{"id":781,"date":"2014-09-19T00:00:16","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T00:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=781"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:50:12","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:50:12","slug":"sept-19-gone-to-the-fields-to-be-lovely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2014\/09\/19\/sept-19-gone-to-the-fields-to-be-lovely\/","title":{"rendered":"Sept 19 ” Gone to the fields to be lovely .\t. . “"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday September 19 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0“<\/b>Make no mistake. Of course<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0your work will always matter. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Yet \u00a0. \u00a0. \u00a0. \u00a0. \u00a0“<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Lynn Ungar\u2019s poem,\u00a0\u201cCamas Lillies,\u201d gets a little more out of date every day September grows a little older. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cThis is a summer poem<\/span><\/b>!\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 Isn\u2019t it? \u00a0Well, maybe it\u2019s a Friday poem. \u00a0Weather.com<\/a> tells us today at 3:00 pm it should be 66\u00ba w. \u00a047% humidity, and a little breezy. \u00a0 Today’s poet suggests that Camas Lilies carry their utilitarian value in the same hand that carries their beauty, \u00a0 \u00a0that beauty and useful need each other. \u00a0 \u00a0Perhaps that is what Judge of Bankruptcy Steven Rodes had in mind yesterday when he asked DIA Vice President Annmarie Erickson\u00a0\u201c. . .\u00a0\u00a0why the art museum was important to the community, particularly the 60,000 local children that visit annually as part of school programs. \u00a0Erickson said it helps children develop critical thinking skills and helps visiting families learn about art.\u201d (Crain\u2019s, Sept 19, 5:09 am)<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0That sure sounds like a response we give when asked about the value of a UDM education. \u00a0 Beauty runs deep, it is not\u00a0frivolous. \u00a0Stillness and precision focus work need each other.<\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s what Lynn Ungar is getting at. \u00a0 I don\u2019t think the poem is out of date in late September, when we are already deep into our work year. \u00a0Maybe it\u2019s a great\u00a0poem for Friday September 19 with today\u2019s early autumn splendor. \u00a0 It could be a good day to stand still for 30 seconds, or maybe 25 \u00a0. . . . while you are on your way somewhere across campus, to allow some beautiful human being to reduce you to stillness. \u00a0Or some beautiful leaf on a tree? \u00a0\u00a0Or just look out your window?<\/p>\n

Best to read the poem out loud, maybe with a couple pauses within it.<\/p>\n

Have a great weekend.<\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post<\/b><\/p>\n

Consider the lilies of the field,<\/em>
\nthe blue banks of camas opening
\ninto acres of sky along the road.
\nWould the longing to lie down
\nand be washed by that beauty
\nabate if you knew their usefulness,
\nhow the natives ground their bulbs
\nfor flour, how the settlers\u2019 hogs
\nuprooted them, grunting in gleeful
\noblivion as the flowers fell?<\/p>\n

And you\u2014what of your rushed
\nand useful life? Imagine setting it all down\u2014
\npapers, plans, appointments, everything\u2014
\nleaving only a note: \u201cGone
\nto the fields to be lovely. Be back
\nwhen I\u2019m through with blooming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even now, unneeded and uneaten,
\nthe camas lilies gaze out above the grass
\nfrom their tender blue eyes.
\nEven in sleep your life will shine.
\nMake no mistake. Of course
\nyour work will always matter.<\/p>\n

Yet Solomon in all his glory<\/em>
\n was not arrayed like one of these.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Lynn-Ungar\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Camas Lilies” by\u00a0Lynn Ungar,<\/b><\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Blessing the Bread: Meditations<\/i>. \u00a9 Skinner House, 1995. Presented here as posted on the poet’s website.<\/p>\n

\"camas_field\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Art credit:\u00a0“A red winged blackbird among spring camas blooms,”\u00a0photograph<\/b><\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Greg Stahl.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday September 19 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0“Make no mistake. Of course\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0your work … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":786,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781\/revisions\/786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}