Max’s Musings: Plumly

What is the best way to immerse yourself in something new?

While spending my day off at the Seattle Central Library, I came across a literary and artistic masterpiece. After wandering the countless shelves of poetry, it was A Millennium Reflection that made itself known to me; now, I will make it known to you.

A Millennium Reflection, which was foraged from a multitude of Seattle poets and photographers, brings people together for a common cause and common love. Published in 1999, it is a love letter from its residents to their city. The collection, a celestial tribute, deeply reflects on the beauty and resilience of Seattle alongside where it started, how far it has come, and where it still plans to go. Through poems and photographs, the city of Seattle is brought to life again.

Gary Zarker, Superintendent of Seattle City Light at the time, stated “The theme for Seattle’s millennium celebration—Light, Water, and Woods—captures the spirit and mood of our city. It carries a special significance for everyone who works to light and warm our community.” Nature and all its riches has a way of uniting people more than anything else.

With many top-notch contenders to probe further, the poem I finally chose to reflect on this week is “Rainbow” written by Stanely Plumly. Plumey’s bio reads: “Stanely Plumly, poet and teacher at the University of Maryland (formerly at the University of Washington), believes Seattle is the place to long for. His forthcoming book is titled Now That My Father Lies Down Beside Me.”

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Rainbow

         Taking its time

through each of the seven vertebrae of light

the sun comes down. It is nineteen forty-nine.

You stand in the doorway drying your hands.

It is still summer, still raining.

The evening is everywhere gold: windows, grass,

the sun side of the trees. As if to speak

to someone you look back into the dark

of the house, call my name, go in. I know

I am dreaming again. Still, it is raining

and the sun shining . . . You come back out

into the doorway, shading your eyes. It looks

as if the whole sky is going down on one wing.

By now I have my hands above my eyes, listening.

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As a queer person, I am always partial to rainbows. The imagery and symbolism of a rainbow knows no bounds. The rainbow, offering hope after the storm that it emerged from, is something I always related to and understood. After living my life in the constant storm of confusion and chaos, I have found the rainbow within.

While reading Plumly’s poem, I was curious to see if it offered the same kind of hope I associate with a rainbow. The poem stands as a call to action and adventure. “The dark of the house” encourages the speaker to leave the safety of their home, explore the world around them, and listen to what the world must teach and offer. Leaving the safety of home in exchange for the wild terrain is a necessary risk to find the power and beauty of the rainbow.

So what does the rainbow represent? Identity? Peace? Comfort? With the dark and the rain persisting throughout the lines, the speaker anticipates and waits for the rainbow to form in front of them. It serves as a symbol of the future; instead of dwelling on the past and remaining a prisoner in the present, the rainbow is a sign of change to make a brighter and colorful future.

A Millennium Reflection (hardcover) with Capitol Hill’s rainbow sidewalk

The Evergreen Echo

The biggest takeaway I found from Plumly’s poem is to make the most of one’s day and never settle for the mundane to rule your life. After moving to Seattle, I found it easy to get caught up in my surroundings and overwhelmed by the world. In Seattle, people can do one thing differently every day and still have limitless possibilities in front of them. Sometimes, one must form and find their own rainbows in a world of blacks, whites, and grays.

After exposing myself to the many honoring pages of this massive collective work, I found myself reflecting on my own relationship with the city. Moving to a new place is never easy. A Millenium Reflection acts as a field guide for Seattle. (I wish I were exposed to this before I arrived, but better late than never.) As I am still fresh in my grounded life in Seattle, I enjoy learning more about its citizens and its history while having a hand in developing its noble future.

I love paying homage to Seattle’s insightful past along with its bright and promising future emerging before me. A Millenium Reflection easily conquers both as it serves as a steppingstone for celebrating the many aspects and gems hidden throughout our rich and diverse city.

Immerse yourself into your own surroundings and never settle for anything less.