Thursday, May 25, 2006

“I will, then, be a toad…”

When Dan told me tonight that he almost gave me a “bah! update, update!” comment, I knew it was time to dig in and get it done. Besides, I’m leaving town soon and I didn’t want y’all to have to stare at the trains poem for too much longer. Really, I was just leaving it up to give you a chance to get it memorized. Anyone succeed?

Memorization is such a lost art. I used to memorize a lot. I was pretty good at it. It’s crazy how fast I can memorize…and how fast I lose it if I don’t keep up.

I memorized hundreds of scriptures on my mission, and a few since that time. I started doing it because my mission president asked us to. But then, I began to understand and appreciate having the scriptures more accessible to my memory. I can’t remember how many times, but I know it was many, that I had scriptures come to my mind when I really, really, needed them. And there was comfort in “hearing” the words in my head – not just a vague idea of what they said, but word-for-word.

I memorized poems before, too. I haven’t done it in a while, though. Some of those I memorized (at least in part): “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (T.S. Eliot); “plato told them” and “thank you, god” (e.e. Cummings); “The Road Not Taken”, “Nothing Gold Can Stay”, and “Home Burial” (Robert Frost); portions of “Leaves of Grass” and “O Captain! My Captain!” (Walt Whitman); “Think as I think” and “In the Desert” (Stephen Crane); “I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman” (Susan Griffin) – I did a dramatic reading of this, once – and though I’m a really terrible actress, this is one performance that seriously left them shaken – I blew my professor away, too – and as self-critical as I can be, even I had to admit it was good. That’s all I can think of. I’m sure there were more, but alas, I’ve forgotten them.

I found a new Stephen Crane today: “I Saw a Man”

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
"It is futile," I said,
"You can never--"
"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.

Gotta love that Stephen Crane.

3 Comments:

At 1:02 AM, Blogger shasta said...

an imaginary line that recedes as you approach it....love that....

 
At 8:39 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always think of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" when I am afraid to do something. It usually gets me past my fear.

 
At 6:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You do, in fact, gotta love that Stephen Crane.

 

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