Swing

Eager anticipation as the big night approaches,

Primping and prinking as for a big ball

The first night out, hair in places, clothes exactly so

This skirt or that, which shoes are perfect, which skirt

will swing and sway with the music?

Arriving, empty room, ballroom floor

with hidden promise, what secrets 

will be whispered in your hidden corners?

What dynamic duos will dance their hearts out

to the music of a past generation, putting their

every feeling into their feet, letting the music

move them, sway them, swing them to the

contagious rhythms played on the now-empty floor?

And then, you arrive, the moment I've been waiting for

all my life, or for twenty minutes.  Our eyes meet,

the unspoken question answered before it is

asked, and you take my hand, you take command

as we swing and sway, twisting and turning

the rhythm inside of us being spoken to the 

audible music, a physical dialogue of bodies

and sound being played out on this

dance floor of our dreams.  

Too soon it ends, the magic, the night, the dance,

The song is over, the dialogue has been

halted, yet the music plays on in my head

as I walk out, swinging and swaying to

this rhythm, swing song, singing songs

of love and life and the music that is

filling my feet, filling my heart, filling

my life.  Next time, the dialogue will be longer.

Midsummer Night pull question

Elizabeth H. Bush

Mr. Bartel

TA Yorba Linda

Shakespeare

Pull Question-Midsummer Night's Dream

September 24, 2009

Is love in our world as arbitrary as the love of the enchanted lovers in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

In the world of the lovers of  A Midsummer Night's Dream, love itself seems to be a dream, mixed up, topsy turvy, and never constant.  First, Demetrius and Lysander are in love with Hermia, while Helena is left to love Demetrius without return.  Then by the aid of Puck's magic potion, both Demetrius and Lysander turn their eyes upon Helena, abandoning their previous paramore, Hermia.  In the end, the original lovers, Lysander and Hermia, are reunited, while Dmetrius turns back to his first love Helena through the aid of another of Puck's magic potions.  It seems to me however, that the constancy and fidelity of love in Shakespeare can be called into question by the example of these lovers, who fall in and out of love at the mere drop of a hat.

"But that is merely the effect of faeries' magic," you may argue, "and my lover and I will remain true to one another forever."  Yes, granted, Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius' love was confused and shuffled through the potion, but in the end, does not Demetrius wed Helena still under the effect of that same potion?  Romantic love such as is portrayed by Shakespeare is just as magical, mysterious, arbitrary, and incomprehensible in our day as it was in his.  Falling in love is something no scientist can explain, no psychologist can rationalize.  Like faerie's magic, eros is something that comes upon us unawares, bewitching our minds and altering our senses.  While it lasts, we are caught in its grasp, unable to explain why we do what we do except by attributing it to love.  Yet it may leave as suddenly as it comes, leaving us bewildered, yet seemingly sober and rational.  Our lovers, like deserted Hermia and Helena, may follow us with tragic laments, accusing us of infidelity and instability, but this is eros.  Like the faeries who caused it, eros is a sprite, a feather in the wind, fickle and inconstant, blowing whither it will.  

Is there then no hope for lovers in the world?  For those who choose to submit to the passion of eros, must htey also accept its arbitraryness?  Do we fall in love wilfully knowing that we may as quickly fall out of love?  Those who have loved pray that it is not so, but unfortunately it often is.  With no faerie potions to alter our vision and direct our emotions, causing us to love another until the faeries choose to remove that love, we of the modern world must manage our own love affairs as best we can with little but our own hearts to guide us, and as seen in Shakespeare, these hearts can be as fickle as the faeries themselves.

Soundtrack to My Life-Part 25

So I think its time for some new music...and I've been listening to a lot of new music lately courtesy of Daniel :)  So lots of happy alt rock bands this week :)

1) Shoreline-Deas Vail-I just discovered this band, and I think they're amazing :)  They're touring with Mae for their (a)fternoon tour, so I decided to listen to them before the concert...very very good :)

2) Fix You-Coldplay-my new favorite Coldplay song :)  Reminds me a lot of Death and All His Friends, musically speaking, but the chorus(es) are very good lyrically too

3) Bad Day-the first time I heard this song was an Alvin and the Chipmunks cover, and I remember thinking...hey this would be a good song if it weren't for the chipmunk voices, so I was excited to find that they weren't the only ones to sing it.  It's a catchy sort of song, so it sticks in your head really easily :P  Try not to get it stuck after listening to it a few times...nearly impossible.

4) Amazing, Because It Is-The Almost-fantastic song, fantastic band (tooth and nail, so of course they're good), fantastic pantomime :)

5) Just Let Go-mae-another good song, from singularity this time, which i don't listen to as much..but it's a really good song.  Their new EP is out now!!!!  on iTunes!!!!  its excellent, go listen to it :)

The doom of men is upon me, or what in the world have I just done, or...

...oh my goodness I just submitted my college applications to Providence and Biola!!!  Help!  I must now await with baited breath the outcome of these applications into which I have poured blood, sweat, and tears...well maybe not blood, or sweat, except for when we didn't have the AC on, and no tears...well, you get what I mean ;)  But anyways, they're off!  Which means I can work on my THI application, and then...wait.  And then...make major decisions.  And then...live by them.  Pray for me now and at the hour of my death.

Stories from Scotland

First off, my sincerest apologies to all those earnestly awaiting travel updates...as I did not bring the laptop, I have been unable to blog while on this trip :( However, in this our fourth hotel there's a computer in the lobby which I'm now using to give y'all a quick update on my travels in the bonnie land of Scotland.
It has been an absolutely amazing week thus far. Flying into Edinburg (pronounced Edinborough) on Monday, we quickly hit the ground running for three days of touring in and around Edinburg. Some of the highlights of that stay were Holyrood Palace, the official royal residence of Scotland, Abbotsford (Sir Walter Scott's country residence), walking the Royal Mile with an amazing godly Christian man who gave a fantastic tour and more insight into the lives of the Covananters in Scotland, trying haggis which Joshua ordered for dinner one night, and purchasing kilts for nearly all the family :)
Thursday morning we left Edinburg for another several days of touring, visiting several gorgeous castles and cathedrals including St. Andrew's Castle, Stirling Castle, the gorgeous ruins of Dunnotter Castle, and Melrose Abbey. Saturday was a nice break from all the travelling as our group spent the day at the Pitlochry Highland games to enjoy Highland dancing, tossing the caber, tug-of-war, and throwing the hammer. Whoever ridicules men in kilts has never seen kilted guys at Highland games...I am almost convinced that the kilt gives them the strength to toss those huge tree trunks :P
Sunday we left our second hotel for the Highlands, where we visited Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle and watched a few of our group go for a swim in the loch :) Sunday night several of our group spent a wonderful time of prayer and fellowship before a long night of sleep :) This morning we drove to Glencoe where several of our group took an epic hike to a hidden valley :) Scrambling up and down rocks, hiking high in the hill/mountains, crossing an ice cold stream (and for some of us, falling in an ice cold stream :P). The hike was a bit strenuous, but the views were just spectacular and I can't wait to bring home pictures for y'all. Speaking of which I'm clocking in at just under a thousand plus around 80 from Sarah's camera :) So plenty of pictures for all of you to enjoy. After the Glencoe hike we drove to our fourth hotel in Oban Bay, where we'll stay for the next two nights. Dinner is in a few minutes, and then an early bedtime as we'll be leaving here at 7AM for the Isles of Iona and Mull :)
Looking forward to seeing y'all when I return, and I promise to have more detailed stories and lots of pictures.
Under the mercy,
Elizabeth

Farewell...

...I call to hearth and hall, I must away at break of day.  Taken from Tolkien's brilliant song in The Hobbit, I believe, sung by the dwarves.  

Yes, I am now farewelling, and leaving home for Scotland, Isle of kilts and thistles, bagpipes and haggis.  Updates may be coming along with pictures, or they may all be given at the end of the trip; we shall see if laptop Chesterton voyages with me or not.  Until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of His hand.  Go under the mercy.