Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Hope

I never cared for the beloved poem Hope by Emily Dickinson, although she is a favored poet of mine. I think her words fit for these two images, though; one is a tragic reminder that death is all-too-real while the other is a tender display of bonding between two doves.
Death
Life
Soulmates
Nature
Beauty
... these are all words that come to mind when I think of being alive.

What does being alive mean to you?

A Solitary Farewell

Photobucket
lilynoelle

Soulmates, Free To Fly

Photobucket
Berns

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

~Emily Dickinson~

*Special thanks to the artist BERNS on RedBubble.com for use of her beautiful photograph Up On The Roof. You can browse Berns' gallery here: http://www.redbubble.com/people/berns



4 comments:

  1. What does being alive mean to me? To me, being alive is a continual struggle to maintain awareness and joy in a culture which is trying to turn us into economic units, and which is truly bent on commodifying everything. Death is a big part of my awareness of life, because death reassures me that there is a limit to the power of greed and exploitation. Beauty and love are the keys to everything...the great hints that we are meant for a better world, and that we are in the hands of a God who will bring us there if we want it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. She is one of my favorite poets, as well. If I ever have a daughter, Emily will be her name. Oddly enough, the name is almost everywhere I read. Emily Dickinson, Emily Bronte, and Emily Haines are three of the most influential people in my life.

    I love the first line. Ever since I was small, birds scared me. But only because they could fly and I couldn't.

    Anyway, being alive to me - is overwhelming. Above all else, seeing others happy makes me content. My view of life and death is probably similar to Emily Bronte's, but I'm okay with that.

    Stella, you are such a beautiful soul, and I am so glad to know you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for your comment, Luisa! I LOVE Emily Bronte, as well - she is a wondrous writer.

    Being alive is overwhelming when you think about it ... which is what I asked you to do, I suppose ... but when we're just BEING alive it doesn't seem to difficult. ;)

    <3

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wayward - Very good opinions! I love your view on death, as death is something I cannot grasp, and your outlook is very unique.

    This world is a crazy one, but also a beautiful one. As you said, trying to find the beauty is what counts!

    ReplyDelete