2021, animals, Fantasy, Mysteries, Nature, Poems, Uncategorized, Weather

Little Cat Feet

47 Comments

Now that the dark is hanging around a bit more in the morning, I don’t really notice the outside work until I step onto the back porch.  Last week, I left the house early, about 6:15 a.m. and as I pulled out of the driveway realized that there are a lot of fog.  Living in the city as I do, this is an unusual occurrence and combined with the dark and traffic-less streets, was quite eerie.

As I was driving along (pretty slowly), it made me think about how often I’ve seen fog described in poetry.  Of course, the most famous is probably Carl Sandberg:

Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

And I also remember a couple of different fog poems by Sara Teasdale that I like:

Gray Fog
A FOG drifts in, the heavy laden
Cold white ghost of the sea—
One by one the hills go out,
The road and the pepper-tree.
I watch the fog float in at the window

With the whole world gone blind,
Everything, even my longing, drowses,
Even the thoughts in my mind.
I put my head on my hands before me,

There is nothing left to be done or said,
There is nothing to hope for, I am tired,
And heavy as the dead.

White Fog
Heaven-invading hills are drowned
In wide moving waves of mist,
Phlox before my door are wound
In dripping wreaths of amethyst.

Ten feet away the solid earth
Changes into melting cloud,
There is a hush of pain and mirth,
No bird has heart to speak aloud.
Here in a world without a sky,
Without the ground, without the sea,
The one unchanging thing is I,
Myself remains to comfort me.

A quick search on the internet turns up tons of fog poems.  I haven’t done any research whatsoever but I wonder if there are more fog poems than thunderstorm poems or sunshine poems?

Then as I kept driving, I realized that I don’t know one darn SONG about fog.

Anybody?

 

47 thoughts on “Little Cat Feet”

  1. There were two songs that immediately came to mind. I’ll post this one for now, pretty sure that the other one will soon show up, too. If not, I’ll check in later, and meanwhile, as BiR is fond of saying, I’ll think about it:

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. My desktop computer is acting up and won’t link to WordPress and experience has suggested that I can’t link to YouTube from my iPad, but the link here, if this doesn’t work, is Rollin’ Fog by Mike Auldridge.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  8. I had a director tell me once she wanted “Wet, foggy, light” for her show. Well, I know what that is, but I’m still not sure how to get that onstage. (safely).
    It’s become a lighting joke now. “Ooooo, this needs wet foggy light!”

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  9. I was camping in Yellowstone one time with my family and I tend to wake up a couple hours earlier than they do so I got in the car and went for a drive and the fog was perfect it was like an eerie dream and as I was driving first the coyotes running alongside me in the road and then the buffalo that were everywhere wandering to the streams to get their drinks and then large quantities it was a dream like experience that I can picture in my mind perfectly today I took lots of photos with my phone camera
    Lord knows where they are

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  10. We had plenty of fog most mornings when I was teaching in Half Moon Bay, CA, but it would would often burn off by noon. I wish I could play for you the foghorns we would hear intermittently.

    I loved this book when reading to the kindergarteners –
    Hide and Seek Fog, a “classic Caldecott Honor Book, from legendary picture book duo Alvin Tresselt and Roger Duvoisin”.
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2185318.Hide_and_Seek_Fog

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  11. when I was in rock ‘n’ roll band 50 years ago one of the groups that I didn’t like it all was Creedence Clearwater revival some thing about their stuff I think it was the boom Chicka Chicka drum part on every song felt repetitive and boring and unimaginative but about 10 years ago I was attack acoustic guitar jam where are you play around in a circle and everybody gets to pick one song and then it goes to the next guy in the next guy and one of the guys chose this song have you ever seen the rain and we played it and if I remember correctly they Asked me to sing it because the guy who chose the song couldn’t sing and I didn’t remember exactly how it went and my guitar playing is a completely different style then there’s short came out a very different song turned into an earworm and played in my head for months afterwards you might wonder what this has to do with today’s post what the song was written by Fogarty that’s the only time and I can have with fog today here’s their version of the song maybe someday I can figure out how to upload my version of the song https://youtu.be/Gu2pVPWGYMQ

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

      1. That’s a nice version.
        40 years ago I saw Willie Nelson at the State Fair as part of the 4H night. It was pouring rain and we felt like we got crushed in the grandstand tunnel as everyone pushed back to get out of the rain.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  12. Here is one written by Jeppe Aakjær, one of the most beloved Danish writers and poets of the 20th Century. As a Jutlandish regionalist and dialect writer he is the heir of Steen Steensen Blicher, who you may recall, is my great-great-great-grandfather.

    Aakjær wrote a lot of songs praising the Danish natural landscapes, especially of northern part of Jutland where he was born, that are still sung today. This is one of them. The video has nothing to do with the text of the song, which, you’ll have to take my word for it, does actually mention the countryside slowly appearing out of a fog. The video is of the house and surrounding area where Aakjær and his family lived from 1907 till his death in 1930. It’s where he wrote some of his later important works, but not this song:

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  13. Van Morrison briefly mentions foghorns in Into the Mystic. but the song of his that most makes me think of fog doesn’t mention fog at all. The synthesizer just evokes the sound of foghorns.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  15. As baboons are wont to do, we’ve veered off the beaten track to come up with songs featuring fog. 🙂 This is fine with me as there does, indeed, seem to be a shortage of songs that actually mention fog. Here’s my contribution to off the beaten path fog songs:

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  20. This thread has been very helpful to me. This morning, the Hospice nurse let us know that my Dad’s death is eminent. Totally expected and I hope she is correct. He is no longer the man I knew but several of the songs mentioned here he knew well. I reveal this not as a downer but to let Baboons know that you are part of my support group.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

    1. Wes, sorry to hear your news but I completely understand. Friend of mine is also counting down to what are probably his last couple of weeks. And it will, sadly, be a blessing.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    2. Glad to be part of your support group, Wes. Though your dad’s death is imminent, and the news isn’t entirely unexpected or unwelcome, it’s still a major life event. Hope he passes without pain and at peace. ❤

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply
  25. Pingback: Little Cat Feet – Nelsapy

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.