PASS THE POETRY, PLEASE

Friday, March 20, 2020


"We would be together
and have our books and at night 
be warm in bed together with 
the windows open and the stars bright."




I want us to go more the Hemingway (pun absolutely intended)
with our nights. Even if admittedly ours are very much together,
candlelight and even the open windows, there is a bit more cold light
from screens than starlight, and books between us in bed.
I wish us a more of that magic that lives between book pages.
I have always read a lot, come from a family of readers,
and want very much to pass the love of reading on to Cassius.

Probably needless to say the kid is not sitting reading on his own.
He is four years old and recognises his own name, mouths it from the letters
when he sees them. But he was, for some unreadable reason, 
deeply absorbed in Sierra DeMulder's We Slept Here that was laying
around on our bed. I wonder so what goes through his mind
when he departs like that. The details were in cahoots nonetheless,
an exemplary moment for a photograph.


How I read myself has changed lately.
I read more poetry than I used to. I also feverishly fold
more dogears than ever before and in almost everything I read,
and write down more sentences I want to remember in notes.
We are gratefully healthy, so the fever is over the words
and where they take me. Perhaps some of them
can inspire someone else other than me.

And so, this is my bedside table reading stack
at the moment, from top to bottom.
"Societies in which women have lots of autonomy and authority
tend to be decidedly male-friendly, relaxed, tolerant, and plenty sexy.
Got that, fellas? If you're unhappy at the amount of sexual opportunity
in your life, don't blame the women. Instead, make sure they have
equal access to power, wealth, and status. Then watch what happens."

- Cacilda Jethá (& Christopher Ryan),
Sex at Dawn
Jonathan Simons,
Songs of Waking (Poems)



"We would all like to believe we came from nowhere but ourselves,
every gesture is our own. But then we find we belong to the history and fate
of a long line of beings that also may have wished to be free."

- Patti Smith,
Devotion
(from the 'Why I Write' series)
I'm curious about author Simon Van Booy and started
with buying this one, that now already has quite a few dogears.


"I wonder if things can happen too early or too late or
if everything happens at exactly the right time.
If so, how sad and beautiful."





"I want to do things for people they will never forget.
Maybe that's the best thing I can do in life."





"It's true the people we meet shape us. But the people
we don't meet shape us also, often more because we have
imagined them so vividly.

There are people we yearn for but never seem to meet."




- Simon Van Booy,
The Secret Life of People in Love
'The Man who Planted Trees' is one of my favourite books
ever since my father gave me a copy many years ago.
I lost that one during one of my many moves,
and now felt I had to both own, and reread it.



"For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities,
one must have the good fortune to be able to observe
its performance over many years. If this performance is
devoid of all egoism, if its guiding motive is unparalleled generosity,
if it is absolutely certain that there is no thought of recompense and that,
in addition, it has left its visible mark upon the earth,
then there can be no mistake."

- Jean Giono,
The Man who Planted Trees
Several scattered sentences in my notes were by Ocean Vuong
I realised, so I wanted to try reading something of his.



"The most beautiful part of your body
is where it's headed.
& remember, / loneliness is still time spent /
with the world."

- Ocean Vuong,





I hope this finds you healthy and with more hope than despair.
And if you have a book or an author you want to suggest,
or anything that can inspire in these uncertain times for that matter,
- pass the poetry, please..!

hannah x






2 comments:

Clara Belle said...

I have been meaning to visit your blog again for a while. It kept calling to me, but life has been too busy. But on lock down I find the time and I have been rewarded with many beautiful words and photos. Firstly thank you. I am massive fan of yours. Your boy is getting so big and even more beautiful. I loved the post where you spoke of standing naked in front of the mirror. And the self portrait photo with the lines drawn on your face. Keep safe. Lots of love xxx

hannah lemholt said...



CLARA BELLE

thank you so so much for taking the time
to let me know you were here.. and for such
beautiful words..!

thank you also for letting me know what you
loved most, it inspires me..!

i hope this finds you and your loved ones
safe and healthy..! stay hopeful, my darling..!

lots of love,

hannah xx