tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956072658295955015.post2327403314021843651..comments2023-10-19T10:35:16.272-04:00Comments on Peace Weaving, Peace Fasting, And Peace Poetry: Fast Day 100 May 1 2009 {May Day}Montaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00017648070522030951noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956072658295955015.post-84990569961363045092009-05-03T02:38:00.000-04:002009-05-03T02:38:00.000-04:00Right. May 1 is Lady Day, the Lady being Mary. Old...Right. May 1 is Lady Day, the Lady being Mary. Old, old Catholic tradition. We used to have May crownings where a chosen young girl would put a crown of flowers upon the head of her statue, and the rest of us would sing hymns.<br /><br />You're right about how the last stanza jerks us into the present. I wondered about it at the time, but decided it had to be like that, because what's the good of it all if it is not here with us?<br /><br />There is a tradition of describing holy things as being hands-on when the universe was created, but after that, God was upstairs, and the staff downstairs did the dirty work.<br />To me, that is a conceptual crucifixion: a death of holiness. Mary is right there, sweating it out with us.Montaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017648070522030951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6956072658295955015.post-37781071355143321642009-05-02T07:31:00.000-04:002009-05-02T07:31:00.000-04:00I've never seen Mary associated with May Day. Is t...I've never seen Mary associated with May Day. Is that your invention? There's a lot I don't know about, maybe a Catholic tradition?<br /><br />A formal poem is nice for seasonal celebratory verse. There is no hint of placement in time until the final stanza, so when you introduce "Mom Mary" and "subway" - I felt ready for it, to be brought back to the present from the this-could-be-anytime sense leading to it.<br /><br />The note about your father adds a lot, so glad you included it. Just in that brevity I felt the distance of generations and worldviews, but also the connectedness of kin.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.com