Monday, September 17, 2012

The Fallacy of Night




A long time ago, I used to wake in the night when Sophie was seizing and then not be able to go back to sleep. I'd lie still, on my back and stare at the ceiling, humor the chaos, allow it to creep in, take over. I'd think about death and trial and tribulation, violins would be playing furiously, chins tucked, eyes closed. I'd get on my knees and plead for mercy from a god that was as substantial as the wisps of reason that sailed through the room (not very much). In my mind I was dressed in the black of my southern Italian grandmother, veiled and dolorous, confounded by the disappearance of light. I would fall asleep, eventually, and wake in gray light, nearly embarrassed at what I had loosed the night before.

We are all cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.
Ray Bradbury 
 
 
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13 comments:

  1. Ms. MoonSeptember 17, 2012 at 10:04 AM

    Two beautiful writers.

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  2. NoahSeptember 17, 2012 at 10:09 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Vesuvius At HomeSeptember 17, 2012 at 10:11 AM

    Once again, you take my breath away. Especially stunning are the last two lines. The way you evoke your grandmother, the word dolorous. Beautiful.

    ("Noah" was me. Oops.)

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2012 at 10:33 AM

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    ReplyDelete
  5. BirdieSeptember 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM

    You must to write a book, Elizabeth. You simply must.

    ReplyDelete
  6. karioSeptember 17, 2012 at 12:25 PM

    Why is it that our minds run so loose in the dark? There is nothing more adrenaline producing than a child who needs his or her mother in the dead of night, and it is so easy to project from there.

    Love.

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  7. beth coyoteSeptember 17, 2012 at 1:48 PM

    In the dark, there are bears in my tent. In the morning, it was a small rodent looking for crumbs. The imagination is vast.

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  8. livSeptember 17, 2012 at 3:06 PM

    Quite a trick that is.

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  9. 37paddingtonSeptember 17, 2012 at 3:47 PM

    you have certainly mastered the art of tipping...

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  10. Denise Emanuel ClemenSeptember 17, 2012 at 4:00 PM

    Beauty tipping out right here.

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  11. SJSeptember 17, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    I felt like I was kneeling beside you.

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  12. Steve ReedSeptember 17, 2012 at 10:49 PM

    Love that Bradbury quote. That's such a great way to think about the creative process.

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  13. fullsoulahead.comSeptember 18, 2012 at 5:06 AM

    The Fallacy of Night.

    Thank you for reminding me it is indeed a fallacy.

    ReplyDelete