The Foundry At Home: "Quarentales" With Heather- "Ode to the Present" by Pablo Neruda

The Foundry At Home: "Quarentales" With Heather- "Ode to the Present" by Pablo Neruda

It's simple: we're all at home, let's make it good....And what could be better than a meditative reading, a beautiful reminder to stay present with intention.

Today's Quarentale is a lesson in the beauty of impermanence, something we could all use a little grace to help find these days. From Pablo Neruda, care of our resident librarian/ceaseless engine of positivity, Heather, (learn more about her here!), and Gilly, the great, fluffy muse, a reading of Ode to the Present:

For those of you who prefer to read rather than watch (or would like to read along), here is the text:

 

"Ode to the Present"
by Pablo Neruda

This
present moment,
smooth
as a wooden slab,
this
immaculate hour,
this day
pure
as a new cup
from the past--
no spider web
exists--
with our fingers,
we caress
the present;
we cut it
according to our magnitude;
we guide
the unfolding of its blossoms.
It is living,
alive--
it contains
nothing
from the unrepairable past,
from the lost past,
it is our
infant,
growing at
this very moment, adorned with
sand, eating from
our hands.
Grab it.
Don't let it slip away.
Don't lose it in dreams
or words.
Clutch it.
Tie it,
and order it
to obey you.
Make it a road,
a bell,
a machine,
a kiss, a book,
a caress.
Take a saw to its delicious
wooden
perfume.
And make a chair;
braid its
back;
test it.
Or then, build
a staircase!

Yes, a
staircase.
Climb
into
the present,
step
by step,
press your feet
onto the resinous wood
of this moment,
going up,
going up,
not very high,
just so
you repair
the leaky roof.
Don't go all the way to heaven.
Reach
for apples,
not the clouds.
Let them
fluff through the sky,
skimming passage,
into the past.

You
are
your present,
your own apple.
Pick it from
your tree.
Raise it
in your hand.
It's gleaming,
rich with stars.
Claim it.
Take a luxurious bite
out of the present,
and whistle along the road
of your destiny.

 

Gorgeous Neruda ilustration by Julie Paschkis.

 

 

 

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Leave a comment
* Your email address will not be published
← ♥ • Now Offering FREE Standard Shipping On Orders Over 150+ •    ♥ Hide