Sunday, November 9, 2008

Some Other Day


There is always some other day
when the dream resting at the apex of our thoughts
finally comes to pass,
when the crippled leg grows straight,
when the woman at our subway stop
scribbles her number on a napkin
and says “yes” to the imagined date.

There is always a thick blanket of snow
after hellish summer heat
has withered longstanding desires,
its white purity unfurled like a principality’s wing.
There is always a single leaf in spring,
frail and fresh and green,
after winter has torn flesh from bone
with fingers made of sleet.

There is always some other day,
a circadian square on the calendar page
where by inches or degrees
slim hope no longer evades our reach:
the blind man once again sees.
But even if these dreams recede
and a lottery ticket doesn’t pay,
do not drive my crippled mind
from the hope of some other day.

Painting of Job: Einar Hakonarson, Creative Commons 3.0

44 comments:

Marja said...

You are surely back. Beautiful words about hopes and dreams. What a great line " the dreams resting at the apex of our thoughts finally come to pass" and so many other great lines.
I find it an enjoyable passtime to dream. Let's dream on and they might come true

Lana Gramlich said...

Ewww...You said sn*wfall!
Just kidding! Lovely poem, as usual! Sorry we didn't see you at Arts Evening last weekend. Perhaps next time. :)

paisley said...

filled with hope,, and the prospect of that silver lining,, just one day away.... loved it....

Janice Thomson said...

Love those last two lines William - I'd love to spray that across the side of the house...

Jo said...

Lovely sentiments.

WH said...

Marja, hi! I checked in with your blog a couple fo weeks back and "you weren't home." -:) Glad to hear from you again!

Lana, I've seen heavy snow "down here" once, when I was eight. Kennedy was president LOL. Flurries since then, but when I was 8, we had about 6 inches.

paisley, I think we could all pack it in without hope. It's what keeps us going.

Janice, get out the spray can and pretend it's the sixties LOL. Short of that, if you have an old VW mini-bus ... :)

Thanks, JO. It's always good to hear from you!

JP/deb said...

Love this poem ... especially the third stanza. A beautifully crafted tribute to the complexity of hope. JP/deb

Charles Gramlich said...

Very upbeat. Warms my day.

Cassiopeia Rises said...

Billy I think I must live by the meaning of this poem. You just get better and better my friend. It is good to read your poetry again. I have not been up to writing but have a poem in mind and as soon as I can gather my rusty thoughts, I will work on it.


love-bd-Melanie

WH said...

Deb, thanks. Hope is hard to keep sometimes--like the change you spoke of on your blog. But gotta keep puttin' one foot in front of the other.

Charles, hope is my raison d'etre.

Melanie, good to hear from you. I know you've been sick. Many pryares for your health! Hope to see that poem soon!

Lane Mathias said...

Apart from the fact that this captures just the right note of hope, what I love is the absolute lyricism of your words. I just luxuriate in them:-)

Diane Vogel Ferri said...

I love the whole unique concept of this poem.

Miladysa said...

Ditto Janice - those last two lines send the whole poem home with a punch!

WH said...

Lane, yes, I was walking a tightrope here, trying to keep a thin note of hope while emphasizing grief.

Diane, thanks. Wanted to write about suffering that doesn't implode upon itself.

Miladysa, thanks for the feedback. It lets me know where the strong points are and what works :)

Raven said...

Exquisite as always... I love the repeated theme of "there is always some other day...." and those last lines. And I love the progression from season to season, each one healing the other, hope rising out of each despair. You are so gifted. Poet to the bone. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Just so hope doesn't make us wait for it, instead of taking that one step that breaks the log jam.

Tina Trivett said...

How beautiful...will be back to read again.

WH said...

Raven, I worried that using both seasons as counterpoint might not work, but I figured that we all get tired of each season after a long enough time period. There was also more intentional rhyme here, although I tried to disguiese it a bit. Thanks!

Jason, I agree. Sometimes things just happen, but whatever brings form to our hopes usually transpires while we put one foot in front of the other. I think the Cosmos works in tandem with our efforts if we have a little positive mojo going.

Tina! Welcome back! Thank you kindly!

qualcosa di bello said...

sweet!! i needed this firm injection of hope just today. thank you billy!

Geraldine said...

I am so glad you are back Billy. This was brilliant from start to finish! Hope springs eternal.

Bravo Billy!

MyBellavia said...

Billy,

I've had many a dream "recede" these past few years. Yet what are dreams without hope? This week especially, your words remind my "crippled mind", to go forward. You have lifted my spirit. Thank you.

Thanks also for your visit to my blog. Your comment made my day!

WH said...

qualcosa, you're welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

Geraldine, it does indeed. It keeps the sun rising and the body moving! -:)

Bellavia, so glad this could "pick you up." Sometimes life is so very hard. I've had my share of trials lately too.

Barb said...

Billy, this is gorgeous! I live my life as though riding the waves, the ebbs and flows, knowing that the light will always follow the dark. A new day will dawn, and so there is hope.

cargwaps said...

this poem was bittersweet. it's left me longing for that "some other day". may we never lose sight of that hope. :)

WH said...

Barb? ... (I can't keep you sisters straight LOL), I love the wave analogy!

Cargwaps, it is indeed bitttersweet, although I hope the aftertaste of sweet wins out :)

Linda Murphy said...

What a beautiful poem to ruminate about today. I think the painting is fitting, especially how the figure is looking up, as if looking for that hope for some other day.

Thank you!

WH said...

Linda, aw shuckins ... thank ya -:)

Liquid said...

So, we hope!

Come see........in need of some positive loving energy!

WH said...

liquid, thanks. i've been absent again. i'm a bad boy.

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

Hi Billy - I have spent a lovely time here perusing your poems. You are a wordsmith, using language like we use the very air to breathe, naturally. Your images are vivid and expressive. It is always wonderful to meet an eloquent poet. I will stop again. Regards, K

WH said...

K, thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words!

S.L. Corsua said...

It's one poem that's sure to uplift spirits, Billy, as pointed out by other readers of yours (I agreed the most with Lane's mention of "the right note of hope" and of "absolute lyricism." ;) Hope you are doing well; I know you've been busy writing like crazy (still on with the novel?). Cheers, dear.

WH said...

S.L., thanks! Yes, still writing, although for a ghostwriting client. In this economy, I have to work overtime :)

Sarah Hina said...

What was that Emily Dickinson quote about hope? the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. I've always loved that line. It does keep us aloft.

And so does this poem, Billy. Hope is fuel, and I never want to run out.

(sorry I've been so absent lately!)

WH said...

Sarah, thanks. In the year I've been blogging, I've noticed everyone must disappear from time to time because of that pesky thing called life :)

WH said...

Sarah, thanks. In the year I've been blogging, I've noticed everyone must disappear from time to time because of that pesky thing called life :)

Miladysa said...

Merry Christmas to YOU and Yours Billy :D

Britta Coleman said...

Lovely pairing of the artwork with the poem. Do you know the artist? Job's story is one of my favorites, and I especially like the longing/hope portrayed in both your words and the painting.

WH said...

Miladysa, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hi Britta! The artist's name is at the bottom of the post. Thanks for dropping by! Happy New Year!

JP/deb said...

Dear Billy - happiest new year wishes! Looking forward to seeing more of your artistry in 2009. Peace & blessings, JP/deb

Britta Coleman said...

Thanks, Billy. I'll have to look for more of Mr. Hakonarson's work. Have you met him personally, and how did you find his work?

WH said...

Happy New Year, Deb. All my best wishes to you and your family!

Britta, I came across it in Wikipedia and used it under the creative commons license. It's a cool pic, isn't it?

Shauna Roberts said...

Beautiful poem.

Was surprised to see you posted this almost a year ago. Glad that you now are reviving your blog and look forward to future posts.

WH said...

Thanks, Shauna. I hadn't realized either how long it had been!