Thursday, January 6, 2022

Singing along with Emmylou

I was washing dishes at the Greyhound bus station at the time and I said, 'Awap bop a lup bop a wop bam boom!'
~Little Richard


My One Little Word for this year is "generosity," focusing on generosity of spirit and abundance, and I am trying to start out with an abundance of gratitude. My only resolution was to keep a gratitude journal again (I did it in 2020 from Jan-October, when I put it aside rather vigorously.) I'm not very many days in, but so far so good :) The other day, I included "doing dishes" in my gratitude journal because, as much time as I spent doing them, I figured they had better make the list. If I had thought about this poem, it would have been especially appropriate:

excerpt from
Ode To Singing Along To Emmylou Harris Loudly While Washing Dishes
by John Paul Davis

I can’t bend the oak of my baritone
into any shape that even motions
like her cosmic cracked soprano
& I don’t care.
...in the rooms of my heart
the spun gold of Emmylou’s singular
& plaintive instrument bless
my evening. My spirit has soapy
hands & abundant life,
my spirit knows heartache
& yearning. It had bled & wept
& she knows, she knows it all.

read the whole thing here

This might be a good mentor poem: "Ode to Singing Along to _________ While __________."



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Happy Birthday to Ariana! She is having a Van Gogh-themed birthday this year. You might remember the Frida Kahlo b'day (such a pretty one!).

Beyond Literacy Link has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Carol!

14 comments:

Linda Mitchell said...

Happy Birthday to the Van Gogh lover! And, thank you for this poem. My goodness, it's as fun as it is deep. It reminds me of a piece I wrote a long time ago when I was trying to write in a class of writers. A piece that started out with washing dishes earned me a "golden line" award and confidence to keep writing.

Carol Varsalona said...

Tabatha, what an interesting topic for the poem you shared. Lines that I think are so meaningful: My spirit has soapy/hands & abundant life,/my spirit knows heartache/& yearning. -a touch of reality with a feeling of abundance and gratitude. Happiness to the birthday girl. Enjoy your journey with generosity.

Linda B said...

Happy Birthday to Ariana, hoping she can be at one of the Van Gogh immersive exhibits soon! Your "gratitude" parallels Carol with her "appreciate". There is much to be grateful for, including doing dishes. I like the ending, "she knows it all", the songs that take us into that feeling from music that makes such connections. Thanks, Tabitha!

Karen Eastlund said...

Love this, Tabatha. I wrote a dish washing poem sometime back also, but yours roars with the rhythm of EmmyLou. Thanks so much for sharing...

author amok said...

Thanks for your generosity in sharing this poem -- and in your friendship, Tabatha. I love the exuberance in this line: "My spirit has soapy/ hands & abundant life." -- Laura Shovan

Margaret Simon said...

I picked out this line before I read the comments. "My spirit has soapy

hands & abundant life," We all seem to have this in common. What a fun way to write a poem. Thanks for sharing it. You are definitely generous of spirit.

Janice Scully said...

A gratitude journal. I need to write one because it would be a source of ideas and also acknowledge our gratitude as well. Thanks for sharing this. I love this poet's voice filled also with so much admiration and love.

mbhmaine said...

Oh I love this poem, Tabatha. I sometimes think that making it through life's challenges requires using the mundane moments in daily life as a springboard. The language and imagery in this poem is especially delightful. Thanks for sharing!

Robyn Hood Black said...

What a great poem - thank you for sharing. A chaplain decades ago told me she was always grateful for a sink of dirty dishes, because it meant there was enough to eat.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to beautiful Ariana! (We just saw the "interactive" multimedia Van Gogh exhibit traveling around... we caught it at Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Is it coming your direction, I wonder?) X's and O's to all....

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Oh my--I couldn't sing you a single Emmylou song but maybe that poem comes across all the better because I'm ignorant. Love the church-in-the-sink images. But my favorite line of this post is probably "I did it in 2020 from Jan-October, when I put it aside rather vigorously." I'm grateful for YOU, Tabatha.

Bridget Magee said...

Your OLW is 'spot on' for you, Tabatha. And I like the idea of gratitude being tied to daily life. I know without gratitude, doing the dishes could lead me to 'sink' into despair. Happy birthday to your girl! :)

Linda said...

Happy birthday to Ariana! I do some of my best thinking while doing dishes and other housework. Thank you for the poetry prompt idea! Happy New Year, Tabatha!

Michelle Kogan said...

What a perfect marriage Davis' poem and EmmyLou Harris's angelic life-giving voice! Thanks for your post most abundantly filled with generosity of your beautiful spirit and always giving abundance Tabatha! ^_^ Many Birthday Greetings to Ariana filled with starry nights warming winter skies… xox

Mary Lee said...

Love the poem, but I so cannot relate, especially now that I do dishes for pay (Kitchen Assistant at Sur la Table) and with no background music. :-)