The joy of making noise! This week our bare mannequin is draped not in words but in a joyous howling. Howling simply because it can.
And I pass on an inspiring quote from Agnes De Mille in a letter to Martha Graham.
What I’m Writing This Week
I’m sharing a 100-word piece I wrote for my writing group. Keeping it short for the holiday weekend. Please enjoy.
Howling
I wish I knew how to howl. Howl properly, like a dog. Like Malachi, the German Shepherd that lives next door. Ventura County fire station #36 sits across the creek from our condo complex. When a quiet day is pierced by a fire truck’s blaring horn and screaming siren, Malachi replies from his second-floor patio. A long, high-pitched howl, with a short gravelly decay. Then another. I’ve seen him do this, tail wagging in what I assume is the pure joy of making noise. Is pure joy possible without making noise?
What I’m Reading This Week
Here’s an inspiring quote I found in Yoga Journal, a quote told to Elizabeth Marglin by yoga teacher Ivorie Jenkins.
A Letter to Agnes De Mille from Martha Graham
There is a vitality,
a life force,
a quickening
that is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique.
And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.
The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine
how good it is. nor how valuable it is
nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly
to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.
You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate YOU.
Keep the channel open…
No artist is pleased…
There is no satisfaction whatever at anytime
There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction
a blessed unrest that keeps us marching
and makes “us” MORE alive than the others.
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