So happy to see you on this platform, so much more hospitable for thoughts/writing than Twitter — is it a coincidence your first entry is about "home"?
Your poem brought to mind the Lao Tzu chapter about the meaning of "spaces":
The uses of not
Thirty spokes
meet in the hub.
Where the wheel isn’t
is where it’s useful.
Hollowed out,
clay makes a pot.
Where the pot’s not
is where it’s useful.
Cut doors and windows
to make a room.
Where the room isn’t,
there’s room for you.
So the profit in what is
is in the use of what isn’t.
(from Ursula K. Le Guin's version of Tao Te Ching)
The poem did resonate deeply. In my case, not of what was lost, but what I will eventually lose (or be lost to). Running into the office to get a kiss from my husband feels so natural, is home, but this poem has helped me acknowledge that like soul from body--that the little blue house he and I bought last summer will outlive the Home that inhabits it. I am grateful for the gentle reminder of the need to cherish every instance of "now" while Home is Home.
This beautiful poem identities the stark difference between a house and home – the former being a mere empty shell while a home is vibrant with love, memories, and life. Where there are loved ones, there is a home. Where there is happiness, there is a home. The poem reminds us that a house may prevail, but a home never truly disappears, as it lives within our hearts and memories.
The concepts of house and home can be juxtaposed with body and spirit. The house is a physical structure, visible from a distance, consisting of bricks, mortar, and other tangible materials that make up the building. On the other hand, home is not visible from a distance, but is rather an intangible concept that is felt within the heart.
Speaking of feeling, I read this poem during some downtime at work and immediately started crying when i read, “Begging the husband -I don't want to live without you.
The rebuke of the husband-If you love me, you will outlive me.” We all felt that unique expression of love and life that challenges us to think deeply about the meaning of both.
Thank you ‘nobody’ for reflecting on who we are without our attachments.
Joyce - Like Randy, I'm happy to see you build a Home here and invite others into your house (or is it the other way around?).
Love your poem's contrapuntal dynamics, each line its own mini-poem. So ... why verse? Your poetry vs. prose/novels: like swimming in seas, rather than splashing through brooks.
(Frankly, I enjoy poetry but for the life of me I just Don't Get It.)
Just curious about what writing poetry does for you.
So happy to see you on this platform, so much more hospitable for thoughts/writing than Twitter — is it a coincidence your first entry is about "home"?
Your poem brought to mind the Lao Tzu chapter about the meaning of "spaces":
The uses of not
Thirty spokes
meet in the hub.
Where the wheel isn’t
is where it’s useful.
Hollowed out,
clay makes a pot.
Where the pot’s not
is where it’s useful.
Cut doors and windows
to make a room.
Where the room isn’t,
there’s room for you.
So the profit in what is
is in the use of what isn’t.
(from Ursula K. Le Guin's version of Tao Te Ching)
Thanks for sharing this.
Randy
*Warmth has departed from his hands, like his old strength. Yet these are his hands, eagerly you seize them.*
*Begging the husband—I don’t want to live without you.*
*The rebuke of the husband—If you love me, you will outlive me.*
These words bring tears and a lesson. Thank you.
The poem did resonate deeply. In my case, not of what was lost, but what I will eventually lose (or be lost to). Running into the office to get a kiss from my husband feels so natural, is home, but this poem has helped me acknowledge that like soul from body--that the little blue house he and I bought last summer will outlive the Home that inhabits it. I am grateful for the gentle reminder of the need to cherish every instance of "now" while Home is Home.
Joyce! Carol! Oates! Hail, brilliant woman!
I am your devoted fan, and am looking forward to reading your essays here on Substack!
So nice to see you here! I enjoyed the poem, I like how it works through repetition and simplicity, and above all, earnestness.
Thank you for sharing your self with us in this way. Grateful, hopeful, inspired.
Thank you, Joyce.
This beautiful poem identities the stark difference between a house and home – the former being a mere empty shell while a home is vibrant with love, memories, and life. Where there are loved ones, there is a home. Where there is happiness, there is a home. The poem reminds us that a house may prevail, but a home never truly disappears, as it lives within our hearts and memories.
The concepts of house and home can be juxtaposed with body and spirit. The house is a physical structure, visible from a distance, consisting of bricks, mortar, and other tangible materials that make up the building. On the other hand, home is not visible from a distance, but is rather an intangible concept that is felt within the heart.
Speaking of feeling, I read this poem during some downtime at work and immediately started crying when i read, “Begging the husband -I don't want to live without you.
The rebuke of the husband-If you love me, you will outlive me.” We all felt that unique expression of love and life that challenges us to think deeply about the meaning of both.
Thank you ‘nobody’ for reflecting on who we are without our attachments.
Why the term 'housecat'? Should be 'homecat' because home is being greeted by your cat when opening the door.
Home is a base. Slide, run,
pummel, foot to sand, just to land
a corner.
not of a house; rather,
a moment to shine.
Many thanks and much love!
So very excited to have you here... and interested in looking up "Home: A Celebration"!
A momentous entrance to Substack here is written.
Your writing gives me new perspective, as it often does. Our house will outlive our home. Built in the 1800s, it has outlived all kinds of homes.
Home was the title of my first CD I am still searching this house for my home… it is hiding under a certain amount of clutter some call decor.
Joyce - Like Randy, I'm happy to see you build a Home here and invite others into your house (or is it the other way around?).
Love your poem's contrapuntal dynamics, each line its own mini-poem. So ... why verse? Your poetry vs. prose/novels: like swimming in seas, rather than splashing through brooks.
(Frankly, I enjoy poetry but for the life of me I just Don't Get It.)
Just curious about what writing poetry does for you.