--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Or a ghost is a knot in the otherwise…" description: "\"“Or a ghost is a knot in the otherwise smooth flow of time, an electrical storm in a jewelry box, grief perfectly aligned. And sometimes a ghost is a s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c3/cole-swensen-44761_cities_or-a-ghost-is-a-knot-in-the-otherwise-sm_1142144.jpg" --- # Or a ghost is a knot in the otherwise smooth flow of time… ![“Or a ghost is a knot in the otherwise smooth flow of time, an electrical storm in a jewelry box, grief perfectly aligned. And sometimes a ghost is a shared thing; sometimes the entire population of a city or country will just happen to look in the mirror at the same time, and from then on there…” quote by Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c3/cole-swensen-44761_cities_or-a-ghost-is-a-knot-in-the-otherwise-sm_1142144.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c3/cole-swensen-44761_cities_or-a-ghost-is-a-knot-in-the-otherwise-sm_1142144.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c3/cole-swensen-44761_cities_or-a-ghost-is-a-knot-in-the-otherwise-sm_1142144.jpg) > ““Or a ghost is a knot in the otherwise smooth flow of time, an electrical storm in a jewelry box, grief perfectly aligned. And sometimes a ghost is a shared thing; sometimes the entire population of a city or country will just happen to look in the mirror at the same time, and from then on there was a city in the sky, as all cities are if we consider that the sky reaches to the ground, and this city, too, thought it was alive, and the candles walked off by themselves.”” [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) ## 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 likens ghosts to temporal knots and shared collective reflections, suggesting grief and memory can manifest as communal, almost tangible phenomena. **In simple terms:** Ghosts symbolize shared grief and collective memory. Key Takeaway Acknowledge shared experiences of loss. Themes memory grief collective consciousness Mood melancholic contemplative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - memorial services - community art projects - psychological therapy - educational seminars Key Concepts temporal distortion shared perception metaphor of ghosts Questions to Reflect On - How do shared memories shape community identity? - Can grief be a unifying force? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary; some may see it as abstract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aligned Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aligned-ghost-3188854/) [Candles Walked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candles-walked-3188855/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghost Knot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost-knot-3188853/) [Ghost Shared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost-shared-3188852/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [New ideas seem like frightening ghosts to people at the beginning; they run away from them for a long time, but they get tired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/new-ideas-seem-like-frightening-ghosts-to-people-at-the-beginning/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Ghosts cannot be put on the witness stand, or have their fingerprints taken. They are completely proof against proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-franklin/ghosts-cannot-be-put-on-the-witness-stand-or-have-their-fingerprints/) [Ariana Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-franklin/) > [“Every town has ‘THAT house’: the one that once held dark secrets. You know the house… the one no one will purchase? The one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-caskey/every-town-has-that-house-the-one-that-once-held-dark-secrets-you/) [James Caskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-caskey/) > [...you don't need ghosts to be haunted. Memory does that just fine without any supernatural help at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/you-don-t-need-ghosts-to-be-haunted-memory-does-that-just-fine/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“But the dead, they have ghosts. Ghosts are very useful for haunting. Never forget the dead, Tula. They have their function. They sometimes speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-castellucci/but-the-dead-they-have-ghosts-ghosts-are-very-useful-for-haunting/) [Cecil Castellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-castellucci/) > [Baseball is a game dominated by vital ghosts; it's a fraternity, like no other we have of the active and the no longer so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gilman/baseball-is-a-game-dominated-by-vital-ghosts-it-s-a-fraternity-like/) [Richard Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gilman/) > [Some ghosts tried to be showy. These were the kinds to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-howarth/some-ghosts-tried-to-be-showy-these-were-the-kinds-to-avoid/) [Lesley Howarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-howarth/) > [“When good Americans die, they go to Paris,' the ghost said, after taking a drag on a small cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/when-good-americans-die-they-go-to-paris-the-ghost-said-after-taking/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) > [I think I do believe in the afterlife; I have heard stories from people who I can completely trust that have seen ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-i-do-believe-in-the-afterlife-i-have-heard-stories-from/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/they-call-them-the-haunted-shores-these-stretches-of-devonshire-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“I assure you; while I look like a ghost, I'm no spirit or demon. I'm nothing but a girl struggling to make her way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leanna-renee-hieber/i-assure-you-while-i-look-like-a-ghost-i-m-no-spirit-or-demon-i-m/) [Leanna Renee Hieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leanna-renee-hieber/) > [Do I believe in ghosts?...I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-i-am-prepared-to-consider-evidence-and-accept/) [M. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [Cinema plus Psychoanalysis equals the Science of Ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/cinema-plus-psychoanalysis-equals-the-science-of-ghosts/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) ## More by Cole Swensen > [Being in unfamiliar places has no effect on my writing, except that it often means I'm caught up in the logistics of travel, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/being-in-unfamiliar-places-has-no-effect-on-my-writing-except-that-it/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) > [Rather than thinking of sound and sense in my essays as two opposing principles, two perpendicular trajectories, as they are often considered in conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/rather-than-thinking-of-sound-and-sense-in-my-essays-as-two-opposing/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) > [If you're deeply engaged in an event, you're part of it. But if you're outside of it, disinterested, you are the regard that registers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/if-you-re-deeply-engaged-in-an-event-you-re-part-of-it-but-if-you-re/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) > [At the end of any of my project I miss the material. I pick subjects I love and then get very engaged with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/at-the-end-of-any-of-my-project-i-miss-the-material-i-pick-subjects-i/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) > [My focus is on the rhythmic relationship between body and ground and the visual relationships among the elements of the always-changing scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/my-focus-is-on-the-rhythmic-relationship-between-body-and-ground-and/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) > [I've always been interested in the principle of the fractal, which is typified by self-similarity across scale, which both puts a lot of pressure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-the-principle-of-the-fractal-which-is/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) > [“...most words for ghost are pieces of mica that carefully layered will make a window out of fire. It's cold and the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/most-words-for-ghost-are-pieces-of-mica-that-carefully-layered-will/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) > [“There is inside it something sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swensen/there-is-inside-it-something-sun/) [Cole Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) [Explore all 9 Cole Swensen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swensen/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Or a ghost is a knot in the otherwise smooth flow of time, an electrical storm in a jewelry box, grief perfectly aligned. 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