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Friday, February 26, 2010

The Path

Remix of a Benjamin Hoff poem

Let’s leave behind
The things that do not matter,
And turn our lives
To a more important chapter.

Let’s take the time,
Let’s try to find
And maybe then
We’ll find again
What we have long forgotten.

The sun is high
The road is wide
It starts where we are standing
But now one knows
How far it goes.

77 comments:

Pablo Trincado said...

Hola Mariana!
es un poema lleno de sol de mediodía.

me recordó un haiku de Buson:

ciruelos por todas partes..
¿debería ir al sur
o debería ir al norte?

un abrazo!

ines said...

It is a really nice an encouraging poem, It made me feel good reading it. I like the simplicity and clarity about how you talk of basic and fundamental things.

Guillermo said...

This goes much along the lines of oriental culture, it must have been influenced by one of the ramifications of either Buddhism or Taoism. Nice poetry indeed.

Jason Gusmann said...

very calming, as opposed to yr usual searching self - the asian influence is apparent, not only in the art - a fine thing

ArtSparker said...

I'm reminded of the first lines of the last stanza of T.S. Eliott's Little Gidding

We shall not cese from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

Enchanted Oak said...

This is a lovely poem, Mariana. I'm not familiar with Benjamin Hoff, so I'm not speaking with any authority. And by the way, I enlarged the painting, and there is a little person under the tree on the left who seems to be holding what looks like possibly a saw. I wonder what that little person is doing there.

tipota said...

very nice, simple, clean and meaningful. a small polished piece of gold. it made me feel good, too, thanks!

Unknown said...

beautiful gift for this early morning.
You go on and on, surrounding more/what you are seeking?
I suggest you Arturo Carrera:

el campo
y solo en el, noche y dia,
la ley de las moleculas justas
que imantan brillos y aristas:

Asombros y escamoteos:
multitudes, intersticios,
voces vistas
llamadas soledades sonoras
..........................

Mariana Soffer said...

Pablo trincado:
Que bonito lo que decis, me encanto el poema, te agradezco por la gentileza. Realmente me gustaria saber un poco mas de ti, cual es el mejor medio por el que me pueda enterar, alguna social network en especial?

Mariana Soffer said...

ines:
It is fundamental never to forget about the basic/elemental things, otherwise you loose your direction and can get too confused indeed.

Mariana Soffer said...

Guillermo:
Well indeed it is inspired on a book called the The of Piglet, which is the sequel of another called the Tao of Pooh, as you can infer they are both based on Taoism.

Mariana Soffer said...

Jason Gusmann:
Thank you very much, I am happy that you felt the calm transmitted. I am trying to keep a balance indeed, which is not that easy, but oriental influence helps with it.
Whish you well

Mariana Soffer said...

ArtSparker
What a nice stanza from Elliot, I should start reading more about him, cause I found it marvelous, and I am also trying to get near poetry.

The stanza is excelent, so wise and real. There is nothing I could comment about it, this guy seems to have understood everything.

Mariana Soffer said...

Enchanted Oak:
I am happy that you liked the poem. I was also concerned with how the post would looked like cause someties pictures are not well displayed, cause I consider that a man following his path and holding a saw for helping him opening the path me must follow if he need to pass trough the jungle.
Hoff is an author of two books I really liked, "The tao of poo" and "the Te of pigglet" I highly recomend you to check them out, specially the second one.

Mariana Soffer said...

tipota:
I am very happy to hear that from you my friend, specially regarding the part that says it made you feel good. That is great. By the way I was wondering how your blog issues where doing, hope you are doing progress with it.
Cheers

Mariana Soffer said...

Daniel:
My pleasure to share this things with you, which makes me feel really good to me as well.

Wonderfull stanzas by Carrera, I did not knew him, but he seems to be a very interesting writter, I will check it out.
Love to see you arround
Cheers

the walking man said...

Every end needs a beginning. That beginning starts with the first step of recognizing, not the direction forward, but the ground beneath the feet as the move on.

Mariana Soffer said...

The walking man:
Excelent words, you are always so wise and clear. It reminds me a little about my last poem, whith the idea that once we can see things we can stop what needs to be ended and start from other place.
Thanks my friend

Anonymous said...

This is such a hopeful and optimistic poem and the accompanying artwork suits the sentiment of the piece. Just beautiful Mariana.

Uncle Tree said...

I'm just beginning to learn that, Mariana. That's a very well-done rendition you have there. Good job!

Check this out. Talk about lucky...I met an extremely talented illustrator this week on the web. He's going to do a caricature of me as Uncle Tree. He was also kind enough to let me borrow a couple of his drawings. They are now up on my site.

When you have some time, please come and take a look. I'll leave you with his link in case you're interested in seeing more than a few fantastically amazing works.

Have a great weekend, my dear! UT
http://www.pocockart.com/

Rob Bryanton said...

Beautiful poem, Mariana. I'm particularly interested in the surprise at the end - rather than saying "no one knows" you say "now one knows", a completely different meaning which I wasn't expecting. It made me go back and read the rest of the poem a couple of times more because of how much more expansive this makes the mental state being described.

Cool!

Rob

tipota said...

thanks querida - i had been unable to locate the most recent archive that i had saved early in january, so i used an older one (which was missing about 100 posts) and rebuilt it. i had kept the writings and most of the imagery, so i planned to re enter the older missing posts now and then over time. then i found the updated archive. and decided not to upload it, to just let it be. so, it is what it is, and i actually like it as it is, so it turns out to be a good thing! thanks for your support and offering to help, much appreciated!

girlontape said...

nice! perfect for right here right now

Joe Bloggs said...

Good feeling from the poem, picture and comments. I will deaf check the pooh n piglet stuff as Humabit of an Eeyore :( ;j

Meanaveragewhile, please don't hesitate to take a peakalong migh impoohseronnel Sigh&Co. path :)

Please pardon thisbody's egoddity and thankyou for all the goodposts

Mariana Soffer said...

Val:
thanks for being so supportive and such a good friend. You saw my thoughts do somehow, one o the tings that is becoming important for me to transmit is that there is always hope, not a dark life devoid of it.
Hugs

Mariana Soffer said...

Uncle Tree:
Thanks uncle, you are probably saing it just cause I am your niece.
I love the idea of a great artist representing you as Uncle tree.
That guy aaron pocock along with his art, specially his website seemed great to me. And I noticed what is in your website too dear uncle.

I am having a great one, hope you do too
cheers

Mariana Soffer said...

Rob Bryanton:
Thanks a lot Rob. I am happy that you noticed that detail, you are a real sensitive man. I had tons of that with it, cause I was not sure It was expressing what I wanted too. But I think some people may do. The fact that you understood is really moving for me. Makes a differnce.
Thanks!

Mariana Soffer said...

tipota:
My pleasure to help. The story that you tell me about what happen with your blog made think again that we need to let life be more than we do, cause sometimes things happen for a reason.
Count on my for asking me any doubt you might have about your data, and please do not forget now do a backup of your blog, if you want I will explain how, so it will never get lost again.

Mariana Soffer said...

Girlontape:
Thank you very much sweet (belive it or not you are) babe. I apreciate your encouragment. Love to you.

Mariana Soffer said...

Joe Bloggs:
Glad you felt like that, and do check the books they are good and original ones.

Excelente sentence, I loved it (second 2dough I am not completelly sure what is that I need to check)

than you for adding your personal art/self into this blog.

Anonymous said...

Mariana, simply beautiful, I have always liked your poetry.

cheers.

Mariana Soffer said...

thePerceptionpoint:
Thanks a lot my friend you are a great support and inspiration as well.

EXSENO said...

Well done. I really enjoyed the poem.

Mariana Soffer said...

EXSENO: Thanks for being so supportive, I need that from my blogging friends, while daring to post poems for the first time in my life.
Thanks!

paulandrewrussell said...

A lovely poem, Mariana.

J said...

It seems like IBM are keen to develop data vizualisation also

http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/page/Tour.html#upload

Apparently if you register you can upload data sets and get loads of graphs and charts made for you. It's not cutting edge stuff though, I think, and not as funky as the stuff you have been showing, Mariana.
If anyone has a data set of American corporate profits from nazi Germany let me know and I'll see if IBM can vizualise it.

Mariana Soffer said...

paulandrewrussell:
Thank you very much Paul,your encouragement makes me feel very well cause it comes from you who is committed to writing good poetry and become a good poet by yourself.

Mariana Soffer said...

J:
I have seen that site, and also tried it with my data, but as you said is not near cutting edge, neither very innovative, it just makes graphs that you can do with any multivariate statistics software really easy, and that is also more customizable than the one we have here, dough it became pretty popular at a time, maybe it was a novelty then I am not sure.

Regarding gathering old data, well that is a pretty complicated issue, cause there is no place we can extract it automatically from, which reminded me of this excellent ted video about visualizations, which includes ancient data, and was really cutting edge while release, check it out: http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html

J said...

I'm already there, I saw the Rosling presentation before and had a play with his site to see how things worked out.

Dave King said...

Wise words, succinctly written.

human being said...

it always leads to me...

Anonymous said...

another
wonderful poem!

mariana, you missed your calling!

(the sun is high)

× × ×

/t.

Rick said...

What an absolutely inspiring poem, Mariana! You've outdone yourself this time.

Mariana Soffer said...

J
Hope you enjoyed to play with the site, remember that this was made many years ago, now it became more common this kind of visualizations.
He also refers in the talk to what you say regarding data that is very old, cause he shows he has no data for some cases in the early years zone from the chart.

Mariana Soffer said...

Dave King:
Thanks a lot I prefer succinct cause it is easier for me in beginnings (in this case of writing poetry).

Mariana Soffer said...

Human being:
Sorry very much but I did not get it, maybe I did too much math and algorithms to be in a sensitive and perceptive state.
Sorry my good friend
Love to you, all the best.

Mariana Soffer said...

/t: Thanks a lot my artistic living friend.
By the way what was missed your calling mean in this context, I do not get what you meant to say with it.
Take care

Mariana Soffer said...

Rick:
You are such a sweetie, thanks a lot for your encouragement, I been skimming your blog, but did not dare to say anything cause I sadly have little time to focus deeply in the reading, which prevents me from doing silly observations, that I do not want to leave at your place.
Take care

Stu said...

A remix! Mariana, that's great!

The poem has special relevance to me right now.

The image is stunning too.

/t said: "mariana, you missed your calling!"

When poetry calls, best to answer. What better answer than, "It starts where we are standing"? :)

Jon said...

cool poem... kind of reminds me of a modernist ethos...

all times are the same one time... all cities are the same one city... all people are the same one person... all paths are the same one path...

nice to see a poem of yours... you have any more to share with us???

hope you're well...

jp

Anonymous said...

mariana,

a compliment...

you missed your calling means
you really should have been a poet(!)

(you could be!)

× × ×

/t.

human being said...

love to you dear Mariana...
sorry if i was not clear enough...
the problem is with the crow... sometimes she crows nonstop... sometimes she just utters a caw!
:D

'it' refers to the path... the subject of your poem...

i meant

the path leads to me...
all the paths lead to ourselves...


jon has stated this in a more beautiful wording...

Mariana Soffer said...

stu: thank you very much for your compliment (why not a remix o poetry, I think it should be a new kind of art just like the musical ones are nowadays). Txs also for the explanation of /t terms.
And to finish let me tell you that I am also pleased this is relevant to you during nowadays.

Mariana Soffer said...

Jon parson:
I really liked what you say about all things being one and the same, that is one of the messages I want to transmit with what I say.

I would love you to read this and share your feelings about it: But you can check my first one here:
http://singyourownlullaby.blogspot.com/2010/02/poem.html
I hope to have more for sharing with you in the future, I am just starting this new poetry adventure.

Hope you are doing great and take care!

Mariana Soffer said...

/t:
That is one of the best comments I did ever get, Thanks!
Check what Stu said above also, when he explained to me what you meant, He put it really nicely.
Be well my inspiring friend

Mariana Soffer said...

Human being:
You are also hilarious, I loved the cow analogy, but let me tell you that you can never be that, no way.

I get it now, it is an important truth and a clever way to write what you said. It was not so difficult to understand I wasn't pretty sharp that day I guess.
Thanks for explaining it.

YogaforCynics said...

Beautiful poem...those pages of those chapters can be heavy, though...

aditya said...

@ Human Being

Your first comment was beautiful.

It reminds me of "Spirituality comes from trying to get out of my self so I can go into myself from a different direction" - Jim Carroll.

Its a nice poem Mariana. Do keep them coming ..

Anonymous said...

mariana,

you are wonderfully talented

yes, stu understands perfectly and presents my meaning most eloquently

looking forward to more of your creative works

× × ×

/t.

human being said...

aditya...

thanks!
beautiful is you and your soul... i've read some of your comments and poems on Tom's blog... and know a bit of you...
:)
that quote is beauiful too... yes... all that is done is a journey from me to me...
so what is really important is the journey, not the destination... the quest(ion), not the answer... the how not the what...

i wrote the first two lines long time ago in a chain poem... now i add another two... for you and Mariana:


.

all paths are circles
all goings are returns

my mind gathers 'n gains
my heart joyfully unlearns

.

Andy said...

Beautiful - thanks for sharing

Mariana Soffer said...

adiyta:
First let me tell you that I love that you read the marvelous comments some of the readers from here made. I think they have lots of value, many times more than the post which looks just as an excuse for a wonderful ideas exchange.
Neat quote also, I did not know this guy, I will check it out.
And thanks for all, I will also go there as soon as I can.
Take care

Mariana Soffer said...

/t:
let me tell you this and it is not overstating, I deeply admire you for your work, your words and your incredible human qualities (I am not sure if you say it like this, I meant you are a beautiful human being; warm, with empathy and compassion, caring and a good person indeed).
That makes me feel really honored by your words and by having you somehow near me.
Well no crying please :)
I am looking forward to check your works too!

Mariana Soffer said...

andy:
Welcome here and thanks for your kindness.

Mariana Soffer said...

Human being:
Like I said to adiyta I love that you read other reader's comments and also talk to them.

About the poem: It is excelent, great indeed, let me just ramble a little, I used to think that our path was kind of a spiral circular but at the same time getting closer to what you really are and want to be. Which relates to the unlearning/learned lessons we go trough while following our trails.
The line "all goings are returns" is fantastic and incredibly wise I think.

Mariana Soffer said...

Human being:
I forgot to tell you I posted on twitter part of the poem you left above with your name (Human ..)and a link to your blog (more people should read your writings).

human being said...

Mariana... dear friend... i'm really flattered... thanks a lot!

so happy my words could strike a chord of resonance...
:)
sharing is all...


and yes spiral...
that circular movement is not happening on a flat plane for sure... it's happening in an at least 3-dimensional space... holding and affecting both the microcosmic and macrocosmic entities... both our physical world and the world of our mind...

once i wrote in a comment on another dear blogger friend:


the spiral movement i am in love with considering any path... holds also true when we confront any messages... all the readers and recipients walk on the path of the message but each is in a different 'altitude'... or 'depth'...



much love

Anonymous said...

Wonderful words very neatly put together. And on top of all that, the piece is teeming with feeling.

Just loved it!

Jinksy said...

Think this could go one more line, to complete the last verse:-

'nor where will be its ending.'

I do like the 'starts where we are standing'...

aditya said...

Thanks for such lovely lines HB.

All arrivals are departures. And likewise. Indeed.

Mariana Soffer said...

Human being:
Exactly sharing is the most important, I am interested therefore in the networking processes that are going on nowadays, because how things connect and what they exchange are fundamental for proper sharing, which I am not sure is happening enough trough the web (here came my nerdy part as well).
I am happy to see that we also agree on the spiral, I liked that you added the 3d, you added a dimension to the way I can think about this. Thanks a lot for it.

Mariana Soffer said...

Lucy in the sky:
thanks a lot for your kind words, I really wish I had more time for blogging nowadays, and exploring the wonderful blogs such as yours in more depth.

Mariana Soffer said...

jinsky:

I liked it, thanks for adding to it, I agree with your addition, I think part of the magic resides in the fact that anything can happen cause we can end up anywhere indeed.

Id it is said...

".......
But DOES one know
how far it goes?"

Can I take the liberty to suggest an alternate ending to your marvelous piece here? I enjoyed yours because it flows; I just want to see if we can make it to 'flow' a different way :)

A thought provoking write Mariana.

J said...

Another visualization, Mariana

http://www.project-reason.org/gallery3/image/105/

Mariana Soffer said...

Id it is:
thank you very much for your wonderful comment, the ending you propose is really good, next time I write this poem I will use it with your permission of course.

delhidreams said...

yes, it all starts where we want it to, when we want it to...and that 'it' is the defining moment of our momentary lives. nice thought Mariana, i come to u from dear crow (Human) and Bob (citizen of earth) n m glad to have found u :)

keep writing, keep posting n making us realize that there are more important things in this world than social networks and deadlines :)

warm regards,

-adee
(http://delhidreams.blogspot.com/)