Monday, April 16, 2007

Kiran Over Mongolia

Yesterday was a day of deluge in NYC so I knew there would not be a crowd at the Rubin Musuem of Himalayan Art. I was definitely right. I wasn't in danger of feeling drowned a a fairy tale scene.

"KIRAN" means golden we are told and describes the attributes of a perfect hunting eagle. The movie follows the young man's education from catching his own eagle through training it. He becomes a part of the family although there is really no other story than that of the young man being taught how to train the eagle. This is not a Saturday night in the mall movie. The movie shows great respect for the eagle without any preaching, and respect for traditional life, although the young man assets he will marry a Mongolia girl, not a Kazhak. That's really all the movie is -- beautiful and respectful of a culture about which we know nothing. There are a few short scenes in hip Ulan Bator youth hangouts and a couple of traditional singers just pasted in, and simple life in the teacher's ger with his family. It was a wonderful afternoon break from the gray skys and pouring rain.

It's still April, still poetry month and here is a short piece from a fairly long poem by Tess Gallagher's poem "Behave"

...once we feel deeply we begin to behave.
The notion of right action proceeding
naturally out of right feeling --
poetry the witching stick,not only
to what was felt, but now the abiltiy to feel a thing
is already something some to the good.

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