My first opportunity to know Sylvia Plath and to read her work was by way of her only novel: The Bell Jar.
Being a Psychology major then in Cebu in the ’90s, someone referred me to this particular work of hers. I was told that it would help me to get into the mind, the thoughts of someone who was said to suffer mental illness which was what the book was about. But then when I attended a writing workshop (my first one), one of the panelists there commented that my poetry was dark and reminded him of Sylvia Plath. His views sparked my interest to look up her poetry.
Sylvia Plath lived a tragic life but what beautiful poetry she wrote! I would like to share here one of her “more positive” poems which dealt with the birth of her child.
Morning Song
Love set you going like a fat gold watch.
The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry
Took its place among the elements.
Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue.
In a drafty museum, your nakedness
Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.
I’m no more your mother
Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow
Effacement at the wind’s hand.
All night your moth-breath
Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen:
A far sea moves in my ear.
One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral
In my Victorian nightgown.
Your mouth opens clean as a cat’s. The window square
Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try
Your handful of notes;
The clear vowels rise like balloons.
I just realized that today is the last day of September! Whew! The month seemed to move faster than I was ready for 🙂
Well, I thought I better write a new post for this blog. I have made a to-do list that includes regularly updating my blogs (all 6 of them, including this one!) And I would not be able to cross out that part of my list if I fail to write here.
Low-Key Month. Other than the birthday of my husband as well as some family members this month, September has been pretty low key for me this year.
Well, I have to add that God gave me some unexpected provision this month, which have been helpful to write off some bills and more 🙂 But one other significant event for me this month, specifically in the blogosphere, is that I got what I wished for. And for free!
Yes, wishes do come true and in unexpected ways, too!
More Blogs (blog pa more!). I have been thinking actually for several months if I should add more blogs. One reason behind this was I wanted to start something new (yup, the pioneer in me at work again!). Another reason was I thought of writing some topics which would not fit in my other blogs, including this one.
What stopped me from getting a new blog right away was also two-fold: the cost (I don’t use free blogging sites so that means I pay for my domain name and hosting) and if I could actually work on it (that is, regularly update it). Because let’s face it, sometimes we can have good plans, wishes but then in the end we might not be able to fulfill them 🙂 And so getting a new blog or two was just at the back of my mind. That is until a friend of mine asked our blogging group on Facebook if anyone was interested to have a new blog. She said she was giving out two (she is into blog hosting, check out AJ Domains). I inquired if this meant domain name and hosting. Now, to cut the story short, she decided to give me two blogs! That comes with free domain names and hosting for a year 🙂 How cool is that!
Living the Wish. So here I am, living the wish 🙂 As of now, I have come up with the domain names for the two sites. What I need to do now is to fill the sites with blog posts. Well, topics are still brewing on my mind. I will be writing on them very soon 🙂
Here are my two new sites to watch out for:
My idea with Just Living Forward is to fill it up with posts about the working life, its challenges. While All Woman Live will deal with women concerns. Those are just the basic ideas behind the blogs. I might still add some eventually.
So before September ends, I would like to say I am thankful and that I look forward to all that is yet ahead. Despite the tedium of life at times, it is still good 🙂 And yes, God is still good and very much on His throne 🙂
