Thursday, March 29, 2012

Adrienne Rich: Soundtrack of my life

"Let us return to imperfection's school, no longer wandering after Plato's ghost."
....Adrienne Rich


Daily. Every single day. Some phrase of Adrienne Rich goes through my mind or I use it to clarify a point in conversation.

"She [Marie Curie] died a famous woman denying her wounds
denying
her wounds came from the same source as her power."

"Truth is not one thing or another but an ever-increasing complexity."


Rich died yesterday at 82 and I feel as though a companion has gone away. But the lovely thing about poets is that their wisdom is timeless and always accessible. I will continue to ponder these truths and so so many others for the rest of my days. They are as imprinted in my mind as my name. I view the world through these eyes, of ever-increasing complexity. I have learned that our wounds come from the same source as our power And that we do well to stop wandering after Plato's ghost. And so much more.

There are songs, too, that make up the sound track of my life but I have to say that Adrienne Rich's poetry is more constant than any one song. I'm so grateful for her wisdom and her courage.

God did a real good thing when She partnered with Adrienne to teach the world its truth.