"I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~
-o0o-
when i was a young girl back in the old country, my mother used to recite this poem to us her children. it then came quite easy for me when in high school in my 'english' subject i recited this and explained to the teacher what the poem meant, using my mother's interpretation. the teacher thought i was very smart, my school rivals thought i was a show off, and my mother thought i should clean the house more often.
This is perfect- story and pic has me smiling from ear to ear! My mother also felt that cleaning the house was something her eldest should do every Saturday. Although I hated it in the beginning, when she was sick, it felt good to be a help. Now, I wish I could clean the house for her every Saturday just to be with her.
Love the symbolic photo and Longfellow's poem! You learned so much at such a young age, summerfield. Took me many years (in college) to begin that journey. Your words made me want to visit with my mother again ... oh, how I miss that.
@catsmeowb - well, i missed you more :-) thank you, camille. so glad you're okay.
@olivetreeann - thank you, ann. my goodness, all those saturdays from a long time ago! i think that was one of the reasons i loved being in school is i dreaded saturday mornings when i have to sweep cobwebs outside the window, scrub the floors and steps, then sit down by the deep well to do laundry. every saturday. after my mother had a stroke, i pared it down to every second saturday which didn't sit well with her. and like you, now, i wish she was still here and i would clean every day for her.
@karenann - thank you, karenann. yes, i learned a lot especially as the eldest daughter girl in the family. i learned to cook rice and babysat my four younger siblings at barely age 4. i used to tell my siblings and my friends that i never had a childhood because we were so poor i had to help out at home a lot. school was my sanctuary, the library and books my refuge. so now that i'm pushing 60, i get to enjoy the childhood i never had!
@roth - no! west side of church street just north of king looking north! hehehe! thank you, sue.
@alia_801 - thank you, alia. glad i made you happy!
@cscecil - eh, no. i stuck my guns at every other saturday! the other saturday i'm not cleaning the whole house, i was surface cleaning. cleaning still hahahaha! thank you, CS.
@sunnygreenwood - on the one hand, i feel like i'm restricted with the photographs i take or sometimes, i'm not too inspired because, to be frank, who really wants to look at this arrow, right? on the other hand, it forces me to think and look around me closely and then in the process i get ideas for future shots. or it sparks a line in my head and i get to write. thank you, anne.
your poem and story made me smile.
@steeler - thank you, howard. i think i can speak for everyone when i say we missed you.
@vikkigm - thank you, vikki. making the most out of picnik before it disappears!
@catsmeowb - well, i missed you more :-) thank you, camille. so glad you're okay.
@olivetreeann - thank you, ann. my goodness, all those saturdays from a long time ago! i think that was one of the reasons i loved being in school is i dreaded saturday mornings when i have to sweep cobwebs outside the window, scrub the floors and steps, then sit down by the deep well to do laundry. every saturday. after my mother had a stroke, i pared it down to every second saturday which didn't sit well with her. and like you, now, i wish she was still here and i would clean every day for her.
@roth - no! west side of church street just north of king looking north! hehehe! thank you, sue.
@cscecil - eh, no. i stuck my guns at every other saturday! the other saturday i'm not cleaning the whole house, i was surface cleaning. cleaning still hahahaha! thank you, CS.