The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.
—Marge Piercy, from Circles on the Water (Knopf)
I was going through photos and realized how many I have of people using their hands. It reminded me of this poem. This weekend, let’s plant. Make something from scratch. Move something forward. Get muddy. Find joy in process; in the means to the end, where the real resides.
Thursday, 10 May 2012 | 35 comments
Love it. Love you.
Oh this is nice. Lovely post!
A fantastic poem! It make me feel such motivation. Great post!
Congratulations, Sarah! Your blog has been nominated by Healthy Family Quest for a Liebster Award. Check out the details at:
http://healthyfamilyquest.com/2012/05/10/healthy-family-quest-scores-prestigious-liebster-award/
I love that Marge Piercy poem! Thanks for your great writing and photography. Please pass the Liebster forward to five up and coming blogs.
Kato
Simply lovely…. what a great post. First off, I have a thing for hands. So many people say when they look at a potential mate they look at the eyes… for me, it has always been the hands. I think they tell a story of your life in the way no other part of your body can. I have never read this poem before, but it was quite moving and speaks to much of what I believe. Thank you for this post. Glorious words and pictures, as I always anticipate from you. xo
Really beautiful. I may have missed this in a past post, but what is being made with that giant bowl of yogurt (?) and herbs and cheesecloth?
Ah…that is a long story and a post that has been in draft for almost six months now. It’s making yogurt, then turning it into cheese. That particular photo is from a yogurt cheese utter-and-total fail. I promise I’ll try and get it together soon :)
Lovely photos and idea.
Oh that poem! Thank you so much for sharing it, I enjoy few things more than an end of the day, ice cold, well earned beer, gripped by grubby fingernails.
You´re so inspirational-ly creative…
magnificent poetry. Magnificent photography. Love this–
Thanks, Elissa! I can only take credit for the photos ;)
Just–YES.
I love this so hard. Yes, this weekend that’s exactly what I’ll be doing: getting my hands dirty, planting stuff.
I Love all the hand pictures!!!
Best last line of any blog post I’ve read in a long, long time. I’ll be there with you on Sunday — gardening day around here lately! Lovely photos; have a happy weekend.
Thanks, Megan! Quite the compliment :) Looking forward to hearing more about your garden adventures.
I love that poem–framed it for my brother for x-mas a few years ago since he lives his life like this. Thank you for posting. Hilled my potatoes for the first time today and will certainly be mucking around with something this weekend.
Love the post! It feel good to work with your hands, to me it makes the results more real! Have a great week end!
Stunning. There are some writings that get into your marrow. This is one of them.
LOVE this! LOVE the photos! LOVE the words (funnily enough I just re-read a Marge Piercy novel last weekend … I so loved her in college)! Love it all. Such a lovely thing to read/see today as I am making a list of all the stuff I am excited to make/bake this weekend :)
It’s funny; I just recently rediscovered her too. I didn’t have the volume of poems that this came from, but found it at the library and just poked through it. This one stood out. Thanks, Nicole :)
Love. And yes! Hands were made for getting dirty; helping, handing, moving making.
{I love this poem}
Love this! (And it totally makes me wish I had a garden to get my hands dirty in.) Might have to borrow this poem for a feature on Eat This Poem…
A beautiful poem illustrated with beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing, Sarah.
Just lovely!
Those mulberry shots took me back to childhood stained fingers, thank you.
Thank you for this post. My partner and I have recently decided that we want to work toward a life in farming, and while he thrives with the hard, physical labor, I worry that when the time comes, I won’t have it in me. Your post helped me realize that I have those worries because my work to this point hasn’t required the use of my body, and it was in doing things that did that I found my life’s calling. To think of my future as “real work,” rather than just hard work, is inspiring, and helps me focus on our motivations and the rewards available to us if we stick with it. Thanks again.
Love the vineyard scenes. What beautiful, grape stained work. And the dinners that follow are the best. You have me missing my Oregon life!
thank you for a reminder of why i love marge piercy.
your photography is lovely and a nice illustration.
Oh Sarah, this one is awesome. I love the hand pictures! (and not just because mine are in it) :) love you!
beautiful post, great blog! Just reblogged this here
(http://turnsofendearment.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/hands-on/)
What's this?
You are currently reading To be of use at The Yellow House.
meta
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Categories
© 2011-2018
Based on a design by pnts
Powered by WordPress