Silence [Akanksha Marwaha]

Heard all around

In the whispers of the wind

In the glistening stream of moonlight

In the sigh of a last breath

Giving the world solitude

Giving the world peace

Stripped cold and left bare to the truth

With scarring wounds

With pain

Healing with the power of nothingness

This is the music which surrounds the Universe

The sound so bittersweet

When I am left in emptiness

Oh! The clarity

The twisted note of silence

-AM ∞

I Taste A Liquor Never Brewed [Emily Dickinson]

I Taste A Liquor Never Brewed [214]

I taste a liquor never brewed --

From Tankards scooped in Pearl --

Not all the Vats upon the Rhine

Yield such an Alcohol!

Inebriate of Air -- am I --

And Debauchee of Dew --

Reeling -- thro endless summer days --

From inns of Molten Blue --

When "Landlords" turn the drunken Bee

Out of the Foxglove's door --

When Butterflies -- renounce their "drams" --

I shall but drink the more!

Till Seraphs swing their snowy Hats --

And Saints -- to windows run --

To see the little Tippler

Leaning against the -- Sun --

According to me, this poem is a symbol of ecstasy. Dickinson, through this piece of literature, is trying to describe and show us a moment and her experience when she was intoxicated and felt alive due to the beauty of nature.

The first line, “I Taste A Liquor Never Brewed” can pretty much sum up the entire poem. Through this line, Dickinson is trying to tell us that she has ‘tasted’, that is experienced, a liquor (ecstasy), that has never been brewed, which tells us that her ecstasy is not due to real alcohol, but just an experience in itself. She then tells us that the liquor which she has consumed was in tankards (a type of drinking glass). She uses the word ‘Pearl’ here, as Pearls are a precious gem. Thus, she conveys the value of her liquor. This is also, the first reference to nature in this poem, which hints towards her intoxication by it. She goes on to say, that even the vats which yield Rhine Wine, do not yield as good an alcohol as hers is. Thus, further implying the brilliance of her liquor (as it surpasses Rhine Wine, which is a highly regarded white wine).

In the second stanza, Dickinson tells us that she is “Inebriate of Air”, telling us that she is drunk/intoxicated by the air around her. She calls herself a “Debauchee of Dew”. A Debauchee is usually a person who has been corrupted, due to alcohol. And so, when Dickinson says that is a debauchee of Dew, she means that she has been corrupted by Dew, which is her alcohol. The above two examples, also, tell us that she is drunk due to the beauty of nature. The ‘Reeling’ in the next line signifies her drunken state. And so, in the next two lines, she tells us that she is drunk through several summer days, where the sky is blue, indirectly stating, that the sky (i.e. Nature) is the reason of her intoxicated state.

We are then told that she will continue to drink more and more until certain events don’t take place. The first event being, until the ‘Landlords’ of a Foxglove turn away a drunken bee. This sentence has a lot of meaning to it. A few things to be noted are, The ‘Landlords’ are Foxgloves themselves, as they are their own masters. Bees are said to ‘drunk’, thus claiming, that the nectar consumed by them is alcoholic to them. And lastly, the ‘turning away’ by the Foxglove, is a symbol of the time when Foxglove’s will not bloom anymore. The second event being when butterflies renounce their ‘drams’. A dram is a small drink of liquor. And, nectar is drunk by butterflies. Thus, it is being said that until butterflies do not renounce their nectar, she, herself, will continue to drink more and more of her liquor. Since both of these events are unlikely to occur, Dickinson, indirectly, tells us that she will drink her drink forever.

She continues her views into the next stanza. She claims that she will continue to drink until ‘Seraphs’ (angels) swing their ‘snowy hats’ (clouds). And when Saints run towards their windows to witness a spectacle. That of a little Tippler (reference to herself), leaning against the sun. The last line is a metaphor, as she shows herself to be a grander version of a drunk man leaning against a light post (i.e. the Sun, in her case). Except for the fact that she is drunk by the beauty of Nature.

Personally, I feel that this poem is pretty true. We all have times in our lives where we have watched a leaf fall from a tree, slowly settling on the ground. Or looked up to see a drop of rainfall coming towards us. Or, even stood still and felt the wind blowing in our face. And in that moment, we were drunk. We were intoxicated. We were in a moment of ecstasy and feeling. And so, we were drunk. Thus, I feel that this poem is relatable to, which is a part of its own shining beauty.

-AM ∞

830 Fireplace Road [John Yau]

Jackson Pollock wrote: "When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It's only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own."

John Yau, an American poet, based a poem which was centered around the above quote by Pollock. Here it is:-

830 Fireplace Road

When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing
When aware of what I am in my painting, I'm not aware
When I am my painting, I'm not aware of what I am
When what, what when, what of, when in, I'm not painting my I
When painting, I am in what I'm doing, not doing what I am
When doing what I am, I'm not in my painting
When I am of my painting, I'm not aware of when, of what
Of what I'm doing, I am not aware, I'm painting
Of what, when, my, I, painting, in painting
When of, of what, in when, in what painting
Not aware, not in, not of, not doing, I'm in my I
In my am, not am in my, not of when I am, of what
Painting "what" when I am, of when I am, doing, painting.
When painting, I'm not doing. I am in my doing. I am painting.

When I first read this poem, I was awed and utterly confused at the same time. It took me some time to figure it out, but there's nothing that a few re-reads can't cure. And now today, this is a poem that gives me faith. Faith that there are other's like me out there. Our 'paintings' are what we make, what we create, what, as I've mentioned, ‘what our lives fragments consist of’. What makes us who we are, and our life worth living for our very own self. Your.... work. I'm calling it 'work' over here. Right. So where was I? 

We all have that one thing we cherish the most. That thing that we like most doing. It could be anything, ranging from math to counseling your friend. Because you create a thought, a perspective, an object, of things related to that field of ‘work’.

The above poem, according to my perspective, shows us the simple and basic message that can be said in such a case about your ‘work’. The fact that, when you do your ‘work’, you get lost in it. You get lost in the magic and depth of it. You, honestly, don’t even realize how you got from one point to another in it, but the real thing is, it’s okay, because you really don’t care much, as long as you’re pursuing your work. Because you focus on the important thing there. You focus on what’s happening, on what you think, and how you go about it. You’re not left drifting through a pile of what’s gone.

So, the poem above shows us what someone’s ‘work’ means to them, and their thought towards that meaning. This ‘lost’-ness (I’m creating words. Just go with it), according to others, may be ridiculous. That’s the thing. It is. Heck, it borderlines on insanity! But would you ever change that? I don’t think so. Actually, I Hope not. Because this is what makes you YOU. And if being lost for a certain span of time is the price, then pay it.

“Reality is a lovely place. But, I wouldn’t want to live there” –Adam Young.

Follow that for a while (^). Escape into your own lovely place, and create your own little piece of Reality. You’ll be happier. And, the world will get something out of it. So, let’s just carry on with our ‘paintings’. Could someone pass me the brush, please?

-AM ∞