Oh, let there be nothing on earth but laundry,_x000D_ Nothing but rosy hands in the rising steam_x000D_ And clear dances done in the sight of heaven.
Richard WilburRead
It is true that the poet does not directly address his neighbors; but he does address a great congress of persons who dwell at the back of his mind, a congress of all those who have taught him and whom he has admired; they constitute his ideal audience and his better self.
Interpretation
The poet communicates not just with those around him but with a deeper audience of influences and ideals.
In this quote, Richard Wilbur highlights the idea that a poet's true audience is not merely the physical people around him but rather an internal assembly of inspirations and admired figures that shape his creative expression. This 'congress' represents the ideals and teachings that inform the poet's work, suggesting that art is a conversation with one's own better self and the legacy of those who have influenced us.
In practice
In a discussion on the role of poetry in society during a literature class.
Oh, let there be nothing on earth but laundry,_x000D_ Nothing but rosy hands in the rising steam_x000D_ And clear dances done in the sight of heaven.
I would feel dead if I didn't have the ability periodically to put my world in order with a poem. I think to be inarticulate is a great suffering, and is especially so to anyone who has a certain knack for poetry.
We used to make patterns in the dirt, hanging our feet off the horse-drawn farm equipment. We made endless hourglass figures that I now see as the forms within forms in my crocheted wire sculptures.
The Beauty raised her eyes, the only part of her that was truly beautiful.
great writers are indecent people they live unfairly saving the best part for paper. good human beings save the world so that bastards like me can keep creating art, become immortal. if you read this after I am dead it means I made it.
Decoration is really about creating a quality of life, and a beauty in that life that nourishes the soul, that makes life beautiful.
In school I was in the dark room all the time, and I've always collected stray photographs; there's a great deal of memory in them.
What a beautiful testament to the creative spirit and its true motives, to creative contribution coming from a place of purpose rather than a hunger for profit.
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