i will fear nothing i have feared

another writer i love is ursula k leguin. she wrote the most fantastic novel, the left hand of darkness, that i highly recommend if you'd like a story of great adventure and even greater mythical significance and beauty.


she writes poetry too. lately i've been reading a lot of poetry, due in part to the fact that my friends and i are embarking upon a project that involves writers, writing, poetry, stories, words, thinking, creating, and finally and most importantly doing and sharing. we had our first meeting last night and altho the wine flowed freely, i still think we are going to be a mighty and productive little group!


in that light, and in honor of poetry, magic, my own grey hairs, and ursula le guin, i present one of my favorites:

The Old Lady
by Ursula LeGuin

I have dreed my dree, I have wooed my wyrd,
and now I shall grow a five-foot beard
and braid it into tiny braids
and wander where the webfoot wades
among the water's shining blades.
I will fear nothing I have feared.
I'm the queen of spades, the jack of trades,
braiding my knives into my beard.

Why should I know what I have known?
Once was enough to make it my own.
The things I got I will forget.
I'll knot my beard into a net
and cast the net and catch a fish
who will ungrant my every wish
and leave me nothing but a stone
on the riverbed alone,
leave me nothing but a rock
where the feet of herons walk.





Comments

Kaylie said…
Thank you for your encouraging comment! You have no idea how much it meant to me. Even though I know I should just tread on and throw caution to the wind, I often encounter a big, ugly blockade of doubt, so I really needed to hear that. I hadn't even thought about looking into film schools until you mentioned it--that's how doubtful I've been feeling. I thought getting the idea out there might make me feel better, but it only made my doubt more tangible. But thanks to a few kind comments (how great is the blogosphere?), I'm realizing that I shouldn't let that doubt consume me. After all, "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." I'm looking into film schools this very moment!
Kaylie said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andrea said…
oh wow! I wish I could be part of your inner poetry circle :) it sounds most amazing! I am most definitely going to check out this author!
Unknown said…
LOVE THIS!!! love love love...hmmmm, i might steal it (and link to you of course).
by the way, i replied to your comment over at my blog--granite and wolves. ;)
Astral Boutique said…
Can you believe it, this is my first time ever meeting Ursula! How did I miss her until now? Well, this poem ha made my day in a very deep way... it even makes me want to try my hand at poetry again. I love everything about it, but especially how her thoughts start to wander down a road, and you expect them to veer off that way forever, but then she weaves them right back into the main refrain. WOW. (-;

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