A Hundred Bolts of Satin: A memory
Kay Ryan
It’s the beginning of the month, which means it’s time for a new Memory, the side of Poetry & Process where we come together to memorize poetry. We conduct this practice to engrain words of meaning into our minds, bodies, and beings that will serve as a companion during our walk through life. While each life is unique, the situations we encounter and the emotions we face have been felt by many who have walked before us. Poems we know deeply can speak what we need to hear at the most opportune times.
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May you uncouple from your own limiting stories…
-Brian
For August, we turn our attention to a poem that the author describes as, “a poem about when the brain falls apart” and “a terrifying poem”. Perhaps, and as I have read this piece over and over, I see many layers and wonder what is on the other side of the words, and on the other side of uncoupling…
A Hundred Bolts of Satin by Kay Ryan
Spoken:
Text:
All you have to lose is one connection and the mind uncouples all the way back. It seems to have been a train. There seems to have been a track. The things that you unpack from the abandoned cars cannot sustain life: a crate of tractor axles, for example, a dozen dozen clasp knives, a hundred bolts of satin— perhaps you specialized more than you imagined.
Video:
The Poet:
If you are interested in Kay Ryan’s biography, check out this summary on Poetry Foundation.
Chat:
This is the point in our memorization process where we move the conversation to a Thread in the Chat function in the SubStack app/website. The text of the poem is posted there for paid subscribers to read and come back to. Check in today and throughout the week to hear how others in this community are memorizing the poem, the impact it is having on their week, and to discuss the themes in the poem.
If this community interests you, use the below link for a free season (3 months) of the Memory community.
Make this experience your own, choosing how you approach the poem’s content, your memorization process, and connect with us in the chat!
I look forward to our conversation!
Brian
The train is a strong image of the way life can line-up behind a single decision. The poet reminds us of how limiting a "one-track mind" can be.
That’s a good poem. Because of our largely unrealized lives I would change the last word to “realized”