After my rather silly rant yesterday, I came across some wonderful resources on productive mind-hacks (ways to inspire a procrastinating freelancer ;)), one of which mentioned this little gem. A book called "This is water" by David Foster Wallace, based on a commencement speech he gave a few years ago. Here's a link to the speech.
The mention of just remaining aware of all the possibilities every minute, day in and day out, also reminded me of this poem by Carl Dennis.
Candles
If on your grandmother's birthday you burn a candle
To honor her memory, you might think of burning an extra
To honor the memory of someone who never met her,
A man who may have come to the town she lived in
Looking for work and couldn't find it.
Picture him taking a stroll one morning,
After a wasted month with the want ads,
To refresh himself in the park before moving on.
Suppose he notices on the gravel path the shards
Of a green glass bottle that your grandmother,
Then still a girl, will be destined to step on
When she wanders barefoot away from her school picnic
If he doesnt stoop down and scoop the mess up
With the want-ad section and carry it to a trash can.
For you to burn a candle for him
You needn't suppose the cut would be a deep one,
Just deep enough to keep her at home
The night of the hayride when she meets Helen,
Who is soon to become her dearest friend;
Whose brother George, thirty years later,
Helps your grandfather with a loan so his shoe store
Doesn't go under in the Great Depression
And his son, your father, is able to stay in school
Where his love of learning is fanned into flames,
A love he labors, later, to kindle in you.
How grateful you are for your father's efforts
Is shown by the candles you've burned for him.
But today, for a change, why not a candle
For the man whose name is unknown to you?
Take a moment to wonder whether he died at home
With friends and family or alone on the road,
With noone to sit at his bedside
And hold his hand, the very hand
It's time for you to imagine holding.
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2 comments:
Loved David Foster Wallace's commencement speech. It's always awe-inspiring when someone clearly verbalizes your hazy thoughts into a well-rounded, impressive, and precise article/speech. I'm now hunting for his book, The Pale King :)
Loved the poem... :) I had read it long before and as always had forgotten about it but for that hazy feeling that lingers in your head helping you recognize the piece the next time you see it. It is a really beautiful perspective and one we should not lose track of...
As for the speech, well it is a nice speech but then reading that he committed suicide recently kind of acted like a dampener after the speech.
I guess, I agree with him on almost all accounts...
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