Monday, September 20, 2010

Joie de Vivre

ONE SINGLE IMPRESSION

JOIE DE VIVRE!

'The Joy of living!' That sounds staid!
But say it in French and you've got it made!
I wonder if 'Le Weekend' sounds pretty good
To the French when it is understood.
Language is strange; some things catch-on;
Others are said but 'Phtt!' they're gone!
'Cul de Sac'! Now there's a phrase!
'Dead-end' was better in many ways,
But someone, somewhere, said 'Cul-de-sac'
And that foreign phrase just never looked back!
An idea that spreads is called a meme,
(Richard Dawkins favourite theme.)
'Waving goodbye' was a meme that spread;
We all followed where someone led.
'Joie-de-vivre' must have sounded right
Having caught the spirit of delight.
So now I say it and so do you!
'The Joy of Living' just will not do.
*
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PHANTOM MEMORIES

Memories elude us.
They are like
Dot-to-dot pictures
And we cannot quite
Join the numbers.
We think we remember,
But the edges of the memory blur.
Photographs deceive.
They fool our memories.
Our brains
Register a picture,
Nothing more.
'Do you remember?'
We say.
But how can he recall
What I recall?
He wasn't there.
Oh, he was in the room,
But he wasn't there in my place,
Looking through my eyes,
Feeling my emotions.
He looked East.
I looked West.
How can we share a memory?
Sometimes a colour does it!
Suddenly, a fabric
Brings everything into focus.
We are there again.
It is unsettling.
Music does it sometimes.
When I hear Paul McCartney's 'Yesterday'
The nostalgia
Overwhelms me.
But I am deluded once again.
Those are his memories,
Not mine.
*

29 comments:

Linda Jacobs said...

Language is fascinating, isn't it?

And I love the second poem! That ending is perfect!

Kerry O'Connor said...

I love your piece on memories - I've thought along similar lines myself. Sometimes we put so much store in what happened yesterday, when the memory becomes more tangible than reality - these few seconds of now... Oops that's a memory too :)

Ramesh Sood said...

Yes, Joie De Vivre will do.. and what's wrong if Joy of Living accompanies it.. both together is indeed fun..

Amity said...

Joie de vivre, another word i've learnt which is foreign to me but gives me immense joy of knowing what it means so i went on listing all those simple things that give me joie de vivre!

'but those are his memories, not mine'...this is quite sad Brenda coz I wish that it was both our memories!

good morning dear Brenda! :) have a great week ahead! :)

Anonymous said...

You certainly found the very essence of language in a beautiful way ! Please have a good new week.

daily athens

Sherri B. said...

The first one was lighthearted and delightful; the second one was deep and thoughtful. Lovely!

Diane T said...

I love McCarney's Yesterday as well. Two very outstanding poems!

gautami tripathy said...

Loved both. Gave me so much pleasure!


about fish, chips, nothing much else

And do get aboard the Poetry Train every Monday mornings and thereafter!

Carrie Van Horn said...

Just love both of these poems, but especially phantom memories...it is brilliant, and so true...:-)

Square Corner said...

Thank you for these poems, Rinky. Each is so different from the other. But both equally compelling.

flaubert said...

Language is a beautiful thing!
Pamela

Philip Thrift said...

I love the way memes are bought in.

Patti said...

I loved both of them but the second one really hits home for me. The memories are starting to get a little blurry but the emotions are right on and as powerful as ever! And btw- songs send me right beck to the memory as well

ms pie said...

the first foto set the pace... i had to smile.... thaz so true abt deadend...haha... and then the 2nd foto so different from the first as is yr second poem... dynamite especially the song of yesterday his not yrs... thought provoking and im still smiling... inamorata

Unknown said...

Reading the poems was a joy!

jfb57 said...

What a great pair! Brill!

EG CameraGirl said...

Your poetry exudes joie de vivre. You have an entertaining way of making important points. And you are right, we don't really share memories with anyone because we always bring our individual selves into the memories too. (I hope that makes sense to you.)

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

Thoughtful and fun at the same time! love it...

Teresa said...

I just love the tribute to language! So true that we like the way things sound when it is in a foreign language.

Susan Anderson said...

Enjoyed both of these poems. And "Yesterday" is nostalgic for me, too.

=)

Dana @ Bungalow'56 said...

I had never really given sayings from another language another thought. But now I think I will be noticing how much we use them now. In fact I kind of want to start my own : ) Salut!
Dana

Jenny said...

What a lovely, poetic stop today on our little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's journey through J.

Your writing is so joyful and amazing.

I am always impressed with your word craft.

You are a true poet.

Thank you for linking.

A+

Judie said...

I always love your words. You are a gift.

mub said...

I love the picture you posted with the first poem... it made me read it with so much more gusto than I might have otherwise! I really got into it!!

Jo said...

language and communication are such fascinating topics ... and wow, you are one talented person ... some of your words are just beautiful!

Teresa said...

The first poem is so much fun, but the second is the one I truly enjoyed more. Truly memories are unique. Wonderful poem.

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

Lovely poetic words...full of life and imagery!

Blessings & Aloha!

Esther Joy said...

With "Joy" for a middle name, I hope I live up to it! I write a second blog "Joy4Today" dealing with my attempts to choose joy - but it really should be "Joy4theWeek" because I don't write in it daily!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

I so enjoyed dancing through your words, as always. And the end of the second poem hit home for me. I think I've lived that moment in time.