The inspiration for this post was gifted by a friend, Desiree Driesenaar, in a Medium article. Scroll down for more details.
The Tables Turned
Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you’ll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?
The sun above the mountain’s head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.
Books! ’tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There’s more of wisdom in it.
And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
Come forth into the light of things,
*Let Nature be your teacher.
She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless—
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness.
One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—
We murder to dissect.
Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.
(*recently quoted to me by Ingrid in a comment)
**
The Tables Turned by William Wordsworth | Poetry Foundation
Eternity
by William Blake – 1757-1827
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy
He who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sunrise
**
Eternity by William Blake – Poems | Academy of American Poets
“It was in an American desert that I suddenly realized
that rain does not fall from the heavens — it comes up
from the ground. Desert formation is not due to the
absence of rain, but the rain ceases to fall because
the vegetation has disappeared.”
— Masanobu Fukuoka. Author of One Straw Revolution
(you can listen to an Audible sample)
Desiree’s article: https://medium.com/blueinsight/my-poetry-is-thick-with-syllables-and-imagery-5961c5f06460
Like a bee, I looked up the book, and now I’m cross-pollinating.
Here’s an excerpt from Amazon on
The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming
Call it “Zen and the Art of Farming” or a “Little Green Book,” Masanobu Fukuoka’s manifesto about farming,
eating, and the limits of human knowledge presents a radical challenge to the global systems we rely on for
our food. At the same time, it is a spiritual memoir of a man whose innovative system of cultivating the earth
reflects a deep faith in the wholeness and balance of the natural world. As Wendell Berry writes in his
preface, the book “is valuable to us because it is at once practical and philosophical. It is an inspiring,
necessary book about agriculture because it is not just about agriculture.”
Trained as a scientist, Fukuoka rejected both modern agribusiness and centuries of agricultural practice,
deciding instead that the best forms of cultivation mirror nature’s own laws. Over the next three decades, he
perfected his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate
the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort.
Whether you’re a guerrilla gardener or a kitchen gardener, dedicated to slow food or simply looking to live a
healthier life, you will find something here—you may even be moved to start a revolution of your own.
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/976905.The_One_Straw_Revolution
I’m fascinated folks. And immediately thought of sharing with you all.
You might have noticed that I’ve been writing on Medium again. And you’re right. I’m posting there at the most, twice weekly. And if you don’t know about the Medium Platform, I’d be happy to share what I know.
To start, here’s what I like about Medium:
It’s ad-free
The people
The editor is easy peasy
There’s no hassle about updating plugins
I can literally support the writers I like with my reads
Formatting is super easy
*
Wanna know more, ask me.
*
BTW, Medium is a paid platform.
FYI, non-members can read three articles (a month) for free. Reading the
one I shared above might open you to a desire to read more. (Sorry)
Or Write on Medium? Anyone can. One gets paid according to reads.
How much? I’ve never made more than 15.00 a month. Ever! Mostly I’m gifted $0.21
a week. Haha. For 2 poems.
$5.00 is the cost for a month. Like buying a Frappuccino.
No pressure whatsoever, friends.
But if you decide you’d like to give it a go and read great articles/poetry like the one I
shared and get full access to every story on Medium, it pays to become a member, plus
your membership fee directly supports me (if you read me) and any other writers you
read.
If you decide you want to try it, won’t you please use MY Medium referral link, which benefits me with a commission?
Thank you, and as always, I wish you miracles.
Let me know if you do, so I can follow you.
Image by Claude Mondestin from Pixabay
Happy Summer.
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Beautiful poems Selma. Thanks for sharing
It’s my pleasure, indeed. Thanks YOU 💗
You’re welcome
love these poems Selma!
💖💖
Happy you love them. 💃🏼 💗
💖💖💖
Selma, thank you for this enriching post! ❤️
It gives me so much pleasure to know this enriched you in some way. So much pleasure! I bless you. 💗
It did. Thanks for your blessings always. 💖
OH wow!!! The poems are so lovely, Selma! And ‘One Straw Revolution’ is brilliant!!! I own it and absolutely love that book!!! He was an absolute genius!!! And wow…..Medium seems really cool!!! I’m having a hard time keeping up on blogland as it is, which is the only reason I’m not bopping over right now…but wow….I’d love to check it out later. That rocks!!! This post rocks!!! YOU rock!!! Thank You! Walking away smiling huge! Cheers!!! 🤗❤️😊
Thought I already I replied to this one and yet, here it shows. So happy to know all this about you. You have that gem of a book. Lovely. Jealous. A li’l.
Be well. Happy Summering.
OH, get this: many years ago an acquaintance of mine actually traveled to Japan and lived on Masanobu Fukuoka’s property and worked/studied right alongside of him for a few months!!! It wasn’t until I read One Straw Revolution years later that I understood the Great Master he’s spent time with!!!! Talk about being a wee bit jealous!!! 🤣🤣🤣 Yowza!!! And Thank You! You be well too….or….gotta do it, Selma….bee well! 😂❤️🤗
Bee well 💗
🤣
You own that book. Wow! If it hadn’t been for Desiree who called the author her hero I wouldn’t have known. But Desiree is my hero! An amazing human with a knowledgeable head and a heart of gold. She’s passionate about Gaia and works tirelessly on doing what she can. You should meet her. I think you guys would click for sure.
Anyway, my sweet …
No pressure about Medium. I mean it. Glad you liked this share. Keep smiling. ☕️ ☕️ cheers (it’s morning here 😉) blessings. XoXo
Wonderful poems! The first one reinforces my urge to get away from the books, TV, and laptop and go outside to stud the trees and mushrooms. I’m thankful for people who understand the wisdom of nature – people like Fukuoka and Wendell Berry, and you!
JoAnna, this one will be long. This comment took me on a spin. Thanks to my heart I recovered. Thanks, dearly:
At first read, a gasp escaped but soon got stuck in my throat. What! My MIND thought. Why would JoAnna add me next to those thoroughbreds? I’m nowhere near their stature. She’s not one to make fun of people, yet, why…
But then my HEART took over and the gasp morphed into a relieved sigh as IT processed: I have no name or distinction to merit me with such honorable mention but even someone as ordinary as me can make a difference. And in my own way, even if it’s just by using my platform to raise awareness to second hand information I gathered in my world; of things that concern us all, I too have a place in the family of ‘things.’
Thanks for your lovely response, JoAnna. I will stand tall like sunflower, alongside Fukuoka and Wendell Berry, and all the others like them and unabashedly, do what I can to assert my place in your lovely lineup.
Be well. I bless you.
I’m glad you came to this understanding: “… even someone as ordinary as me can make a difference. And in my own way, …. I too have a place in the family of ‘things.’ That’s it exactly! Let’s keep standing tall and making a difference – even if it’s simply planting seeds. Peace and Blessings to you, Selma.
Thanks, JoAnna. 💗 👏
Announcing my place in the family of things. And like the last verse in Wordsworth poem advices, I’ll continue to go forth, letting my heart watch and receive the lessons.
You did me a great honor today. I bless you.
“Enough of Science and of Art; Close up those barren leaves; Come forth, and bring with you a heart That watches and receives.”
I wish you miracles.
I wish you miracles, too! <3
So lovely to read my favourite poems here! Thank you for sharing, Selma 😊
Here’s a heart for you 💗. Happy Summering! 👏
Beautiful poems, Selma. These are some of my favourites. Thank you for sharing them. I love your poems, too. You have so much talent for writing. I would give my right arm for an eighth of your ability to write as you do. I used to write poetry, but I haven’t written any on my blog for a few months now. As you know, I am also very passionate about nature, which is why these particular poems appeal to me. The book, The One-Straw Revolution sounds inviting. I may see if I can borrow it from the library. I’m reading an excellent book at the moment. It’s by Elif Shafak and is called The Island of Missing Trees. Well worth a read. I can highly recommend it. As for Medium, I’ve heard of it but have not used it in the past. Perhaps, this is something I will look at when I have time. I would like to read more of your work and that of other writers/authors. Stay well, dear friend xxx 💝
An island of Missing Trees. Oh gosh, imagine that! I have The Hidden Life of Trees in my TBR file. So much to read. So little time. Happy Summering. Stay the course (you know which course I mean)
Stay sweet. Xoxo
Dear Selma. I just wanted to let you know that I wrote a fairly long comment on your post, but I don’t know where it’s gone. It seems to have disappeared. I’ve checked back a couple of times, but there’s still no sign of it. I hope it hasn’t got lost. It might be worth you checking your spam folder in case it’s ended up in there for some reason. Sorry about that. I do hope you find it. Ellie xxx 💟
💗 😀 🤗 💕
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