Elucidating Questions

To bring in the sea’s evening wind the rising tide of the air again

Into the sun’s rays it pours not the rain that the ground pleads for

But the gnashing thrashing pull of the anger of the sea complete with the roar

Not a mind at ease

As it tears across the shores and grips everything hard

Tug

Sending birds careening silent confused from trees

The rattling rattles the swinging swings

The trees screaming into the silent swiftness

Water

But it brings none

Another day without a drop the ground craves

The plants beg

The sun’s rays fade into the evening which does not rain

The grass remembers a balance the yellow cries into the dry whipping winds

Something falls

Crash

An undertow lashes in

The summer storm without rain

While the setting sun sets innocently

Idly

By

We did this to ourselves

The summer storm with no rain

Not even the hopes of it tethering us down

Responses

  1. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    good!

    Like

    Reply
  2. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    It was 3:30 a.m. and I woke up, thinking about this poem, and it inspired me, like all of your work seems to. Why does your work inspire me? Are you my muse? What’s a muse anyway? How much does it pay? Can you put it down in your resume? Can you be a muse and not know it? How funny, if you are MY muse, it doesn’t even matter if you know. Even if you, you know, the unthinkable, then your memory could still be a muse, not just mine, but “everyone’s.” So I got inspired, and, well, Please may I include this poem in a blog post (with proper attribution of course)? I have some thoughts, not necessarily ABOUT this poem (there will be no critique), but inspired by it, that would be better placed in my blog than in a comment. I’m gonna just go ahead and write it, and delete your poem if you don’t approve.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      That’s absolutely fine with me. I’m glad I inspired you. At the very least I hope I can inspire all sorts of people to write too.

      Like

      Reply
  3. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    I added your photo to Tequila Mockingbird, to beautify the post. I like it there, but am afraid that posting it might violate some policy, or ethical norm, or something. Should I remove it? If I must, then I will do so, but leave in its place text explaining that Magic Mage’s image lived there once.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      The image is fine of course. I did read it and I’m quite flattered to be considered anyone’s muse.

      Like

      Reply
  4. Tequila Mockingbird Soup. Magic Mage’s Poem in Elucidating Questions – MMP Magic Modernization Project

    […] (elucidatingquestion.wordpress.com/2019/06/13/1829/) ============================================================== […]

    Like

    Reply
  5. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Which Greek muse would you be, if you were playing one in some role-playing game? I think a hybrid: Melpomena-Erato-Polyhymnia (tragedy-love poetry-sacred poetry).

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      I think I have a little bit of each of them with Erato, Clio, and Urania inspiring. Though Melpomene comes through often.

      Like

      Reply
  6. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Clio, ehhh? Yeah, I can see a glimpse, that Hermes reference, and I admit, Greek mythology is something I’ve obsessed about over many years, and I’m not really sure why. There doesn’t seem to be a muse of future history, I wonder if that is also Clio’s job description?

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      I suppose if someone was writing about the future and managed to get it right it would fall under her.

      Like

      Reply
    2. Pytho Black Avatar
      Pytho Black

      Ha ha, in the Greek Muses cartoon Clio is holding the word “Past” in one hand and “Future” in the other. I should have studied the image more carefully.

      Like

      Reply
  7. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    No, don’t forget about the Fates!

    Like

    Reply
  8. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    btw, there was an earlier Tequila Mockingbird post, which somewhat explains the title and had to do with you

    Like

    Reply
  9. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Urania? Seriously? You are such a tease. (because I said my word-missiles fly out into the stars, lost, unread, unknown). No, I don’t think so, you’d have to prove Urania, maybe with a poem?

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      I’ll write one tonight.

      Like

      Reply
  10. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Let me know when you do. I stopped following you.

    Like

    Reply
  11. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Ohhhhh…..sorry for that, I’ll keep following you, if you’ll let me, because you’re irresistable. I just really really really want to know why you think that as a muse you have some of the attributes of Urania.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      It’s been a tough week so I haven’t had much time to write. I’ll try to show you tonight. It’s harder in summer the buggers don’t come out until 9:30 sometimes.

      Like

      Reply
  12. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Ummmmmmm…….now I’m really sorry. Gee, keep in mind that I am a very isolated, lonely old man out in the middle of the desert with no friends, hardly anybody to talk to except the clerk at the store down the road, to whom I say “thanks.” Your blog stimulated real, REAL, energy in me, and for that I thank you, you did good, and I was hoping my love would make you stronger, but of course I am an idiot.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      I don’t think you’re an idiot. I appreciate your affection.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  13. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    I was so worried. I felt I was responsible for you deleting your site. Did you delete your site?

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      Not recently. I deleted the first one last year in April.

      Like

      Reply
  14. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Now, this is very strange, but I had just looked into your eyes (in your picture that I had photoshopped) and worried and thought, Magic Mage girl are you alright? I hope I wasn’t too strange and scary. And guess what, you replied that second!

    Like

    Reply
  15. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    when I press your avatar (emmmm, feels good) I get this message “elucidatingquestions.wordpress.com is no longer available). This terrified me, because I think I know how you are, a little.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      Yeah that’s the old URL I’m not sure why it’s still linking to that.

      Like

      Reply
  16. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    But actually, I felt that you were OK. Maybe, I thought, she realized that she needs a new approach, and a new portfolio. Most of the content of MY site got deleted by WordPress, and that turns out to be a blessing in disguise. According to the Exchange Principle of Modern Magic from my Magic Modernization Project, the destruction of so much creative content, which had been created over such a long period of time, all at once, would result in a concentrated, focused creative PULSE. Due to the principles of thermodynamics, some of the energy would have been dissipated into the universe, but because the poems had been written over time, their additive energy would be immense, kind of like a nuclear bomb in fact! Anyway, I am so happy you are still here.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      I am sorry your work got deleted, but I like the way you look at it. And no worries, I have no plans to delete this site.

      Like

      Reply
  17. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Ummmm, maybe you should check out your gravatar settings? I don’t know, I’m still a nooby at blogging.

    Like

    Reply
  18. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Yes, the link I placed under your picture in Tequila Mockingbird still works. Obviously, your avatar in Comments links to the old site.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      I tried to change it but it’s a bit of a mystery. I’ll try again to fix it.

      Like

      Reply
  19. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Ummmm, also I did refollow you, but you ain’t in the list no mo. I read your stuff titled under “Sun.”
    I usually don’t care for poetry, but lately I see it more and more in nature, but without all the distractions and inflexibilities of alliteration, syntax, and words. Here, let me show it to you. Close your eyes. Ah well, that didn’t work, so keep doing it your way.
    I wonder if you removed me? I deserved it if you did.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      No I promise you I haven’t done anything. I quite appreciate your comments and I have no ill will towards you.

      Like

      Reply
  20. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Well, if you don’t want me to bodder you no mo, say so, and I will retract into my shell at your command. Not really, but I will respect your wishes.

    Like

    Reply
  21. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Okeedokee, I just followed you again and you’re still not in my followed list. The WordPress gods or demons are messin with our minds, but I see it is a technical issue, no big deal. Also, you have my permission to be a little hard, or mean, or nasty if you need to, with sincerity and well-meaning intentions. Also, I was unfaithful to you, I visited a rival poetess, all clean and neat and lovey-rhymey, good, solid, perfect rhymes, nothing wrong with that, but I’ve been disillusioned by rhymes before, and I don’t trust ’em, and so I have come back to you.

    Like

    Reply
  22. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    LOL, sometimes I crack me up!

    Like

    Reply
  23. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Hooray you’re back in my list of followed! I must have done something wrong somewhere. When we do anything wrong, must we be punished? Apparently so.

    Like

    Reply
  24. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    I should like, then, to tell the story of how I came to be where I am. (I mean the last two months only). It could prove to be edifying, I suppose. Someone should know the story, other than my aged mother, and my three sons, 26, 27, and 28 years old. But to squeeze the story into the comments box would be tedious, so I would have to write a blog. Would you read it? After you read it, if you ever do, I would have to take it down as being too personal. For me, the opportunity to practice my writing skills on a normal narrative would be welcome, for other than that, my options are bed, TV, meditation, and stupid blogging bullshit. I am starting to hate blogging, and not just because nobody every reads any of it. It wouldn’t take much for me to take a 6 month break from the damned unsatisfactoriness of it all.

    Like

    Reply
  25. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    well, it’s done, and a crappy little blog it is indeed! if you don’t read it (How I Got from Q to B) i shall surely trash it tomorrow morning. it’s only meant for you, as part of that conversation i have always been wanting. I figger, if I wanted to do a good job, with more refined and understandable observations, and nuenced explication, this would be about a fifteen-twenty-pager, at least. as it is, it is barely 1 1/2 pages. Now, there is a lesson to be learned here. Fancy-pants compositional artistry improves on relaying meaning and even fact presentation over bare-bones simple journal event recording style. A fancier, longer version would be filled with facts and details missing from the crappy one. Sooooo the moral is, always do your best work!

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      How long do you plan on staying in B?

      Like

      Reply
  26. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    it may be a while. i need to work magic to move the 6 hrs 360 miles to sf where Duncan lives. in sf, and for hundred miles around, rent is impossible ($1700 for studio. Duncan’s 1br is like $2600/mo.). magic i shall do, but these things take time, and must not be forced (not by me anyway). perhaps there is something i need to accomplish here. anyway, it is comfy enough, i have you to talk to once in a while, and who knows, maybe i will get the Magic Modernization Project book started on. All I need to do is motivate myself to write a chapter a week. Butttttt I am so goddam dysfunctionally lazy. no, that ain’t likely to happen, muse or no muse. but a-muse is better than no-muse.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Magic Mage Avatar
      Magic Mage

      I wish you luck. It’s always difficult to live in central cities but I hope you can live with near your son soon.

      Like

      Reply
      1. Pytho Black Avatar
        Pytho Black

        Not very soon with a bad water pump on the truck. Some money needs to come in before I can move.

        Like

  27. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    Thank You!

    Like

    Reply
  28. Pytho Black Avatar
    Pytho Black

    When I see Canada in the Countries box I smile.
    You know, somebody from Canada read EVERYTHING I wrote, every single post. No comment, no like, no follow. Sometimes I read my stuff, and I just keep reading, because to me it is good, funny, interesting, and I always find something new I had forgotten. My heart aches for the unfinished stories and articles, poor characters left in limbo, and fantastic ideas unexplicated.

    Like

    Reply
  29. Tequila Mockingbird Soup. Magic Mage’s Poem in Elucidating Questions – MMP Magic Modernization Project

    […] (elucidatingquestion.wordpress.com/2019/06/13/1829/)============================================================== […]

    Like

    Reply
  30. cathartliebe Avatar
    cathartliebe

    Beautiful poetic story.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment