The Washington Post and The Library of Congress have put
together a new series called The Poetry of Home. Could anything in this time of
stay-at-home mandates be more timely? Listen to Robert Pinsky elaborate on and
read his poem House Hour here.
House Hour
(City Elegies, Part 3 of 6)
Robert Pinsky
Now the pale honey of a kitchen light
Burns at an upstairs window, the sash a cross.
Milky daylight moon,
Sky scored by phone lines. Houses in rows
Patient as cows.
Dormers and gables of an immigrant street
In a small city, the wind-worn afternoon
Shading into night.
Hundreds of times before
I have felt it in some district
Of shingle and downspout at just this hour.
The renter walking home from the bus
Carrying a crisp bag. Maybe a store
Visible at the corner, neon at dusk.
Macaroni mist fogging the glass.
Unwilled, seductive as music, brief
As dusk itself, the forgotten mirror
Brushed for dozens of years
By the same gray light, the same shadows
Of soffit and beam end, a reef
Of old snow glowing along the walk.
If I am hollow, or if I am heavy with longing, the
same:
The ponderous houses of siding,
Fir framing, horsehair plaster, fired bricks
In a certain light, changing nothing, but touching
Those separate hours of the past
And now at this one time
Of day touching this one, last spokes
Of light silvering the attic dust.
Every now and again these days, I find myself sitting at my
desk, staring out the window, and feeling unsettled, the heart heavy with
longing. Some of my most beloved treasures are within grasp – my husband and
daughters, my welcoming home and garden, my ever-pleasing dog and entertaining
cat, my spaces for creating and nurturing and peace. Yet, I recognize an
undeniable surge of longing as I stay at home, knowing some of the simplest
things have been lost. Alone they may be of no consequence but collectively the
hole left behind is obviously gaping.
Feeling the same? Here is a simple exercise to flush it out.
Take ten minutes to jot down as quickly as possible a list of all the things
you miss under lock down. Don’t self-censor or question. Let yourself be led by
your inner voice which may shout out some things and need encouragement to
describe others. After you finish your list, you might like to see mine:
- The breeze from an open car window on a warm day
- Wandering the aisles of the farm stand with only the produce and its potential on my mind
- A friend stopping by unexpectedly
- Volunteering to help comrades in arms
- Petting the approaching owner’s dog on a neighborhood walk
- Conversing informally with colleagues any time I walk the halls at work
- Eaves dropping on conversations at the coffee shop
- Making small talk with the store clerk
- An empty house
- House guests
- Travel planning
- Writing circle
- A salon appointment
- Cooking for a crowd
- The efficiency demanded by a full schedule
- A crowded movie theater
- Running out for a quick bite to eat
- Coffee klatches, lunch appointments, dinner dates
- The novelty of thrift store finds
- Toasting, cheering, clapping, snapping photos, or otherwise collectively emoting and commemorating at a public gathering
- Letting go of my daughter as she heads out the door, forges a new path, sets her sights afar
- Waiting for my husband to arrive for dinner, brimming with news to share from our respective days
- The confidence that comes with sound leadership
- Hugs, handshakes, fist pumps, high fives, leaning in, whispering, walking arm-in-arm, brushing a cheek
- Looking over a student’s shoulder at her work, his computer, their group work
- Walking the streets of a favorite city with no agenda
- Sitting on the downtown mall with a drink on a lazy weekend deep in conversation and people watching
Robert Pinsky reminds us that the advantage of being heavy
with longing is to know what one wants. This may be the greatest gift of our
confinement. As a result, we can make this exercise more specific and focus on
our jobs, our relationships, our free time, our passions and goals and desires.
My husband has been keeping a list on a presentation size post-it note stuck to
the wall of all the things he misses in his professional life and those he
could do without, examining his commitments and responsibilities pre-Covid-19
as well as in the grasp of the pandemic today. This is a forward-looking,
change-oriented exercise to seize the opportunity this crisis affords of
rejecting the old normal and envisioning a new path forward.
Deliberately. Mindfully. Conscientiously. Set longing under
the lens, examine contemplatively, find meaning. Move forward, your soul centered
and your purpose clear.
