(What a small thing, to be a human. – 14 March 2016)
For all my
artistry,
rocks and minerals
humble me:
thin layer,
slow layer;
free,
formal,
ancient;
more intricate,
daring,
surprising and
patient
than my works will ever be.
For all my
deep breathing,
wind will always best me
perceiving
coasts
and plains,
high skies
and valleys:
seed-transplanting and
pressure-trading
more broadly and deeply
than decades spent on
luggage-lifting
and travel tallies.
For all my
adulthood,
rivers and seas
serve humbler, greater good:
lifting what's light,
taking in all that sinks,
spreading currents boundlessly,
while “Spare a dollar?”
Let me think.
“Mmm. If I trusted
you, I would."
Especially for those of us who live in cities or close by them, I think it is too common to get completely absorbed into the world of human affairs. Granted, we must to an extent, so as to focus on school or work or whatever else to achieve our human success. However, every once in a while I observe some kind of natural phenomena (sometimes I just hear about it, the effect remains regardless) that just makes me think about the extraordinary power of nature, and I think this poem captures that perfectly. It doesn't even have to be anything uncommon, either. I am a bit of an artist myself, but it would be foolish to challenge the shimmering sunset that dyes the entire horizon in yellows and oranges and pinks. We exist for but a moment in the grand scheme of the world, and from our perspective nature might as well be eternal. It is when we're born and will continue to be after we die. The accompanying image I think does a good job in illustrating the power and beauty of nature in comparison to the grains of sand that are each of us. The images of humans and human work are not even taking up a fourth of the image and are faded, while the magnificence of nature shines throughout the rest of the image. I think the end of the poem, zooming back into humanity and showing how little we are willing to do with our little bit of power, adds an extra message that, despite never being able to measure up to nature, we should still try to have more of an impact even in our small, practically meaningless lives. It's a really nice touch of advice to wrap up the exploration of this concept.
ReplyDeleteI think that different people experience nature differently, but I connected with the feeling of wonder that “Skill Knowledge Disposition” conveyed. The idea that artists–whether they are musicians, painters, poets, or architects–can never compete with the depth and level of intrigue that nature inspires is true for many people and I agree with this sentiment. This is not to degenerate the works of humans but simply to value the beautiful creations that have resulted from evolution and mother nature. “For all my deep breathing, wind will always best me” is a good way of describing how awing and amazing nature really is. When a gust of wind cools your face and you feel the ocean spray and smell the seaweed, it feels so special, so precious to be in a world so great. If you’ve ever swam in the ocean or sailed a boat you know how powerful wind and water are, and that you cannot fight with the water, you have to work with it. You might think that the great power of the ocean makes me feel small. However, it has the opposite effect. It makes me feel purposeful, as if there is so much opportunity in the world to change it for the better that it is my duty to serve the best interests of people and our natural environment. In the last stanza, the description of nature as serving the “greater good” and acting more humbly than humans is quite accurate. Yes, nature shows off when a peacock spreads its feathers or a waterfall tumbles down a gorge through lush greenery, but it doesn’t brag about it. Nature doesn’t post to your social media about how great it is, it just exists in its beauty and it is up to people to actually go seek it out. I realize that the nature (sorry pun) of this poem is also ironic because it is describing very elegantly and beautifully how it itself can never surpass nature.
ReplyDeleteI love the concept of this poem and how we feel small in comparison to nature. It reminds me of another poem I read that criticized the hubris of men trying to be greater than nature. This poem, in contrast, feels like it’s paying respect to nature. The feeling of insignificance in comparison to the natural world is sometimes an overwhelming feeling, but in my experience it’s an amazing way to feel. I find nature to be incredibly comforting and breathtaking. I remember traveling to the highlands on Hawai’i to see lava flowing from the volcano there and feeling utterly in awe of the beauty of my surroundings and the way the whole night sky was lit up from the light of the lava. I could really feel how powerful nature is. Every time I go to a place as beautiful as that it’s almost upsetting since I know a photo could never do it justice, and I’ll just have to live with a picture that reflects a mere shadow of the magnificence of the real place. This poem also brings to mind all that we could lose if humans as a population continue to disrespect and destroy nature through the carelessness of our actions. The shape of this poem reminded me of a river flowing towards me and the fluidity of water. The picture of the bay in the collage made me smile since I have an almost identical photo of the same place in my camera roll from when my family and I drove up to Monterey a few years ago. It’s a beautiful picture to go with a beautiful poem.
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