"Grass will grow and the gods die fast, and everything is true."
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a copy of Jack Kerouac's journals, Windblown World, whilst dumpster diving! The other evening I had a chance to read it into the late hours of the night, sipping wine and devouring it's pages. What I didn't expect was philosophical forest analogies,a veritable woodland of words!
This manuscript reminded me of how much I used to love writing, crafting complex sentences and paragraphs. I haven't written in a while, and I want to focus more on one of my favorite creative expressions again. Perhaps, like Kerouac, I will start keeping a daily diary again...
"All of a sudden, the forest looms around in the night. Great simple art is always suddenly inexplicable and forever understood; it looms like the forest"
The forest is the art of nature herself, the tall trees and picturesque scenes bring a looming sense of calm...
"Cool, cool day, I'm grateful for these swell workdays, and nice and gray too. Gray workdays are my Thurinigian Forest, my Wiemar, and Jinny is my Italy, you see. I travel back and forth in my coach-and-four over the Alps of conflict..."
Like Kerouac, I prefer gray, cloudy, rainy days. I feel much more inspired on a gray day. The Thurinigian Forest is a huge forest in Germany that has inspired countless artists, including me! Traveling over the alps of conflict, being "lost in the forest', these things are very true for a struggling artist...
"As for me, the basis of my life is going to be a farm somewhere where I'll grow some of my food, and if need be, all of it. Someday I won't do nothing by sit under a tree while my crops are growing (after the proper labor, of course) - and drink home-made wine, and write novels to edify my soul, and play with my kids, and relax, and enjoy life, and goof off, and thumb my nose at the coughing wretches."
I know exactly how Jack feels in this passage. This is how life should be for everyone, but somehow along the way things got so twisted that a person can't just build a home and farm the land. We are taught we have to work hard our whole lives and save money to afford even a small plot of land to farm on. He never did get that farm, and sometimes I feel like I never will either...
I have to admit I actually never read any of Kerouac's work. Perhaps I should do so;)
ReplyDeleteAnd I used to think I loved grey days, but it turns out I actually do need a bit of sunshine. At least in the warmer seasons. I think I'll still enjoy those cozy days in Autumn tremendously!
I've only read On the Road, but after perusing these journals, I want to read more of his work! I loved the journals because he wrote every day and described his daily routine as a writer, and I love seeing how other artists work. Near the end of the daily diary segment of the book, he gets the idea to write On the Road. I actually enjoy his life before success than after. Makes me appreciate my own unsuccessful (as of yet!) life...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for reading my blog so much lately! I really appreciate it.