Perelandra = love

Listening to: "Lille" by Lisa Hannigan

"The cord of longing which drew him to the invisible isle seemed to him at that moment to have been fastened long, long before his coming to Perelandra, long before the earliest times that memory could recover in his childhood, before birth, before the birth of man himself, before the origins of time. It was sharp, sweet, wild, and holy, all in one..." - Perelandra, Chapter 8

I'm loving the second book in Lewis' Space Trilogy.

I love how a parallel is drawn between Perelandra and the Garden of Eden.

I love how, in Perelandra, all pleasures are good and holy - and how, because of this, Ransom realizes that the goodness would be ruined if he were to impulsively repeat said pleasures. It's like Lewis' going Theology of the Body on us!

I love the blatantly Marian portrayal of the Lady - in fact, it took me while to realize that she's an Eve-character, and not a Mary-character.

I LOVE his portrayal of Satan. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. It feels weird saying that, but yeah - I mean, it sends shivers down my spine, which is why I love it. You get the feeling that Lewis was a man who had an incredible understanding of the Truth, and he was not afraid to communicate it very clearly through his art.

I love his ongoing commentary on holy longing. I say ongoing because this is something that pervades all of his works, and which you won't come across to such an extent in any other author's works. Seriously. I have no words. Just love.


Works cited in this post: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength . C. S. Lewis. Quality Paperback Bookclub (New York): 1997. 724 pages.

Adventures in indie dreamland

I'm beginning to realize that my favorite side of indie music is the sweet, ethereal, dreamy side. Here are a few of my favorite pieces by artists I've discovered lately.

From the Icelandic group Seabear:





From múm, another Icelandic group. I gotta say, I love watching these guys perform live. They seem so full of joy.





Finally, here's a little something from the a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e trio from Michigan known as Breathe Owl Breathe (and yes, they are wearing capes):






Enjoy :)

Olivia

Some loveliness from Neil Gaiman

Currently listening to: "Kaleidescope" by Shona Mooney

Now, I've never actually read anything by Neil Gaiman, but I'm familiar with some of his works and I have several friends who are big fans. A while ago, I stumbled across this: a book trailer (I'd never heard of those before; what a genius idea!) that Gaiman had released in order to promote his new book, Instructions. This little video alone is magical enough - I can't imagine what the book would be like! I'm going to have nab myself a copy sometime during the summer...

Also, check out an earlier trailer for Gaiman's Blueberry Girl - it's equally delightful!

The New Tantalus

My latest completed work. I'll say right now that this has really fallen short of my initial ideas and expectations. It's definitely not the best poetry I've ever written, but I think it's worth sharing. I'll probably wrok a revision at some point; if I do, I'll be sure to post it. Also, I don't know what this whole drifting-in-and-out-of-rhyming-stanzas-and-free-verse thing is, but I've been doing it all over the place lately, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's simply a sloppy habit that I should nip in the bud now. Your honest opinions?

Thanks, guys. Enjoy!

***

I.

I am not alone,
For He stands upon that stone.
He looks down on me,
And I've my eye on Him.

It is no punishment,
The anguish He has sent:
Though they say I'm doomed to wallow;
Though they write my history -
I am pleading innocent,
And He pleads with me.
(More than I can swallow,
He's the greatest mystery.)

II.

Just above my head there bends
A supple branch; hang berries red.
Their skin and flesh is plump and ripe.

Here is one fruit unforbidden.

Here is one fruit I cannot have,
But fruit I will one day eat.

I reach up; He pulls it away:
In the brilliance, my knuckles are skinned.
The tender raw of nail beds are scalded by bright juice
(For such sweet meat, it is quite sharp).

III.

This pool, which is just ankle-deep,
Slyly shackles both my feet.

Here is water which flows to quench me.

It is water I cannot taste,
But water I will one day drink.

I crouch down;
He flirts the waves away at the settling of my soles.
He teases for reasons
That I do not yet know.

IV.

He plays a hallowed game with me -
I'm neither scared, nor ought to be -
Who could ever want to be free,
Given such filling hunger?

My thirst goes longer. Laugh, you may,
But my throat grows stronger every day -
No matter what the stories say,
My eye is fixed on Him.
He stands alone upon the stone;
I cannot look away.

Yet I'll remain misrepresented,
As only I can know
How I'm not tantalized by water,
But the One from whom it flows.



Olivia Meldrum 2010

You Say, I Say

Now that I've begun to post my current poetry, I think I want to go ahead and include the things I've written in recent years, as well - I feel like most of the stuff I've written from, say, 2007 - onwards all fits together like a set. Here is one that I wrote in January 2009, during a time when I was seriously discerning a religious vocation. Enjoy!

***

You say, “What if I want you?”

I say, “Well, first I’ll fear You.

For Your bed is deeper,
And Your weight is greater
Than that of any lover whom I might ever know.

Yet, I will not flee You. Not for a breath, will I flee You.
Any violation will be what I must bear.
(All of Your transgressions stand above the Law.)”

You say, “What if I want you? All for Myself, I want you.
What if I leave no room for the place of any other?”

I say, “Oh, my Lover. You are a jealous Lover!
Yes. I’ll let you fill me till there’s room for none but You.

I’ll be a little lonely, beside the other brides.
There will be lots of waiting -
You won’t be mine, completely -
But for only one short lifetime will You visit me at night.”

You say, “What if I love you? What if I wish to choose you?
For I have spilled My lifeblood, that I might kiss your lips.”

I say, “I’ll look no farther.
I’ve found my Bridegroom-Father.
You, my Love, will lead me to my childhood Home.

And if only You will hold me, and keep me through the night,
Then, sooner than it seems, I’ll stand before Your Face -
Unafraid and naked in the ever lasting Light.

You say, “I want you.”
Words crumble in my mouth.
But the depth of this desire,
All the descending fire -
Has made me bold, and so I dare to say -
‘Oh, Lord! I want You, too.’



Olivia Meldrum 2010

Just call me Miss Melissopalynologist...

...see, what I want is the honeybee fighting with the clover -
"I'm sweeter than you!"

Who's Mr. Melissopalynologist? Why, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, of course.

I think this is the best thing I've found in a while

It's so incredibly beautiful. Not only is the video a work of art, but the music is very well composed and arranged, and the lyrics are poetry. I mean, really - considered alone, they are extremely reminiscent of Robert Frost or William Carlos Williams or someone like that (it totally had me thinking of the latter's "The Young Housewife"). That's more than can be said for some of the stuff in the world of indie music today!

And this is such a perfect song for the beginning of spring. I think it's providential that I found it my first day home for spring break...you know, like a little wink on God's part.

Enjoy!!