Short on Content, Long on Thought
52photo by sxc.hu
To Make You Think
Otherwise by Jane Kenyon
I got out of bed
on two strong legs
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.
At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
but one day, i know,
it will be otherwise.
Birch Trail
Quotes/Proverbs
I went to the woods because i wished to live deliberately, to confront only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Life is half spent before one knows what life is. ~ French proverb
If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner. ~ Tallulah Bankhead
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. ~ Anais Nin
For love is not like a river, confined between two banks. Its very essence is to overflow. ~ Mike Mason
Let us strive to awaken, awaken. Take heed, do not squander your life. ~ An evening prayer (Zen Buddhism)
It opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens down the temper. So cry away. ~ Charles Dickens
If there are two courses of action, you should take the third. ~ Yiddish proverb
The biggest sin is sitting on your ass. ~ Florynce Kennedy
There is no desire so deep as the simple desire for companionship. ~ Graham Greene
To love with all one's soul and leave the rest to fate. ~ Vladimir Nabokov
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Comments
Hi Whikat,
I've always loved quotes/sayings and only recently am enjoying poems. This one I particularly liked.
I'm glad you enjoyed, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
That was absolutely lovely! Thank you... the flute is a wonderful touch: haunting, yet heartening. <3
Hi Kelsey, Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I loved the video and could imagine myself there. And yes, haunting is a great word, it fits nicely.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, and welcome to HubPages.
Man, now I want to go to the woods again :) It's true, I take so many things in life for granted. That poem was a pretty powerful reminder not to. Thanks for the poem and the proverbs. The one by Thoreau is my all-time favorite.
Hi Benji! So nice to see you!
I've had this poem lying around a long time, and I love it. I thought it was time I shared it :) You're right, I find it to be very powerful as well. It's funny, as I was putting this hub together I thought of you, because I know how much you love poetry and quotes. I figured it was only a matter of time before you popped in :) The other thought I had when deciding to put this together is that it is not what I normally put out here, and thought it would be a nice change from what I normally do.
The weather is getting nicer, summer is almost here, so I'm sure you'll be visiting your beloved woods again soon.
I agree, the one by Thoreau is also a very powerful one. I also like the last one a lot.
Thanks so much for stopping by, always nice to have you visit :)
:)
Very nice to see you as well!
It was touching, thought provoking, and very interesting.
Hi muley,
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. As always, thanks for visiting and commenting :)
I really liked the poem and the quotes. Hub should be called: Low in Content; High in quality. Well done.
hi Guardian1, What a sweet thing to say! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Welcome to HubPages :)
Ok, this is off topic because I'm actually responding to what you said about your cats on my hub. They sound delightful. My cat, love her to death, is becoming very affectionate; maybe too affectinate ;). I'm starting to wake up face to face with her. I feel like we're married. Perhaps if I sprinkle some catnip, she'll return to her bed. My cat hardly speaks but when she talks, I know exactly what she's saying. She either wants something or is complaing about a minor discomfort...or she's responding to me meowing at her. I'm fluent in meow. No wonder she thinks I'm a cat.
;-)
hi Guardian1,
LOL you're funny. I guess I forgot to mention my oldest one, although she doesn't meow at me when I'm around the house, she waits till I go to bed, then she will get in my face and touch my cheek with her paw, I remove it, then she snuggles down right next to me. I guess it's her way of saying thanks or something. I love that you're fluent in meow :)
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Loved the word paint. I may not have read it, but that would have been otherwise. ;)
hi Ixxy, Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Welcome to HubPages :)
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Whikat says:
8 months ago
Very nice poem and quotes, it really does make a person think. Thank you for the thoughts. :-)