A Celestial Arousal
O celestial delight!
O bright and lovely morning star!
Thou hast hastened my arousal,
and called to me from thy heavenly abode.
Thou doth sooth and comfort me with thy assured rising.
My own inner workings follow thee.
Thou hath taken hold of the reins, and tuggeth at my heart.
O Venus! It’s Saturday for God’s sake!
What dost thou want from me now?
*
Nature calls, and groggily do I crawl out of my cozy bed. As if I were yet in the midst of a midsummer’s dream, I begin to make my way through the darkness, groping for walls and traversing through the recently rearranged furniture. As fate would have it, I caught a whiff of the brewing coffee’s aroma, set to be ready earlier than most peoples. Thus did I follow my nose, making headway towards the kitchen.
Ah! What a way to awaken! I steadily poured the muddied waters into my favorite stained glass mug. Sipping and tasting the formula for potency, I quietly slid out and onto the back porch. And there she was — the goddess of my love, showing up fashionably late to this early morning’s planetary parade, beaming charismatic radiance to her favorite pupil, who stood looking up under partially perched eyelids.
Formally dressed in red, Mars marched on ahead. This year he is not primed for war. He has not taken a point of opposition to the star of the show, but rather leads her through and on up to the lofty heights where Jupiter now reigns.
All was hushed in my backyard. The winged creatures had yet to begin exercising their chirps. I heard not a peep. Just then, two cats nearby began humming felinely and harmoniously in an attempt to make friends. I came out of this daze with a smile on my face, and made my way inside to fetch a second cup. Not quite satisfied, nor ready for multitasking, I went back outside.
*
O sweet soul sister!
O diamond bodied magnificat!
Thy charismatic approach
displays a radiance beyond compare.
As thou riseth above the treetops,
thy gleam mystifies lengthily,
and thy reach extends throughout
the ethereal wastelands
betwixt us.
*
If only I had more time to linger, a few more seconds to space off in wonderment, a couple of more moments to tarry, enthralled in this glossy-eyed gaze. But alas, the caffeine had heeded its call to the duty of constriction, and was now thoroughly pressuring my conscious self to emerge back into its daily routine, back into everything regular, normal, and mundane, that we hesitantly call reality. And, as the sun in all it’s glory verily began to rise, my dreamy thoughts, and my beloved, slowly faded away into light blue skies.
*
Photograph courtesy of Kirstie Watson (my daughter)
.
July 30, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Sorry uncle…I got to the word coffee and realized we once again were on the same page but you had words on yours…grrrrr.
July 30, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Verily I say unto thee, walking man,
my antiquated mug was distributed in the King James version only.
July 31, 2009 at 12:15 am
It is a text beautifully written, I like the sound of the words, how you construct the sentence
in that special way. I think is related to old english kind of writting, the way they used
to write when shakespeare was alive.
I have to confess that this text to me was very hard to understand, htere aer many words in it that I do not know what they mean, some I searched in the dictionary, and some I infered its meaning.
It is a very complete but yet a simple poem, all it talks about is having morning coffe, and the things that surrounds this morning ritual.
And all that happens seems to be due to the planets, specially mars and jupiter influence.
I love you uncle
July 31, 2009 at 4:54 am
hmmmm…. stained glass mug…… mars marched on ahead…. etheral lands betwixt us…. you plant thoughts in this mind of mine, wondering….
July 31, 2009 at 9:25 am
Hello, Mariana!
Like I said to TWM, this is Bible-speak. It’s what I grew up with.
Why on earth it came to me in that old language, I don’t know.
It’s like Carl Jung when he wrote as Philemon. I was possessed.
Poets are known to take the ordinary and make it sound very special.
I’m not saying it worked for me here. I assigned myself to try it out
as an exercise in mixing folk tales, superstitions, and fuzzy notions with
my day to day existence. Besides that, Venus had been tempting,
prodding, and goading me on every morning that we’ve had clear skies.
Maybe she’ll leave me alone now that I have exorcised my demons.
I’m not ashamed to say, I use the dictionary a lot. Luvz and hugz to you!
July 31, 2009 at 9:43 am
Good morning, Cindy!
A few people, including yourself, have written lately about
coffee/no coffee, mug vs. cup, sugar or cream, and yes, tea.
It’s must be a meme that planted this theme amongst us this month.
Thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I made you think. Thank you kindly!
August 1, 2009 at 12:55 pm
ahhh, it was sort of strange warping in to your tree house and seeing the same decor as mine..LOL…greetings Uncle Tree—and thanks for capturing and sharing your morning bliss–yeah, I’m listening to the birds awakening–lucky for them no cats at all—and waiting for the geese to make their morning fly by. Geese are so scewed up by all the construction smack dab in the middle of their roosting places..I feel for them–like who needs more apts? Not me.
Anyway I lift my coffee in a toast to you this saturday…shanti
August 1, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Welcome, Eva, and a happy Saturday to you, too!
Nice to meet you. I’ve seen you in the neighborhood, and you
seem very sharp and perceptive in your comments. It’s a pleasure
to have you here. Thank you for the toast. It’s scrumptious!
I checked out your site. The background is very similar, huh?
Eerie as this may be, I was born and raised in Missouri, southeast
of K.C. about 90 miles away, in a little town called Sedalia.
You’re not so far from me now, either. I’m about 250 miles north
of there. So I’ll be over to your place in like two seconds. Hold on.
August 2, 2009 at 11:19 am
Ahhh. She is a beautiful body indeed. You have captured her in all of her glory and her coffee-scented realm, Uncle.
August 2, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I believe she’s captured me, Sir Brad.
I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for coming here and spilling your beans.
You can always find me2 at the back of the parade.
Night mares leave an awful mess sometimes, I’m afraid.
I think I’ll name my coffee beholder
“The Bastion Of Bombast”. Whudduhyathink?
August 3, 2009 at 1:49 am
you are so funny,
and I like that
August 3, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Thanks for saying that, Katie!
One can’t be serious all the time. Although,
I am seriously attempting to crack a joke here and there.
August 3, 2009 at 10:55 pm
250 miles north, huh, wouldn’t that put you in Iowa–well if it’s due north..
Ha. Sedalia–only been there once–or through there is more accurate.
Yep, each time I come to your site –it messes with my mind. LOL, in a good way though.
Sorry it took me so long to reply. My ‘comments’ seems to have a mind of its own as to when it wishes to share ‘my comments’ with moi. weird. Ha.
Nice of you to visit my green trees. Glad you enjoyed the dancing. shanti
August 3, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Okay, northwest. Lincoln, Nebraska. Go Big Red!
If you went through Sedalia, you were probably on your way to Lake O.
Glad you feel at home here. It’s easy to see why.
I do need to dust, though. Excuse the mess.
Gonna shoot that darn breeze. It’s hot, too!
No sorry necessary. People do lead lives. I know. Me, too.
August 3, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Oh that way north…oOOO okay.
Hey, don’t worry about the mess–gives the place character. Tells who lives here. grins
August 4, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Wonderful combination of poetry and prose, UT. Your descriptions put me right in the mix.
August 4, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Thanks, Bryan! I’m experimenting as any good Dr. Wood
August 6, 2009 at 4:14 pm
uncle, this is one of my faouvrite from you… from start till end.
i want to write in this language for long time, i have couple of things in mind, but i do not really know how to use it that way. now, that i read you word, i give up. not that i do not want, i want it more, but, i will not make it as good.
seriously ((:-)) superb work. great reading.
i have to say it one more time. i love it.
August 6, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I really really really like the structure of this and the tone is AWESOME. Surreal. You’re a star, Uncle! Shine on.
August 6, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Good to see you again D!
It feels good to know that you enjoyed the whole piece enough
to call it a favorite AND, I am very happy to learn that you linked
me up by highlighting the title on your latest post. Yessiree,
thank you a ton! This one was all for fun. Just for the hell of it.
I’m not sure what you mean by “this language”. Old English?
High-fallootin’, over-the-top, exaggerated psalm-style poesy?
You can do that in German I bet. Why not give it a try? Then
you can always translate it for us, and we’ll halfway understand.
The idea you’re trying to get across is the important half anyway.
For me, on this one, the idea was “Sound like a poet for a change.”
And that’s how it came out. It was wee early in the morning, and
then comes a second thought, “Do something astronomical in scope.”
All I had to do was look up in the night sky, and there she was!
August 6, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Thank you, M’Lady!
You know me, I thought it might sound corny.
It’s a bit over-popped. But you just buttered me up!
August 6, 2009 at 11:28 pm
uncle, it is MY pleasure, hope it will bring you ton readers (though, i doubt it)
‘This one was all for fun. Just for the hell of it.’ – and the rest? you don’t really mean you them for something else do you? if something i would do it for the heaven of it….
‘this language”. Old English? … exaggerated psalm-style poesy? – excatly, i have some stuff that will work better with that. but i cannot, never really read anything in that langauge, don’t know half of the proper use and words ot it. maybe one day
‘You can do that in German I bet’ – better not
way lower then my english, surely old german… nicht mich, .
‘“Sound like a poet for a change.’ the only poet i read like that found in one green book i have, and those who write like that all died somewhere before the french revolution…
‘All I had to do was look up in the night sky, and there she was!’ – YES!!!
August 9, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Uncle tree, I like the tongue-in-cheek feel to the first poem, combined with the archaic phrasing the ending caught me off guard a little (in a good way). Very nicely done with the subtle humour. Enjoyed the coffeetime thoughts too.
August 9, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Welcome to my abode, Matt. Thanks for stopping by!
I thought the archaic phrasing might be a bit much,
so I’m glad you were receptive to that untypical style.
The ending came as a surprise? Hmmm…puzzling.
August 9, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Well, in the sense of a good punchline ending. Hope that clears up the puzzle. And to be honest, I’m not big on archaic phrasing so it also came as a bit of a relief. There you go, real, honest feedback as I live and breathe.
August 10, 2009 at 9:06 am
Thank you for honestly clearing that up, Matt.
As I said to Mariana in comment #5, this was an attempt, a risk,
a shot in the dark. I am not averse to constructive criticism.
I’d never really written anything using an out-dated language.
I doubt if I’ll try it again, but I will continue to experiment.
In defense of my ending lines, I was coming back to reality.
That seemed to call for a literal interpretation of the scene as it was.
The planets and stars disappear before the glory of the rising sun.
It is anti-climactic. There is no show of fireworks. There is only
the slow changing of the color guard, but that’s another story.
August 10, 2009 at 10:28 am
UT, I think it worked pretty well. I’ve done a few poems in a similar style before now, and mine ended up being a bit too earnest a read. I wish I’d had the foresight to mix them up a little and inject “something” of the contemporary in the way you did. I liked the “O’ Venus…it’s Saturday for God’s sake!” I think that’s a neat twist that lifts the whole piece.
August 10, 2009 at 11:05 am
Hey, Matt! I really do appreciate your thoughts,
and the fact that you didn’t leave me hanging out on a limb.
By injecting that line I thought it wood be apparent that
my intent was a lighthearted one. I’m glad to hear that
you caught that.
I haven’t seen anyone at wordpress or blogspot write poetry
using the old style. I am very, very leery of unconsciously
imitating any other author, although I might have been mimicking
King David, or some of the other author in the book of Psalms.
Now that you’ve said you’ve written similar type poems, I’d really
like to read them! Could you please point them out for me by
either leaving a couple of links here, or dropping me an e-mail?
Your work is very good so I might end up being jealous, but it
wouldn’t be the first time, and I am learning to deal with it.
Thanks again for being friendly, and willing to talk to strangers.
August 11, 2009 at 1:01 pm
UT, well they weren’t in the style of King David, but they were a sort of mock Olde English. I cringe at the thought of them now. Not because there’s anything wrong with archaic language, but more in so far as I wasn’t really skilled enough to pull off the style without it reading pretentious or cryptic. Of course at the time I thought they worked, now they only make partial sense to me. I think they helped my writing though for they made me come to the conclusion that clarity is everything which is what I try to do in my amateur way now. I’ll find them out for you.
August 11, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Thank you, Matt! I look forward to seeing them.
Clarity is a priority on most of mine, too.
Aesthetics makes me leave some room between the lines
when I attempt to write something that sounds a bit more artistic,
like I did this morning after being aroused by the night skies once again.
August 1, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Uncle Tree,
Whatever’s in your coffee, you should patent it. Fabulous post; witty, obscure and celestial.
I also like the juxtaposition (Wow!) of prose and poetry.
JW
August 3, 2010 at 2:48 am
Thank you! What a sweet compliment. Wowser!
It was kind and courageous of you to speak up and tell me that.
Sometimes, in order to discover new ways of doing things,
UT
we must be brave enough to go out on a whim. Or is that limb?
September 13, 2011 at 4:57 am
Your love for that celestial women
is obviously not measurable.
*
Not in cups, anyway.
September 13, 2011 at 5:00 am
@mazdboss your timing is impeccable…
September 13, 2011 at 5:14 pm
…and Brad, how was it that you happened to be looking
into the past just at that time? Weird, bro. Weird! Anyway, tiz
good to see your smiling (and long-standing) silhouette again!
Peace, dude.
July 15, 2012 at 11:14 am
Love the poetry and the prose; and your daughter takes a lovely photo too.
July 15, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Glad you liked the mix, Cassie. Thank you!