Meteoric
beautiful poetry and music, a special author, and other miracles all around us
As my Irish mom Joanie would say about the events of Monday, August 11th: “Man proposes and God disposes.”
I’ve been hoping to see a major meteor shower, The Perseids, for years. Our Cape Water Taxi here in Lewes, DE offers a midnight cruise annually on the night the shower peaks. Between 12 AM and dawn, as many as 100 meteors per hour can be seen falling through space. The shower is not visible in cities and other well-lit areas, and so the boat takes you far out into the bay, where it is suitably dark and viewing conditions are optimal. This special cruise always sells out early, but this year I planned ahead and reserved spots months ago.
Well, we missed out again. Weather wasn’t the issue, the night was beautifully clear. No, the issue was that insidiously lingering plague, COVID-19, which manages to stay one variant ahead of us humans as we scramble for updated vaccines. Steve and I had avoided infection since the beginning of the pandemic, by a combination of safety measures and plain old good luck. That weekend we were feeling terrible—achy, queasy and feverish, and so those positive test results were no surprise.
Back to Mom’s little catchphrase. My proposal to sail off in search of the Perseids was not, I believe, gleefully disposed of by a killjoy God. Rather, I think Joanie just meant that we’re not ultimately in control, no matter how carefully we plot and plan.
So instead of gazing upon a natural wonder on August 11th, we’d joined the millions who’ve been feeling lousy, testing, and isolating, since March, 2020. And that night, I wished upon a meteor—for an end to this horrible virus at last, and for another chance to catch those Perseids in action someday.
MEANWHILE, the stars in the every-night sky are a miracle I take for granted…Here’s a lovely poem praising them:
POEM: IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING, THE STARS by Edward Hirsch
Like a stunned piano, like a bucket
of fresh milk flung into the air
or a dozen fists of confetti
thrown hard at a bride
stepping down from the altar,
the stars surprise the sky.
Think of dazed stones
floating overhead, or an ocean
of starfish hung up to dry. Yes,
like a conductor’s expectant arm
about to lift toward the chorus,
or a juggler’s plates defying gravity,
or a hundred fastballs fired at once
and freezing in midair, the stars
startle the sky over the city.
And that’s why drunks leaning up
against abandoned buildings, women
hurrying home on deserted side streets,
policemen turning blind corners, and
even thieves stepping from alleys
all stare up at once. Why else do
sleepwalkers move toward the windows,
or old men drag flimsy lawn chairs
onto fire escapes, or hardened criminals
press sad foreheads to steel bars?
Because the night is alive with lamps!
That’s why in dark houses all over the city
dreams stir in the pillows, a million
plumes of breath rise into the sky.
MUSIC: VIOLIN CONCERTO BY SHERIDAN SEYFRIED
Sheridan wrote this lovely, poignant concerto for violinist Dennis Kim. Here it is, performed by the Tampere (Finland) Philharmonic…
FEATURED AUTHOR: MARIBETH FISCHER
Books, too, are miracles—entire worlds we build in our heads, from words on a page.
I love featuring talented authors who are also friends, and it is a pleasure to introduce you to Maribeth Fischer. Maribeth is not only a wonderful writer (three novels, two Pushcart Prizes for her stories) and gifted teacher, she’s also the founder of The Rehoboth Beach Writer’s Guild, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this Fall. I’ve been a guild member for 12 years, participating in all kinds of reading events, and teaching some classes too. Though RBWG has grown to nearly 400 members, Maribeth still makes each and every author feel special, welcomed and nurtured. I’ll be celebrating her new novel, A Season of Perfect Happiness, with many of her friends and fans, at her book launch tonight.
Learn more about Maribeth and her work by visiting her website.
POEM (YES, ANOTHER ONE!): “Let The Last Thing Be Song” by Hannah Fries
Listen to the poet (who is also a singer and French horn player) reading her haunting reflection…our memories, like musical notes…
Video from Maria Popova (her fabulous newsletter is The Marginalian—which I recommend SO highly)
BLOG PREVIEW: YOU HAD TO BE THERE
Humor, in addition to being personally subjective, is also a product of its time. While today’s comedy landscape is pretty darned wild and free, there are still jokes that fall pancake-flat (because the teller has forgotten what year it is). Join me over at Working Title for a not-so-scholarly look at funny through the ages—and what might be coming next!
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
We’ve all been given a miracle, my friends: life, incredible and heartbreaking and joyous life. This week, let’s really LIVE it!
