8.20.2010

litany

ah, well.

i have been swooped up into the whirling vortex of back*to*school madness...


one week ago, i started teaching at a new school.

this year i am teaching drama to middle school students on a beautiful campus in the midst of old oak trees and sprawling vineyards.

my dear dew drop inn has been woefully neglected as i have been rushing around meeting staff, attending training, shopping for new clothes, preparing my classroom, lesson planning, and meeting my students.

whew!

this is officially the first time that i will be teaching and blogging simultaneously.

thus, i am in the midst of a slightly awkward adjustment phase (read: i have not blogged in over a week!) that will soon pass.

for now, i present you with an incredibly sweet something to start your weekend:

an adorable three-year-old reciting the billy collins poem "litany" entirely from memory...



You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

3 comments:

A Bird Out of Water said...

good luck with your new teaching gig, the oak trees and vineyards sound beautiful! :)

ALFIE said...

that little one is amazing!!

diane said...

ashley - thank you, friend!

alfie - isn't he, though? i have watched it more than once. his voice is heavenly.