It was a good mail day. My Criterion Collection blu-rays for Birth, Testament, and All That Heaven Allows arrived! Birth is one of my all-time favorite films. I saw it when it was released in 2004, and all I've had since then is a DVD. I'm very happy it finally received the Criterion treatment. I rarely buy blu-rays. I happened to save up my Criterion Channel gift cards. I scored this haul for only $10!
Raymond Carver: Dreams Are What You Wake Up From (1989)
Grief by Raymond Carver
Woke up early this morning and from my bed
looked far across the Strait to see
a small boat moving through the choppy water,
a single running light on. Remembered
my friend who used to shout
his dead wife’s name from the hilltops
around Perugia. Who set a plate
for her at his simple table long after
she was gone. And opened the windows
so she could have fresh air. Such display
I found embarrassing. So did his other
friends. I couldn’t see it.
Not until this morning.
Humming Bird by Raymond Carver
Suppose I say summer,
write the word "hummingbird,"
put it in an envelope,
take it down the hill
to the box. When you open
my letter you will recall
those days and how much,
just how much, I love you.
"Heaven is in Your Mind" by Millington