Friday, December 31, 2010

Ars Interruptus.....

My apartment had a devastating fire on December 22, 2010, which made it uninhabitable and destroyed my poetry library (pictured below in what was my bedroom), with the exception of a few volumes I had at my desk in another room.  This is what it looked like, about 30 linear feet of poetry, before it was carted to the dumpster.  I escaped unharmed, but am unable to continue this project, for practical - and psychic - reasons.

It may or may not have been Divine Providence that made me finally start this blog last March, as it had been a "some day soon" project for years.  Now,  it preserves, in the virtual world, some of what would otherwise have been lost (to me) through the fire.  It's not the same as holding the books, seeing the notations I made, remembering when/where/how/why I acquired it.  A few were gifts from people significant to me, others were signed and/or first editions.... Another lesson on impermanence and attachment.

Please, please do practice fire-drills!  Begin by treating the sound of a fire-alarm as genuine: ignoring it could be tragic.  I was in the shower when I heard it and didn't believe it at first, losing valuable time.  

2 comments:

  1. I’m sorry for the loss of your poetic library and your belongings.
    Thanks again for your wonderful blog, which will still be here when you decide to come back. All my encouragement for your rebuilding. Although it has began rather badly, I wish you a happy New Year, Palimpsest.

    Alex

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  2. Oh this is so heartbreaking. I just found this blog looking for the full version of Nerudo's Sonnet LXV, and have been reading through poems to send on postcards to a lover.

    I have only a few books of poetry, and am slowly amassing more. Is it possible for me to send you a list of all the ones I no longer want or need, and you can have them?

    I am so so so sorry for your loss. And I apologize that I am quite late to this.

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