And at least in poetry you should feel free to lie. That is, not to lie, but to imagine what you want, to follow the direction of the poem.
Mark StrandRead
Once you start describing nothingness, you end up with somethingness.
Interpretation
Describing the absence of something can paradoxically lead to a new understanding or perspective.
Mark Strand's quote speaks to the paradoxical nature of thought and language. When we attempt to articulate concepts such as 'nothingness,' we often discover that this exploration leads us to new insights and understandings, creating 'somethingness' in our minds that wasn't there before. It highlights the complexity of existence and how even discussing absence shapes our perceptions and understanding of reality.
In practice
In a discussion about the meaning of life, this quote can be used to illustrate how exploring deep questions can lead to meaningful insights.
And at least in poetry you should feel free to lie. That is, not to lie, but to imagine what you want, to follow the direction of the poem.
...In another time, What cannot be seen will define us, and we shall be prompted To say that language is error, and all things are wronged By representation. The self, we shall say, can never be Seen with a disguise, and never be seen without one.
Even this late it happens the coming of love, the coming of light. You wake and the candles are lit as if by themselves, stars gather, dreams pour into your pillows, sending up warm bouquets of air. Even this late the bones of the body shine and tomorrowβs dust flares into breath.
No voice comes from outer space, from the folds of dust and carpets of wind to tell us that this is the way it was meant to happen, that if only we knew how long the ruins would last we would never complain.
From the shadow of domes in the city of domes,_x000D_ A snowflake, a blizzard of one, weightless, entered your room_x000D_ And made its way to the arm of the chair where you, looking up_x000D_ From your book, saw it the moment it landed. That's all_x000D_ There was to it.
There's a certain point, when you're writing autobiographical stuff, where you don't want to misrepresent yourself. It would be dishonest.
The devil is always discovering something novel against the truth.
As long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say what they think, free to think what they will, freedom can never be lost and science can never regress.
What terrified me will terrify others; and I need only describe the spectre which had haunted my midnight pillow.
A psychoneurosis must be understood, ultimately, as the suffering of a soul which has not discovered its meaning.
Nothing can tend so much to humble us before the mercy and justice of God as the consideration of His benefits and our own sins. Let us, then, consider what He has done for us, and what we have done against Him; let us call to mind our sins in detail, and His gracious benefits in like manner, remembering that whatever there is of good in us is not ours, but His, and then we need not be afraid of vainglory or of taking complacency in ourselves.
So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.
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