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Sunday, April 05, 2020

Mother

What is good poetry? Why do you love a poem and don´t feel anything when you read another one? That´s a personal question, and this is a personal post.
Sunday Postcard Art asks for our favourite poem this week, and as I studied German literature and wrote down my favourite poems and quotes for more than 40 years now, I don´t have just ONE favourite poem. But in every moment of life, there´s one poem that speaks to you, and there are always words that make you think and maybe cry.
One thing that makes a poem a great poem is that it´s "ambiguous", which means that you can read and understand it from more than just one perspective. That´s one of the reasons why I picked Gottfried Benn´s poem today - if you carry thoughts about a lover you´ve lost, it speaks to you, but if you know that this poem´s title is "Mother", your thoughts will take another direction - and that´s what makes it perfect for this challenge.
Benn was a German poet and physician, and many of his poems are disturbing, but this one goes right to my heart. It´s not easy to translate because a lot of it gets lost, but here´s a simple translation: I carry you like a wound that doesn´t heal. It does not always hurt. And the heart does not die for this reason. Only sometimes I´m blind and feel blood in my mouth.

What I love about rubber stamping is that there are always some suitable stamps even for the hardest challenges - in this case I´ve used stamps from PaperArty, Visible Images, and AALL&Create.

In loving memory.

8 comments:

Michele said...

a stunning creation a stunning poem, and a deep, precious, heartfelt post. much love your way. xo

katrin said...

Perfekt - und KLASSE Umsetzung!

Rosie said...

Total klasse

Anne (cornucopia) said...

Gorgeous artwork and great poem. Thank you for translating it. It touched me.

Deann said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your lovely meaningful card but also for taking the time to write how you feel. Your poem is extraordinary and I can easily see why it is a favorite I loved it too.
I chose my poem because it best describes how I feel about my Blog, to me it represents wonderful things shared. Thank you for sharing part of yourself.

Cindy McMath said...

Wonderful card Marion, and thanks so much for all the background. Even if that’s not the “precise” translation it’s a very powerful verse. I appreciate you sharing it. Take care and be safe!

indybev said...

A beautiful tribute, and thank you so much for sharing your feelings that surround it.

Abby Lazar said...

Outstanding piece and tribute, Marion. You Mom would be so proud and pleased... xo