DAY 21 (May 31st, 2017)
The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls
The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
My Commentary
The sun breathes
warmth on your wing
and color for your eye,
and fire in your fingers
to scorch the far-flung land.
It rises
over all the nations of man
and falls
on his vainglorious dust–
His harvest the desert of forgotten deeds.
DAY 22 (June 1st, 2017)
“I saw a man pursuing the horizon”
I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
“It is futile,” I said,
“You can never—”
“You lie,” he cried,
And ran on.
My Commentary
Where are your wings, my friend?
Such airs for flight!
But I see that you’re laden
with a rucksack of earthly wares,
clutching a walking stick
stooped and sweating
head bowed and
all you see
is sodden earth.
You and I are human, after all.
The 100 Day Project is a creativity excavation. It’s about unearthing dormant or unrealized creativity by committing to a daily practice everyday for 100 days.
Creativity is a skill. The more we practice, the more skilled we become. Practice takes time. Practice takes commitment. Practice is a radical act in this speeded up world. Through practice, we develop a creative habit. Through habit, we reconnect with and know ourselves again as a creative being.
I started this 100 Day Project on May 11th. My project is to read a poem, and write at least one first-draft stanza inspired by that poem. I’ll post the results at www.bradseverance.com/category/100-day-project/
Enjoy!