Wednesday, July 8, 2015

When the Blackbird Flew Out of Sight

In my blog's first month in July of 2010, I wrote about the Hartford businessman-poet
Wallace Stevens, and the thirteen granite stones that now mark his walk to work.


The ninth stone is in front of a fine brick house on Asylum Avenue (a major Hartford thoroughfare).
I couldn't decide whether to take a photo of the stone, or the house, or the fence.
So I took photos of all of them.





I have read Stevens' Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird multiple times and I still don't have a clue what it is about.  So, I went to Wikipedia to become illuminated.
Perspectivism?  Huh?

16 comments:

  1. I have never understood poetry. But will try and read this one.

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  2. I'll have a go. The collection of photos is perfect. Wonder what Lowell's comment will be :).

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  3. I am not into poetry but I do like the images Jack.

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  4. I read the poem and have to agree with Wikipedia that "it creates an aura of mystery." ;))

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  5. Took a course on Wallace Stevens in college... had forgotten he was a New England poet. He could be pretty cryptic.
    BTW-- asylums (avenue) and insurance sort of go hand in hand in my book. haha

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  6. You just convinced me not to read Wallace Stevens...

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  7. Great images for the day as always, Jack!! And, yes, like vP, you just convinced me not to read Wallace Stevens!! Hope your week is going well!

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  8. I love the photos and I did read the Wikipedia description and I'm guessing that the description there is every bit as confusing as the poem itself.

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  9. Read the Wikipedia link and am still confused, Jack!

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  10. Sorry I can't enlighten you further... but I do like the rock.

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  11. Poetry just baffles me. One of my friends writes a lot of it, and all I can say is "that's a good one."

    I do like the look of the place!

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  12. Still not enough to make a pie if you read the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence

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  13. Gee, Jack. If it's carved in granite it's got to be important and good, right? Right??

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  14. Sometimes some poets can be confusing. Sometimes. I don't know from "perspectivism," or why it would be a form of poetry. Would a poem about math be divisionism? See what I mean about confusing?

    Thanks for your nice comment. I was thinking about the daughter of the woman you worked with who was a fence person. I'd guess that meant you were pretty much on the defense most of the time. Oui?

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  15. I think it was Marianne Moore who said a poem should not mean, but be. Something to consider. Photographers can be as literal or obscure as we choose.

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