Poem for Thursday

Unity
By Pablo Neruda
Translated by Clayton Eshleman

There is something dense, united, settled in the depths,
repeating its number, its identical sign.
How it is noted that stones have touched time,
in their refined matter there is an odor of age,
of water brought by the sea, from salt and sleep.

I'm encircled by a single thing, a single movement:
a mineral weight, a honeyed light
cling to the sound of the word "noche":
the tint of wheat, of ivory, of tears,
things of leather, of wood, of wool,
archaic, faded, uniform,
collect around me like walls.

I work quietly, wheeling over myself,
a crow over death, a crow in mourning.
I mediate, isolated in the spread of seasons,
centric, encircled by a silent geometry:
a partial temperature drifts down from the sky,
a distant empire of confused unities
reunites encircling me.

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My stomach was weird last night and this morning so I took it easy today -- took a long walk in the morning since it was absolutely gorgeous out, came back and wrote articles on Shatner's hospitalization, Rocket's suicide and a Star Trek set decorator, visited with my mother for a little while when she picked my younger son up so she could visit his school book fair, did some reading, wrote some crackfic. Interrupted the NLCS to watch Veronica Mars, which was more fun this week than in previous weeks because the Big Honkin' Mystery was way in the background and the Wallace family story was interesting even though I yelled out the guy's obvious secret the minute he and Keith started arguing. Now the Cardinals are up but it looks a little too late for them. Ah well, I want the weaker team to win so the White Sox can beat them in the Series.

Discovered Statue Molestors via Blowfish and howled -- I never actually pose for photos like this but I always think of the possibilities (and I do have a photo somewhere of groping the Lady of the Night statue at Wall Drug). I also got a snicker out of George Bush and the Very Bad Idea in The Village Voice. And my husband has pointed out that when our bus got lost on the way to the farm this weekend and turned around by the overlook for the Planetary Radio Emissions Historic Site, we were near a very new marker just erected on September 29th. Did I mention that I had gotten the Celestial Tarot deck? It pleases me greatly to have my astronomy geek combined with my astrology geek!


The Globe Theatre is considerably smaller than the original in London...


...but has a painted firmament (see stars above Henry VIII's head).


The jousting arena serves between jousts for swordfights and human chess games.


It also hosts the royal court (or in this case a pirate queen) to witness the events.


Musicians perform on the White Hart Tavern stage all afternoon. We missed the Pyrates Royale this year.


Fight School (and Fight School II) moved to the Market Stage this year.


But of course, at a Renaissance Faire, all the world's a stage!