Genesis According to George Segal,” The Spirit brooded on…
““Genesis According to George Segal,” The Spirit brooded on the water and made The earth, and molded us out of earth. And then The Spirit breathed Itself into our nostrils— And rested. What was the Spirit waiting for? An image of Its nature, a looking glass? Glass also made of dust, of sand and fire. Ordinary, enigmatic, we people waiting In the terminal. A survivor at a wire fence, Also waiting. Behind him, a tangle of bodies Made out of plaster, which plasterers call mud. The apprentice hurries with a hod of mud. Particulate sand for glass. Milled flour for bread. What are we waiting for? The hour glass That measures all our time in trickling dust Is also of dust and will return to dust— So an old poem says. Men in a bread line Out in the dusty street are silent, waiting At the apportioning-place of daily bread. At an old-fashioned radio’s wooden case A man sits listening in a wooden chair. A woman at a butcher block waits to cut. What are we waiting for, in clouds of dust? Or waiting for the past, particles of being Settled and moist with life, then brittle again.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The poem reflects on humanity’s waiting, mortality, and the cyclical nature of dust and life.
In simple terms: We wait for meaning while returning to dust.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the present and the impermanence of life.
Themes
mortality
waiting
existence
Mood
contemplative
melancholic
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- grief counseling
- creative writing
- mindfulness practice
Key Concepts
philosophy
poetry
spirituality
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “waiting” mean for you personally?
- How do you find purpose amid impermanence?
A Different Perspective
The abstract imagery may obscure practical application.