envie

Hâte-toi de bien vivre... Make haste to live and consider each day a life... Seneca

Envie

(ahn-vee)

noun, feminine

longing

.

I was staring at the empty branches of our dogwood tree,
willing its wooden limbs to quiver and send forth so many rosy blossoms, 
when I recognized a vague longing coming from within.

I stood up and walked over to the north window,
threw open the painted green shutters
and saw a small feathered creature pacing back and forth 
over a bed of crumbling leaves,
just above the would-be strawberry patch. 

I recognized another restless soul throwing its own will around,
this one willing so many worms to pop out of the cold ground!

I looked at my dogwood,
the red robin at its frozen patch,
neither of us able to get the universe to dance for us. 

On days like this the worms rejoice and the dogwoods, 
still as they are, cause willing hearts to stir.

It is hope that keeps us going.

YOUR EDITS HERE
Note: there is no vocab section for this story... I will leave it at that, as I do not want to introduce any words which might throw of the flow of this story of longing. Click here to edit or to comment.

::Audio Clip::
Listen to my daughter, Jackie, pronounce today's quote: Download hate.wav

Hâte-toi de bien vivre et songe que chaque jour est à lui seul une vie.

.

Terms & Expressions:

sans hâte = without haste, in a leisurely way
à la hâte = hurriedly, hastily
en hâte = fast as you can

hâter = to hasten, bring forward
hâter le pas = to quicken one's step
avoir hâte de faire quelque chose = to be eager or anxious to do something
  J'ai hâte de te voir! / I can't wait to see you!
se hâter = to hurry, to force
se hâte de faire quelque chose = to hurry to do something
hâtif, hâtive = forward; premature; precocious, hasty

In Books, etc...:
The Flying Apple Pie and Other Tales of Life and Gastronomy by David Paul Larousse

LIRE is a French-language literary magazine featuring reviews of new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, author interviews and profiles, and articles on classic literature.

French Tulip Travel votive candle in embossed tin

Cafe Au Lait Oversize Coffee Mug

Hâte-toi de bien vivre et songe que chaque jour est à lui seul une vie. Make haste to live, and consider each day a life. --Seneca

Comments

[Sandra]

Not a favourite piece of writing for me. Sandra

[Bill in St. Paul]

It doesn't feel fully developed to me.

[Jules Greer]

I LOVE THIS STORY KRISTI !!!

I think the words are beautiful enough to stand on their own AS A POEM.

Perhaps with a little editing you could reset the type (layout) into a poem which drifts down the page.

I know this was a real moment in your life and I insist that you restructure the layout and listen up to the DIRECTOR.

HOPE

A HEART-FELT POEM FROM PROVENCE

IN THE SPRING OF 2005

*******************************

I was staring at the branches of our dogwood tree,..........................................
...............................................

XOXO

MOM

[Kristin Espinasse]

Mom, and anyone reading, does a change of format make a difference? :

I was staring at the empty branches of our dogwood tree

willing its wooden limbs to quiver and send forth so many rosy blossoms 
when I recognized a vague longing coming from within.

I stood up and walked over to the north window, 

threw open the painted green shutters 
and saw a small feathered creature pacing back and forth 
over a bed of crumbling leaves, 
just above the would-be strawberry patch. 

I recognized another restless soul throwing its own will around, 

this one willing so many worms to pop out of the cold ground!

I looked at my dogwood,

the red robin at its frozen patch,
neither of us able to get the universe to dance for us. 

On days like this the worms rejoice and the dogwoods, 

still as they are, cause willing hearts to stir. 
It is hope that keeps us going.

[Charles Orr in Flat Rock, NC]

This format makes a big difference for me...I like it much better! It fits the mood of the piece very well and allows the poetry to shine through.

Again, for the sake of pacing (not just grammar), I would be inclined to add a comma here: "...the worms rejoice, and the dogwoods...", but that depends on how the poet hears it.

[Bruce T. Paddock]

Hey, Kristin –

Format it however you like. If you think of this as a poem, then format it that way. If you don’t think of it as a poem, don’t change it.

No one is going to love every single piece in the book. There’ve been one or two so far that I haven’t cared for much, but I like this one just fine. It’s short, yes, but it’s also atmospheric and touching.

But you do need a comma after “rosy blossoms,” because what follows “when” is a complete sentence.

You might think about adding a word — “…coming from within me.” — so no one thinks you sense it coming from the tree.

In the last paragraph, you mention the tree and the bird, then say “neither of us.” Given that you’re including yourself as a third party, it should be “none of us.”

You need a comma after “rejoice,” because what follows “and” is a complete sentence.

[Kristin Espinasse]

Thanks, Charles! Ill consider formatting it after Moms suggestion.

Bruce, your thoughts have been so helpful, too! Also, re neither of us: I am talking about only me and the bird (I am trying to get the tree to blossom and the bird is trying to get the earth to offer up a few worms. Does this make sense?

[Jules Greer]

On days like this the worms rejoice, and the dogwoods still as they are, cause willing hearts to stir.

It is 'HOPE'that keeps us going.

***Kristi, please note that I truly have no business in the 'editing corner', please accept my comments with love and not knowledge.

XOXO

MOM

[Carrie]

This is beautiful and evocative. Don't change a word!

[Bruce T. Paddock]

Oh, yeah. That makes more sense. Duh.

I misread it the first (several) time(s) through. I thought you looked at the tree and the bird and the ground. But no, you looked at the tree and the bird looked at the ground. What you have there is perfectly understandable, so just ignore me.

[Tonya]

WOWZER! The change in format really "fixes" the missing commas, etc., of standard prose. Would it be wrong to begin each line of the poetry with a capital letter?

This is such a lovely metaphor for my own longings.

[Sushil Dawka]

Hi Kristin,
Stet!
This piece is so poignant and so picturesque that it is vaguely unsettling. It is the kind of prose I would frame and hang on the wall; please do not change it.

Sincerely.

[Olga Brown]

Dear Kristin,
This variant is much better, in my opinion. It shown another side of you as a writer and brought kind of a new fresh wave in your book.

Amicalement,
Olga.

[Kristin Espinasse]

Thank you, Olga! Im thinking of using it as a quasi prologue (now to look up prologue)... or maybe at the near end of the book. What do you think? 

[mhwebb]

I found myself missing the French words and looking for them. That has been our Pavlovian training. It just looks so naked without some French dressing.

[Judy Feldman]

Kristin, I think you need commas after "tree" and "blossoms" in the first paragraph.

[Cynthia Lewis]

I especially like the format which you used originally. I can't get all hung-up about commas and semi-colons. It's a lovely, thought- provoking piece.

[edith schmidt]

Kristin:

What would this piece be like if the last sentence was in French?
Just a thought.

Edie from Savannah

[Priscilla Fleming Vayda]

I like the poetry format. Lovely piece.
Priscilla

[Betty Gleason]

LOVE IT! I don't think you're alive if you haven't been roused by a pang of restlessness. Hope may keep us living, but it is that restlessness that keeps us moving forward.
See what you mean about the blossom tie in, the cycle of life, it should work nicely.

[Kristin Espinasse]

Thanks for your thought about the placement of this piece and the vocab section. I think that since there is not a vocab section, the prologue page is the best spot for this one. Then all the other stories will have their vocab sections. 

Merci encore pour tout!

[Bonny]

It makes a perfect prose poem in its original format. I wouldn't change that! The work is tender, evocative and charming.