INTENTION
by Kay Ryan
Intention doesn't sweeten.
It should be picked young
and eaten. Sometimes only hours
separate the cotyledon
from the wooden plant.
Then if you want to eat it,
you can't.
Note to self: don't pave the roads to anywhere with good intentions. Act, do, decide, speak, be...without hesitation.
Jama has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Jama's Alphabet Soup.
The July-December roundup schedule is now complete! Thank you, Irene, for taking the Christmas Day roundup!
That is one great Kay Ryan poem! She certainly knows how to write tight!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, I think it's fairly safe to propose there should be no Christmas Day Round-Up. P.F. participation is slim at best. It would be one less thing for people to worry about preparing before the holiday.
That might be a good plan, Diane. What does everyone else think? Maybe since both Christmas and New Years fall on Fridays this year, we could take a two-week hiatus from rounding up -- this is not to say that bloggers wouldn't/couldn't post poetry those two weeks, just no official roundup?
DeleteI sorta hate to break the Poetry Friday tradition, esp. for a holiday that not everyone celebrates... you can put me down for Christmas! (Small roundup is still roundup!)
DeleteThanks, Irene!
DeletePF on Christmas is a fine. I almost signed up for that date, too.
DeleteI am going to agree that we should have PF on Christmas Day. It's a great way to celebrate. Those two weeks off of school actually work well for me to post.
DeleteThanks, Irene! :0)
DeleteIntention is important.
ReplyDeleteI shall post this at my desk to nudge me for my summer intentions, Mary Lee. Thanks. I know this can mean more, but for now, let it be a personal one.
ReplyDeleteWhat a rich nugget of a poem. Love your note to self, too. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteSo many intentions, so little time.
ReplyDeleteSo true! It's a kind of Don't put off till tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteAhhhh! Great reminder to just do it!
ReplyDeleteAct! I agree completely. Intentions are nice, but it's what you do that defines you.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem!
ReplyDeleteLove the note to self at the bottom of the poem. Good advice for me since I'm always the dawdler when it comes to making decisions.
ReplyDeleteLove your note self because I could have written it to myself too! I am a bit of a procrastinator...but with good intentions! :)
ReplyDelete"Act, do, decide, speak, be...without hesitation" - wow, as powerful as Kay Ryan's poem. Thank you. =)
ReplyDeleteHow does Kay Ryan do it, get so much music and heart into such tiny packages/?
ReplyDeleteI love her work but wasn't familiar with this poem, Mary Lee - thanks for posting it!
Kay Ryan is my hero. Such a pow in so few words!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee,
ReplyDeleteI loved the rhythm of this smart reminder --- and smart reminder, it is. I have to continually push myself to get things done when I think of them. If I put them off...gone.
Thanks for sharing,
Cathy
How did Kay Ryan know about that teacher bag I need to clean out.?Or the closet full of stuff that needs to be cleaned out? Or the Slice I wrote last week??? Darn it!
ReplyDeleteAct, do, decide, speak, be...without hesitation.
ReplyDeleteYes!
Powerful little poem- and I love your note to self as well!
ReplyDeleteI love this, Mary Lee. I might have to print it out and put it by my "Someday is NOT a day of the week" sign:>) Life. Is. Short.
ReplyDeleteI had to look up "cotyledon".... Thanks for the short but spicy reminder, and I like Laura's "Someday is not..." sign she mentioned!
ReplyDelete