The Lovers’ Chronicle 21 May – beginnin’ – art by Henri Rousseau

21 May 2023 By Rhett 0 In Rhett

Dear Zazie, Here is today’s Lovers’ Chronicle from Mac Tag to his muse. Visit us on twitter @cowboycoleridge. Z, miss you. Rhett

The Lovers’ Chronicle

Dear Muse,

that is survivin’ right
whenever an end comes
seekin’ a way out,
preferably constructive,
and particularly,
when it was not seen comin’

been through several
both seen and not seen
some self inflicted
bitter about some, sure
and still standin’
because of this,
comin’ here
and spreadin’ it all
over the page

yes, a good place to go
on this day,
more so than others
when reminded
about all good things

no explainin’, without
followin’ this trail
since inception

only way to get here
what will be seen as
the start of the bookend
on this tale of seekin’
and findin’ what matters

of loss and lost

seems what most

of this has been about

clueless for so long

took almost a lifetime

for it to come into focus

chosen of anyone

of that there is

plenty doubt

of beginnin’s and endin’s

another take on what

this has been for

all i ever wanted

was to give this

do you know
where it begins

i at least
figured out that much
though it took too long

s’pose some never do
so later is better
than not at all

i even know
where it ends
though it is too late

but most never do
so knowin’ is better
than not

do you know

…………

let the verse ride
on the breath
of a lovely woman
let it soar
on the winds
of abandon

seekin’ beauty and sorrow
wherever they may be

that my friend, is all that matters
that is all that can be hoped for

Ray wrote and sang;
“The way of the fallen is hard”
only every day Ray
every damn day

This note was written on 21 May 2012…

Dear Zazie Lee,

Do you still come here for coffee? I hope so. Sorry for my long absence. I have missed you so. I was talkin’ to my friend Mac Tag and he asked me for a favour. Seems he has lost his Muse. I hate it when that happens! He would not elaborate on what happened, just that she was gone. He asked if I could leave a note here periodically from him to her. I think he needs an outlet for his feelin’s and views this as a tribute to her. Mac Tag is a poet and a philosopher and I expect his notes will be romantic and sad and funny and inspirin’. Here is his first note. Rhett. PS. Jett says hey and he misses you too.

To My Muse, You shined a light into my darkness and gave me back my words. For that I am ever grateful. I am glad you walked into my life. My words are dedicated to you.

I must let my verse ride its luck

On the back of the ardent breath

Of a lovely, fervent woman

Must let it soar across the sky

On the winds of true abandon

Seekin’ beauty where it may lie

That my friend, is all that matters

That is all that I can hope for

Today is the birthday of Henri Rousseau (Henri Julien Félix Rousseau; Laval, France; May 21, 1844 – September 2, 1910 Paris); Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer), a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector. Ridiculed during his lifetime by critics, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality. Rousseau’s work exerted an extensive influence on several generations of avant-garde artists. The American poet Sylvia Plath was a great admirer of Rousseau, referencing his art, as well as drawing inspiration from his works in her poetry. The poem, Yadwigha, on a Red Couch, Among Lilies (1958), is based upon his painting, The Dream, whilst the poem Snakecharmer (1957) is based upon his painting The Snake Charmer. The song, The Jungle Line, by Joni Mitchell, is based upon a Rousseau painting.

In 1868, he married Clémence Boitard, his landlord’s 15-year-old daughter, with whom he had six children (only one survived). Clémence died in 1888 and he married Josephine Noury in 1898.

Gallery

Mauvaise surprise

Rendez-vous dans la forêt

Self-portrait of the Artist with a Lamp

Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!) (1891) was the first of many jungle scenes for which Rousseau is best known.

The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, 1905

La Rêve (1910), MoMA

Rousseau in 1902

Self Portrait (1890), National Gallery, Prague

A Carnival Evening, 1886, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Boy on the Rocks, 1895–97, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897, MoMA, New York
La tour Eiffel peinte par Henri Rousseau, 1898, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Le Moulin (The Mill), c. 1896, Musée Maillol, Paris
Exotic Landscape, 1908, Private collection
Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo, 1908, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
In a Tropical Forest Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo, 1908-1909, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
The Flamingoes, 1907, Private collection
The Football Players, 1908, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Muse Inspiring the Poet (Portrait of Guillaume Apollinaire and Marie Laurencin), 1909, Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland
The Equatorial Jungle, 1909, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The Snake Charmer, 1907, Musée d’Orsay, Paris
The Repast of the Lion, c.1907, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Bouquet of Flowers, 1910, Tate Gallery, London