Hello, July.
Today's episode is mostly simple & playful: about water and the ocean--its versatility, beauty, changeability while remaining itself. It's rife with metaphor, and I think that strong presence of natural poetry is one of the reasons so many have long felt drawn to the shores and why it is such a remedy for illnesses of body, mind, and heart. It speaks inherently to something of a mysticism and preaches the depth of existence; it constantly reminds us there is more, and much more of what we can't possibly fathom.
The world would do well to go to the shores and spend time contemplating waves.
Scroll to begin with my poem, "Life is Water."
LIFE IS WATER
Life is water
Quenching, drenching, drowning:
Liquid mirrors and glass pouring out, out, out
Reflections and windows of light and night.
And the dust cries for it
And the heart asks, breathless and dry
And time-oceans demand it,
Attract it, control it, possess it--
All the while flashing its mirrors at heaven,
Its windows to the abyss.
And pieces of ocean escape to the sky
And travel in clouds
Until in great number,
like loyal subjects
preceding their royal rainbow,
heaven mixes with earth.
But the ocean cannot be held
and so the dust softens, thickens, and thins,
blinds, heals--and mud is clarity.
But messy, too, and the fields become swamps
and one sinks in the stepping:
deeper, deeper, colder, thicker
And as the seething ground threatens envelopment
the rain bathes and glistens, soothes, cools,
is drunk down deep,
soaking the sunburnt soul,
flooding into corners, crevices,
darkened marrow, ancient blood,
shining its cold windows and glinting its mirrors.
And the silent searing leaks out, out, out in tears
but the salt stays on the skin--
--And it's tea time.
And coffee tea.
And filtered drinking time.
And water is a chameleon.
Water:
Change & Stability
"Take a Picture"
Vs. 1
Take a picture on the beach:
Salt-soaked memories by a cold, summer sea
"Mighty, mighty, mighty" cry the waves on the shore
All in violent sweetness while we try to keep warm
Vs. 2
Faded photograph
Damp ocean fog--oh, how we'll remember that
Mighty, mighty, mighty blows the wind in our eyes
Swirling sand around us as we try to stop time
Vs. 3
Faded but engraved
Squint to see it, but it will always stay
Mighty, mighty, mighty is the mind of man
Miracle the way he holds the heights in hand
Vs. 4
Take a picture for to keep:
These oceans within our fragile reach
Mighty, mighty, mighty will the day rush, rush
But you're in my heart long after the waters hush
Below is one verse to a hymn by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, within the more ancient tradition of Gregorian chant.
Again on that plane of intuition, many have long been drawn to these flowing sounds because of an intuitive communication of depth, peace, and meaning. When done well, it has the effect of the gentle, slightly shifting rhythm of rising and falling waves.
Adoro Te Devote
(one verse)
The whole song and Gregorian Chant album can now be streamed on streaming sites or is available for complimentary download with PDF guide at www.catholicsong.com.
We have loved having you here today.
You can download July's PDF for all main written content and lyrics, as well as audio files for the featured songs and poems by clicking the button below.
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BONUS MATERIAL:
Not ready for your art experience to end just yet?
Some other extra content worth your time can be found below.
Song for Canada by Kay Clarity
A simple, melancholy song about my homeland in a time where so much of what is good is under attack: I express the longing for going back but also rebuilding, with a certain homesickness.
Special thanks to all who support great artists around the world, ensuring a legacy of humanity and beauty for future generations. "Take a Picture" and "Life is Water" written and performed by Kay Clarity. "Adoro Te Devote" is Gregorian chant taken from the tradition of the Catholic Church and written by Thomas Aquinas (all tracks can be found for free download at: www.catholicsong.com.) All featured photos by Kay Clarity. Raw alabaster candle featured in every episode is from House of Royals Co.
This Art Episode series has been copyrighted, inclusive of all individual elements within the episodes, as well as the concept. It can be shared personally and directly with anyone of interest, but can't be replicated without permission. For inquiries for broader use, please write me and my team at [email protected].
Copyright Kay Clarity/Snow Rose Productions/Calibre Records, 2021. All rights reserved.
