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The BlueIris Semi-Nightly Poetry Break, 12/22/07

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BlueIris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-22-07 06:10 PM
Original message
The BlueIris Semi-Nightly Poetry Break, 12/22/07
"Staying Alive"

Staying alive in the woods is a matter of calming down
At first and deciding whether to wait for rescue,
Trusting to others,
Or simply to start walking and walking in one direction
Till you come out—or something happens to stop you.
By far the safer choice
Is to settle down where you are, and try to make a living
Off the land, camping near water, away from shadows.
Eat no white berries;
Spit out all bitterness. Shooting at anything
Means hiking further every day
To hunt survivors;
It may be best to learn what you have to learn without a gun,
Not killing but watching birds and animals go
In and out of a shelter
At will. Following their example, build for a whole season:
Facing across the wind in your lean-to,
You may feel wilder,
And nothing, not even you, will have to stay in hiding.
If you have no matches, a stick and a fire-bow
Will keep you warmer,
Or the crystal of your watch, filled with water, held up to the sun
Will do the same, in time. In case of snow,
Drifting toward winter,
Don't try to stay awake through the night, afraid of freezing—
The bottom of your mind knows all about zero;
It will turn you over
And shake you till you waken. If you have trouble sleeping,
Even in the best of weather, jumping to follow
The undefinable noises of the night and feeling
Bears and packs of wolves nuzzling your elbow,
Remember the trappers
Who treated them indifferently, and were left alone.
If you hurt yourself, no one will comfort you
Or take your temperature,
So stumbling, wading, and climbing are as dangerous as flying.
But if you decide, at last, you must break through
In spite of all danger,
Think of yourself by time and not by distance, counting
Wherever you're going by how long it takes you;
No other measure
Will bring you safe to nightfall. Follow no streams: they run
Under the ground or fall into wilder country.
Remember the stars
And moss when your mind runs in circles. If it should rain,
Or the fog should roll the horizon in around you,
Hold still for hours
Or days if you must, or weeks, for seeing is believing
In the wilderness. And if you find a pathway,
Wheel rut, or fence wire,
Retrace it left or right—someone knew where he was going
Once upon a time, and you can follow
Hopefully, somewhere,
Just in case. There may even come, on some uncanny evening,
A time when you're warm and dry, well fed, not thirsty,
Uninjured, without fear,
When nothing, either good or bad, is happening.
This is called staying alive. It's temporary.

What occurs after
Is doubtful. You must always be ready for something to come bursting
Through the far edge of the clearing, running toward you,
Grinning from ear to ear
And hoarse with welcome. Or something crossing and hovering
Overhead, as light as air, like a break in the sky,
Wondering what you are.
Here you are face to face with the problem of recognition.
Having no time to make smoke, too much to say,
You should have a mirror
With a tiny hole in the back for better aiming, for reflecting
Whatever disaster you can think of, to show
The way you suffer.
These body signals have universal meaning: If you are lying
Flat on your back with arms outstretched behind you,
You say you require
Emergency treatment; if you are standing erect and holding
Arms horizontal, you mean you are not ready;
If you hold them over
Your head you want to be picked up. Three of anything
Is a sign of distress. Afterward, if you see
No ropes, no ladders,
No maps or messages falling, no searchlights or trails blazing,
Then chances are, you should be prepared to burrow
Deep for a deep winter.

—David Wagoner
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CaliforniaPeggy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-22-07 06:55 PM
Response to Original message
1. My dear BlueIris...
Such calm directions to stave off death...

Pretty scary, if you ask me...:scared:

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BlueIris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-22-07 06:59 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. I've always found this poem comforting.
Edited on Sat Dec-22-07 07:01 PM by BlueIris
Like Wagoner is saying, "Hey, if you get stuck in the woods, there are things you can do to cope."

Thanks for slogging through it, though, C-Peg.
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RetroLounge Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-22-07 07:40 PM
Response to Original message
3. Very nice...
I like Wagoner.

thanks

:hi:

RL
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BlueIris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-22-07 09:09 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. Ah, Retro. You are like my staple reader.
:-)
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BlueIris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-22-07 09:28 PM
Response to Original message
5. Kick.
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BlueIris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-22-07 11:31 PM
Response to Original message
6. Kick.
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BlueIris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-23-07 03:13 AM
Response to Original message
7. Kick.
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Tuesday Afternoon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-23-07 07:14 AM
Response to Original message
8. ~
anology for life :shrug:
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