I can't help it...
still in the intro but a little further on...
You can hear the dew falling, and the hushed town
breathing. Only your eyes are unclosed to see the black
and folded town fast, and slow, asleep. And you
alone can hear the invisible starfall, the darkest-
before-dawn minutely dewgrazed stir of the black,
dab-filled sea where the Arethusa, the Curlew and the
Skylark, Zanzibar, Rhiannon, the Rover, the
Cormorant, and the Star of Wales tilt and ride.
Listen. It is night moving in the streets, the
processional salt slow musical wind in Coronation
Street and Cockle Row, it is the grass growing on
Llareggub Hill, dewfall, starfall, the sleep of birds in
Milk Wood.
And it goes on and on and on... reading Under Milk Wood is like eating the richest and most moist of cakes. Imagery, words and sounds tumble to form a tale of life in the small Welsh fishing village of Llareggub (buggeralL). Astonishing stuff.
Last night I watched Sea of Love, a top movie from 1989 with Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin and John Goodman. Intelligent film making spoilt only by the prissy final minutes. The story is strong and well played allowing for no fat except the tiny post plot ending which is shite. Great film nevertheless.
5 comments:
Check out Guyana Gyal's blog for words that crackle... she's a great writer. I love Dylan Thomas too, reminds me of home. I lived in Wales until I was 18.
Mimi darling,
read Guyana Gyal, refreshing or what! And Dylan Thomas, and you. What writing, what life, great to be alive stuff. I'm aware that you're struggling out there in deepest NY but fuck me, you know how to string a sentence together. A real wordsmith. Guyana Gyal's got the same touch. God, and your bloody Welsh to boot!
Hoping some of it rubs off on me...
xx
Actually, my real ethnic roots are derived from... Liverpool. Yes, I am the daughter of scousers. But my own accent is some fucked up mid-atlantic one, kind of aussie crossed with east-anglia.
And your words are pretty fizzing to, young Dan.x
Hello Dan, please forgive me...I deleted your post about capitalism etc. to protect family Abroad. It's a long tale. One day maybe you'll know why, and hopefully, understand.
But all in all, I differ in opinion about what you said. Not in a bad way, just another way, I promise. When I'm not so woozy, I'll share. Hey, you never know, it might work. It's basically what the president of Guyana seeks to achieve, so it's not anything totally off from a 3rd world point of view.
I haven't read your posts as yet...only this one...
Mimi, my words crackle? Thank you, that's kind of you. I must say, I don't need anyone to tell me how vivid a writer you are. [I wish I could tell my old aunts and uncles to read your blog...but can you imagine...?!? hahaha...very loving but old fashioned.] The thing I see in your posts is that you care and it makes you angry.
Well, I've never [shock horror] read Under Milkwood. I have a friend who's bugged me for a long while to read it...and now, after what Dan's written, I'm convinced.
The words 'make my skin grow' as we say. I don't know how to translate that. Depending on the context...shiver of delight or goosebumps of fear. In this case, shiver of delight.
So this week I have to go to our old library in town for Walcott and Thomas...
Oh...Mimi, Dan...I think you would find Oonya Kempadoo's writing even more crackling. She's Guyanese too.
Hello Dan...thanks! I needed your refreshing rain, bringing new life to everything...your comment on my post.
Instead of working, I'm reading Naipaul's Guerillas, and it's bloody deeeeepressing. Why don't I just burn the blasted book.
Making me go through those 'who am I, what am I, where am I?'thoughts.
Then there was your post. Thanks.
I read your posts yesterday. You're funny, wicked, bad, hilarious, everything.
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