Friday, October 18, 2013
Discoveries
Our lives are filled with discoveries--things unknown unearthed at last, things once
known and forgotten or devalued which now must be reconsidered. Such discoveries change our lives in the present,
even though these occurrences happened in the past. We have to re-evaluate, reintegrate
new information, especially as it a affects our held image of people or events from
our past.
Recently I found out that someone I had known and respected highly in my youth, had
been the victim of sexual molestation when she was a child. To my knowledge, she
never revealed this information to any but her closest friends, and certainly not to me.
My heart was deeply moved by this information, and I was saddened that she lived in
a time when such incidents were not shared with any--there were no support groups, no books or other
sources of information. One was simply the lonely and unsupported victim of indefensible assault, and social restrictions required that one maintain total silence on
the offense.
Recently, I learned something of a different nature. I discovered that Howard Starks, one of my close friends in graduate school, had written a poem in his later years which became the inspiration for a play of the same name: "August: Osage County." This play (by Tracy Letts) won the Pulitzer prize for 2008 as well as a Tony Award for Best Play the same year. Unfortunately, Howard did not live to see Letts receive this national and
international recognition.
from "Wikipedia":
After his retirement in 1995 he had completed his first book of poetry, "Family Album , A Collection of Poetry", for Running Board Press. It was a finalist in the 1997 Oklahoma Book Awards.[2]
The collection contained fifteen poems, but one poem from the book, "August: Osage County," has achieved both national and international prominence because of Tracy Letts' play of the same name. Letts' drama won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for best play of 2008.
Here is what Letts said about Howard:
"I could never come up with a title as brilliant as 'August: Osage County.' Mr. Howard Starks, gentleman, teacher, poet, genius, mentor, friend, created that title for an extraordinary poem that is one of the inspirations for my play. I steal the title with deference, yet without apology — Howard, I'm sure, would have it no other way — and I dedicate this play to his memory."
(from me): Kundalini, of course, is the greatest discovery
of all. When it arrives it is "the moment that changes everything." (Kathryn
Anne Porter's phrase about something else.) You now must alter everything
you thought you knew before--who you are, what the world is made of,
what is possible, the inner connection to the divine. All of this is beyond
prediction. It is beyond our control (as to when it happens and how it unfolds). It is both the biggest agent of transformation and the greatest blessing one can receive.
known and forgotten or devalued which now must be reconsidered. Such discoveries change our lives in the present,
even though these occurrences happened in the past. We have to re-evaluate, reintegrate
new information, especially as it a affects our held image of people or events from
our past.
Recently I found out that someone I had known and respected highly in my youth, had
been the victim of sexual molestation when she was a child. To my knowledge, she
never revealed this information to any but her closest friends, and certainly not to me.
My heart was deeply moved by this information, and I was saddened that she lived in
a time when such incidents were not shared with any--there were no support groups, no books or other
sources of information. One was simply the lonely and unsupported victim of indefensible assault, and social restrictions required that one maintain total silence on
the offense.
Recently, I learned something of a different nature. I discovered that Howard Starks, one of my close friends in graduate school, had written a poem in his later years which became the inspiration for a play of the same name: "August: Osage County." This play (by Tracy Letts) won the Pulitzer prize for 2008 as well as a Tony Award for Best Play the same year. Unfortunately, Howard did not live to see Letts receive this national and
international recognition.
from "Wikipedia":
After his retirement in 1995 he had completed his first book of poetry, "Family Album , A Collection of Poetry", for Running Board Press. It was a finalist in the 1997 Oklahoma Book Awards.[2]
The collection contained fifteen poems, but one poem from the book, "August: Osage County," has achieved both national and international prominence because of Tracy Letts' play of the same name. Letts' drama won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for best play of 2008.
Here is what Letts said about Howard:
"I could never come up with a title as brilliant as 'August: Osage County.' Mr. Howard Starks, gentleman, teacher, poet, genius, mentor, friend, created that title for an extraordinary poem that is one of the inspirations for my play. I steal the title with deference, yet without apology — Howard, I'm sure, would have it no other way — and I dedicate this play to his memory."
(from me): Kundalini, of course, is the greatest discovery
of all. When it arrives it is "the moment that changes everything." (Kathryn
Anne Porter's phrase about something else.) You now must alter everything
you thought you knew before--who you are, what the world is made of,
what is possible, the inner connection to the divine. All of this is beyond
prediction. It is beyond our control (as to when it happens and how it unfolds). It is both the biggest agent of transformation and the greatest blessing one can receive.
