Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A New Year Begins


A New Year Begins......

This is the beginning.
Almost anything can happen.
This is where you find
the creation of light, a fish wriggling onto land,
the first word of Paradise Lost on an empty page.
Think of an egg, the letter A,
a woman ironing on a bare stage
as the heavy curtain rises.
This is the very beginning.
The first-person narrator introduces himself,
tells us about his lineage.
The mezzo-soprano stands in the wings.
Here the climbers are studying a map
or pulling on their long woolen socks.
This is early on, years before the Ark, dawn.
The profile of an animal is being smeared
on the wall of a cave,
and you have not yet learned to crawl.
This is the opening, the gambit,
a pawn moving forward an inch.
This is your first night with her,
your first night without her.
This is the first part
where the wheels begin to turn,
where the elevator begins its ascent,
before the doors lurch apart.

from the poem, Aristotle by Billy Collins

20 comments:

  1. Lovely! Thank you for sharing Pamela.

    Best
    Tracy :)

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  2. That is such a lovely poem, and one I had not discovered before. Beautiful imagery that explains all our hopes for the new year. A very happy 2013 to you all!

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  3. Hi Pamela, you know I love your posts, sometimes It's hard to me to understand because I have not enough vocabulary, but all of them trasmit peace, congratulations for your blog and a Happy New Year

    Marina from Spain

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  4. A beautiful poem. Happy New Year.
    May we all be blessed with the very best.
    Love Jeanne

    May 2013 Sparkle and Shine for us all
    Love you

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  5. Beautiful poem, an absolutely beautiful picture. Reminds me of Scotland, near Urquhart Castle! All the best for 2013 to you and yours!

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  6. billy collins.
    never fails to enchant.
    as do you.
    happy new beginnings dearest pamela
    xo
    tammy j

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  7. Apoignant New Year for you no doubt Pamela - but this message comes over the Atlantic with love.

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  8. Happy 2013.

    I like the accompanying picture.

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  9. A Universe of possibilities. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing this lovely poem and photo. I love Mr. Collins. Dreamlike, magical poetry..

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  10. The beginning is always an adventure!
    Many blessings for 2013 to you, the Songwriter, and of course, dear Edward & sweet Apple...and many congratulations (belated) on the launching of your wonderful new book...now that's an adventure! How wonderful that your beautiful writings are now on paper and prettily bound, as they should be...so happy for you!
    xo J~

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  11. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year filled with love and kindness and thank you so much for your blogging friendship for yet another year Pamela !!
    Have a wonderful 2013 and, watch out for Downton Abbey ...... our Christmas special was ...... how can I say it without giving anything away ? ........ DRAMATIC !! With love. XXXX

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  12. Pamela dear - I'm thankful for all the beauty your words have brought to us over the past year, both here on your always delightful blog, and of course in the beautiful book.

    I hope the sadness of the past couple of weeks has not been too difficult, and that family and friends have been there for you.

    I too watched the Downton Abbey 2 hr. Christmas Day special while in England. Wow! many surprising things must have occurred in series 3 which we'll get soon - and this last episode (hopefully there'll be a series 4) - definitely ended with a huge surprise!

    Happy New Year to you all - may this be the best one yet.

    Hugs - Mary

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  13. Lovely poem, and perfect for the new year. Best wishes to you for a happy New Year.

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  14. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  15. Pamela I loved reading this and the the image has me thinking....

    All the Best in the Year Ahead!
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  16. Sweeter, happier days indeed lie ahead. Endings herald new beginnings…

    Warmly,
    White Rabbit

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  17. What a wonderful poem! So inspiring. It gave me goose bumps. Thanks for the share!

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  18. Very sorry to hear about your mother, Pamela. Thanks for sharing that poem. I just looked it up and read it in its entirety. Mind blowing.

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  19. THIS IMAGE is heart stopping. Thank you...

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!