wislawa szymborska: witness the wonder

~ jama ~ 15 Comments
“In the Orchard” by Pol Ledent
MIRACLE FAIR
by Wislawa Szymborska

Commonplace miracle:
that so many commonplace miracles happen.

An ordinary miracle:
in the dead of night
the barking of invisible dogs.

One miracle out of many:
a small, airy cloud
yet it can block a large and heavy moon.

Several miracles in one:
an alder tree reflected in the water,
and that it’s backwards left to right
and that it grows there, crown down
and never reaches the bottom,
even though the water is shallow.

An everyday miracle:
winds weak to moderate
turning gusty in storms.

First among equal miracles:
cows are cows.

Second to none:
just this orchard
from just that seed.

A miracle without a cape and top hat:
scattering white doves.

A miracle, for what else could you call it:
today the sun rose at three-fourteen
and will set at eight-o-one.

A miracle, less surprising than it should be:
even though the hand has fewer than six fingers,
it still has more than four.

A miracle, just take a look around:
the world is everywhere.

An additional miracle, as everything is additional:
the unthinkable
is thinkable.

~ translated from the Polish by Joanna Trzeciak, from Miracle Fair: Selected Poems of Wislawa Szymborska (Norton, 2001).
Hands of God and Adam/The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel, 1512)

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I marvel at this poem, Szymborska’s distilled wisdom.

Except for the first and final stanzas, each centers on a concrete image — a cloud, an orchard, white doves. We pause in wonder, delighted at the refreshing perspective.

Find that quiet moment in yourself, tilt your head and your thinking. From the seemingly simple, the profound.

Friday miracle: a poem written by someone you don’t even know can feel like it was written just for you.

Wishing you peace, joy, and light in this season of miracles. Happy second Sunday of Advent and Happy Hanukkah!

“White Doves” by catf

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Lovely and talented Patricia Franz is hosting the Roundup at Reverie. Be sure to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being shared around the blogosphere this week. Enjoy your weekend!

*Copyright © 2023 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 7 Comments

1. Ho Ho Ho! Or maybe we should say Ruff Ruff? In any case, Happy December, the month of merry making, gift giving, egg nogging, and tree trimming.

These adorable canine friends were created by UK artist Louise Rawlings. Couldn’t resist the furry faces, cute poses, and happy feelings they generate. Love me some wintry whiskers!

Louise (b. 1969) currently lives and works in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, and graduated from De Montfort University in Leicester with a degree in illustration and surface decoration. She’s had a long and varied career as an illustrator, working in areas such as giftware, stationery, ceramics, fine art, and book illustration. Her artwork can be found in galleries across the UK, and she works for publishers worldwide, primarily selling greeting cards.

Though she paints in watercolor, her real love is working in a naïve mixed media style in her favorite medium, acrylic. She’s inspired by the views captured while on long walks with her two dogs in a nearby park and by domestic holiday spots, especially the British coastline.

Louise’s original paintings may be purchased via her Official Website and Etsy Shop. Greeting cards are available online at Dry Red Press, Calypso Cards, and the Blank Card Company. Keep up with her latest news at Facebook and Instagram.

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[one review] One Perfect Plan by Nancy Tupper Ling and Alina Chau

~ jama ~ 13 Comments

When I was eleven my parents gave me a Bible for Christmas. It had a white faux leather cover with “Holy Bible: Concordance” printed in gold on the front.

Although I was too young to fully comprehend its significance to the civilized world, I knew I held in my hands a precious, sacred book, one that contained marvelous stories of mankind and miracles, fish and forbidden fruit, Jesus’s birth and resurrection. I also noted that the Bible seemed to be a book people often quoted from but didn’t necessarily read cover to cover.

If only there had been a picture book like One Perfect Plan: The Bible’s Big Story in Tiny Poems by Nancy Tupper Ling and Alina Chau (WaterBrook, 2023) to help me figure out how to approach such an intimidating tome! I would have had a beautifully illustrated lyrical roadmap of sorts — an appealing introduction to some of the best stories told within the context of the Bible’s larger message.

In One Perfect Plan, Nancy Tupper Ling accomplishes the daunting task of distilling the essence of beloved Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments in luminous rhyming couplets, all beginning with the word “One.” “One garden” for the garden of Eden, “One drop” for the great flood, “One stone” for the story of David and Goliath, and so on. A scriptural reference follows each poem.

The book opens with the Creation story from Genesis I, setting a dramatic tone:

One word --
then light breaks into darkness;
the sky, the seas, and life -- how wondrous!
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Feasting on Brett Humphries’s Photorealistic Art

~ jama ~ 5 Comments

Tea and scones? Reach right in and help yourself!

Perhaps, at first glance, you assumed this delicious spread was a photograph. It’s actually one of Brett Humphries’s amazing hyperrealistic still life paintings.

You probably know I am quite partial to this genre, especially when the subject is food. I simply had to share Brett’s work with you, so step right up to the buffet and enjoy the feast!

Brett lives and works in the UK, and has been painting and drawing since childhood. He’s been obsessed with detail from an early age, and particularly remembers trying to render objects as realistically as possible.

Brett sourcing items for his work.

I realised that a humble object like a piece of fruit had the potential to amaze, if only we would notice. I think this is why the still life genre resonates with me, because it openly celebrates the dance of light between two objects, or the warm subtle hues of a piece of fruit as a thing of real beauty. There is no need to explain or justify, we can just enjoy it for what it is!

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[yummy review] Thank a Farmer by Maria Gianferrari and Monica Mikai

~ jama ~ 7 Comments

Come Thursday, many of us will don our cozy sweaters and sit down with family and friends to feast on roast turkey with wild rice stuffing, mushroom gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes or yams, green bean casserole, and soft, fluffy dinner rolls (lots of butter, please!).

As we express gratitude for our bountiful meals, we should particularly remember the people who helped bring the food to the table. Thank a Farmer by Maria Gianferrari and Monica Mikai (Norton Young Readers, 2023) introduces us to about a dozen different types of farming, essential farm workers, and methods of planting and harvesting on commercial as well as family farms.

The book opens with a dedication page depicting a variety of colorful dishes with the words, “If you like the food on your table, THANK A FARMER.” Continuing with variations on this tagline, double page spreads feature familiar foods such as bread, milk, fruits, veggies, peanuts, rice, mushrooms, and maple syrup, in addition to one non-edible item, wool.

Gianferrari’s lyrical text is rhythmic and succinct, as dynamic and efficient as the processes described. Paired with Mikai’s warm and inviting illustrations, it’s easy for kids to connect what they eat every day with where it actually comes from — not a can, box, or supermarket shelf, but a farm, where real people work the land with their hands or specialized machinery.

First there’s breakfast, a girl eating bread while wheat is being harvested from combine to hopper, then into grain cart and storage elevator for milling and grinding into flour.

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