warm, was not cut down. The flowers at my feet with their petals that kiss my ankles like little lips, were not cut down. The trembling air and trembling sky were not cut down. My sympathy about the loss of your favorite grove is fading out at the end of the day. It said in the paper that there will be fireworks tonight above the carousel, and right nearby, a parade of young dogs, including some of the newest breeds, some for sale.
I sat on the bench for a very long time, lost--sunk deep--in the experience of unbelievable physical pleasure, maybe the greatest pleasure we can know on this earth--the sweet, ever-changing caress of the early evening breeze."
Wallace Shawn
The Designated Mourner

3 comments:

Lesley said...

I love this play!

Bird Braines said...

Hi Sophia,
well I have found you on Blogspot. I am not sure how to send you an e-mail so I will leave you a comment and hope that you find your way to me.

I love this snippet you have selected. I thought at first it was you sitting at the entrance to Burnet Woods, just having come from Sitwell's. Now I see that it is not but I have a suspicion that you might have connected with this bit of prose in a similar way.

Well, I hope we can be in touch. I have just opened a blogspot account, inspired by your wonderful blog. It is under:
Selena Flora

It was good to see your lovely face the other day!

--Selena

a-smk said...

Oh you too, Selena. People like you remind me why I teach and write and am.

It's so good to be back in touch. You have such a way of seeing (and coloring in) the world. It is rare.

I would love to see some of your work (on paper and in wood and jewelry and paint and so on) and I am already stringing pretty-painted-Selena-necklaces in my mind. I have ideas that involve paper parasols and spider lilies and butterflies (side viewed) or anything gypsy. I don't know. Let's brainstorm. I will not leave Cincinnati without that little bit of your art.