(nowhere) to be found
it’s the alone in
the dance that makes the never
knowing so complete
Amaya at dVerse asked us to consider music that brings us to tears. There are many candidates these days, but I chose Jackson Browne’s “For a Dancer” for it’s longevity and continued relevance in that department. People, places, things…they are always “dancing in and out of view”.
And a ghazal for the song as well.
In the quiet of a summer’s afternoon I think of you
in the absence that is always in this room I think of you
My mind plays tricks and mixes up the present and the past
in memories recalled and then exhumed I think of you
Bananas peaches lemons oranges strawberries and limes
in fruit that ripens and releases its perfume I think of you
I search for guidance in the symbols of mythologies and stars
in portents that appear like ghostly runes I think of you
The fiber spun and dyed the needle waiting in my hand
in threads that cross like patterns on a loom I think of you
Sometimes I seem to recognize a voice calling and turn
in the abbreviation of my nom de plume I think of you
Pay attention to the open skies.
59 responses to “(nowhere) to be found”
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- June 7, 2019 -
This is a lovely post, Kerfe. Most enjoyable.
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Thanks Robbie.
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That is a tremendous ghazal—such a good final couplet.
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Thanks Jane. That’s a high complement.
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Well merited.
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There is so much emotion in these. Very moving and though I don’t know who or what you refer to I find them from my own life. Bringing up many thoughts.
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Thanks Claudia. I have found this song to be a comfort in many times and places. And so my words, also, are both particular and entire.
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Excellent Ghazal Kerfe. Missing someone can certainly play tricks on the mind. Wonderful song by Jackson!
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It is! Amazing that he and David Lindley have been playing it together all these years, and it’s just as fresh and moving.
Thanks Rob.
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Both your words and the song choke me up…how can such sorrow be so beautiful?
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Thanks Lynn. This song has been with me for a long time, through many changes.
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I like the repeating line. And the sound of the rhyme that precedes it and also helps tie the lines together.
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Thanks Frank. The formality of the ghazal is a challenge, but it does work to connect the thoughts.
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Both the haiku and the ghazal are so lovely.
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thanks so much
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thank you! so beautiful!!!
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Thanks Jodi.
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There is so much to bask in here: the opening senryu, the art, the hollow sound of the fiddle in that gorgeous duet, the devotional ghazal, and that ending prophetic one-liner. I can see how the song has withstood the test of time for your sensibilities, not ceasing to provide teary-eyed inspiration.
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Thanks Amaya. That fiddle gets me everytime. It’s an integral part of the song.
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Gorgeous ghazal!
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Thank you!
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A moving a post, Kerfe. Beautifully written ghazal. The memories that come, the voice we think we hear. . .
I’ve always loved this song. Emmy Lou Harris and Linda Ronstadt do a nice version on an album they did together, too.
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Thanks Merril. I am always hearing and seeing those ghosts…
I’ll have to look for that version. I was just listening to Linda Ronstadt yesterday–she often did Jackson Browne songs.
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This line:
“in the absence that is always in this room I think of you” rings so very true for me. The “gone” is always present in the places shared so often. The “gone” reappears in the music we associate with him/her/the moment of loss.
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That’s just right. Thanks Lillian.
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What a beautiful poem, I’m so moved, because my husband’s death was 3 years ago this month…so he is on my mind.
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Thanks Sharon. Those we love will always be part of us.
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They never leave thank goodness.
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The dance of never knowing is a dark reflection of the dance of enjoyment that precedes it. Your senryū so succinctly captures the loss of those moments, and it is most excellent.
And your ghazal – in a strictly ghazal sense, it is superb.
But more to the point It may not be fair to say that some losses are greater than others, but it is so much the truth, and your ghazal carries the emptiness of such a loss.
Both poems remind us of the message in the music you’ve chosen.
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Thanks Ken. Some losses are indeed greater.
Music is so important as a vessel for our emotions I think. And also in intersection with poetry.
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May I cit this haiku as an intro to a poem, and use your watercolor to illustrate it?
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Absolutely. I’m flattered, and look forward to reading it.
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🙂
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To use you as the repeated word works so well to bring the loss so much closer to the heart.
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What a lovely observation, thanks, Bjorn.
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Such a haunting and beautiful refrain, I think of you. Lovely ghazal, thank you.
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Thanks Grace.
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I was wowed! This is truly musical and I heard a melody in my head as I read it! What unique images capturing that special relationship, now gone but not forgotten. A really well-written poem. Thank you!
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Thanks Gay. I think music and poetry are always entwined.
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I like how the loved one is there but not there and the part, “I search for guidance in the symbols of mythologies and stars
in portents that appear like ghostly runes I think of you” with a plea to the cosmos to help you make sense of it.
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Thanks Jade. We are always searching.
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🙂
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I think this ghazal is absolutely perfect!
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Thanks Rosemary. What a wonderful complement.
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The absence, the emptiness, that expands to fill in upon itself in the missing of the beloved, hey are there, in the thinking and the visceral connections, I get the feeling of a phantom limb pain, so tender and persistent and everywhere I go. Kerfe, this is simply so well done, and wonderful, and hurts too. All the senses and details of the day are involved. vivid and unrestrained. Pressing against the ghazal boundaries, all the more beautiful for it.
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Thanks Lona. The presence of an absence…we all know it sometimes.
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Awesome ghazal, Marta and such a great singer. Loved the song.
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Yes, it’s a wonderful song. Thanks!
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Welcome M.
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Beautiful Kerfe! You have such a way with words and color!! Very moving! 💜
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Music is full of emotion I think.
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Your ghazal is so poignant. I can feel your heart aching in every line.
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Thanks Suzanne.
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Sublime poem, Kerfe. I listened to Brown as I read it a second time. Very moving.
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Thanks Diana.
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I missed this last year, but I really love it this year! Well done! What a creative take on the art pieces!
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Thanks Dwight. It’s hard to keep up with everything.
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Time does fly it seems.
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