March 2018
DeWitt Clinton
clintond@uww.edu
clintond@uww.edu
I am a Methodist preacher's kid who was planning for seminary, but military service in Vietnam interrupted those plans. Decades later, after considerable study and contemplation, I converted, along with my wife, to Reform Judaism, but still I'm keen on the basic principles of Buddhism and Stoicism. I am currently reading God: A Human History, and hope to finish a lengthy review on the book, by Reza Aslan. I have no inside information on prayer, but knows it's helpful for many who believe.
ON LISTENING TO ITALIAN ARIAS WHILE
STOPPING FOR COFFEE ON ROSH HASHANAH
What do rocks pray for,
perhaps other rocks, other stones
so as not to feel so dreadful & lonesome?
What does water pray for,
perhaps not for heat & sun
that absorbs everything, everyone?
What do opera singers wish for, or
pray for, perhaps all they want is vibrato
& magnificent lungs, even in sleep?
What does Sky & Air want
perhaps the possibility of Sky & Air
all over again, over and over?
Animals may not pray, but always look
like they are, alert, interested, & maybe
that’s why they keep us awake.
Do trees and bushes that look like
trees, do they ever need to consider
such a pose, beautiful as they are?
Do we ever wonder enough, sitting in pews,
looking around, looking up, looking down,
rising and sitting, sitting and rising?
& prayer, what does prayer want in this pose,
perhaps good elocution, perhaps something
that might surprise, enliven, raise the hair.
If only we had time to even make a prayer,
and then, if we only had more time,
we’d probably only want more, and more.
Credit: Poetry Buzz: An Aural Year-Full (CD Recording) Madison, Wisc. 2002
ON LISTENING TO ITALIAN ARIAS WHILE
STOPPING FOR COFFEE ON ROSH HASHANAH
What do rocks pray for,
perhaps other rocks, other stones
so as not to feel so dreadful & lonesome?
What does water pray for,
perhaps not for heat & sun
that absorbs everything, everyone?
What do opera singers wish for, or
pray for, perhaps all they want is vibrato
& magnificent lungs, even in sleep?
What does Sky & Air want
perhaps the possibility of Sky & Air
all over again, over and over?
Animals may not pray, but always look
like they are, alert, interested, & maybe
that’s why they keep us awake.
Do trees and bushes that look like
trees, do they ever need to consider
such a pose, beautiful as they are?
Do we ever wonder enough, sitting in pews,
looking around, looking up, looking down,
rising and sitting, sitting and rising?
& prayer, what does prayer want in this pose,
perhaps good elocution, perhaps something
that might surprise, enliven, raise the hair.
If only we had time to even make a prayer,
and then, if we only had more time,
we’d probably only want more, and more.
Credit: Poetry Buzz: An Aural Year-Full (CD Recording) Madison, Wisc. 2002
©2018 DeWitt Clinton
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