On The Days

 

I’m learning a piece called I Giorni which means “The Days”. Days may be passed, spent, or seized. I used to say when walking my dog Shadow, ‘The days of Shadow are good days.’ Those were days that came to an end. The days of the pandemic are strange days. These must also reach an ending.

While some parts of I Giorni are hard for me to play, parts of some days are hard to stay. Some are grim indeed.  But each of the days has its purpose.  Rainy days for growing. Shiny days for walking. Holidays for resting. Each day has its times. Who blames the high sun of noonday for not being the pale light of dawn, with intriguing expectations? The golden hour so perfect for photography is the dog watch of evening. Short, but excellent.

While merely a child, you’re a baby; toddler; primary; teenaged: growing into adult knowledge. For life. While merely aged, you’re old; an admirable antique; then an amiable ancient; eventually a surprising sage: growing on to wise reflections, should we live so long. Seeing through the ways. Tasting how the times play to themselves. Listening to the ages and the days. For good.

On Raging

The pandemic is raging. Somewhere beneath the sea, the volcano is raging; sea rages; winds rage; the waters washing out about the islands and sending the frail crust into the infinite transformational properties of the earth. The nations raging – furiously – and then we ask why? Why do they do it? I would really like to know.

The rich rage at failing to increase their already plutocratic wealth. Religious rage with zeal for their godly houses.  Politicians, despite the cults they profess, the corruptions they practice, the ideologies they idolise, rage against the intractabilities of governing.

Some are raging with joy. Transposed into another dimension by drugs, dance, or drumming. Dionysus on the dance floor. Raging with beauty, like avian flocks lighting up from the lakes at sunrise. Raging with grief, flooding tears of hopelessness and loss. The earth rages, shaking.

Wrath, a raging deadly sin, so common. We rage because so much fails us, so little contains us, we feel responsible for it all.

We can’t control the earth, the wind or sea. In the face of all this raging, we might try controlling ourselves: our temper, our envy and greed. The raging within. With God’s help.