Resonant Thoughts: John Ashbery’s “A Wave” (1984)

March 9, 2026

Resonant Thoughts: John Ashbery’s “A Wave” (1984)

“The truth is discovered, a patch of it, dried, glazed by the sun,
It will just hang on, in its own infamy, humility. No one
Will be better for it, but things can’t get any worse.
Just keep playing, mastering as you do the step
Into disorder this one meant. Don’t you see
It’s all we can do?”
(Rain Moving In, 13).

“One idea is enough to organize a life and project it
Into unusual but viable forms, but many ideas merely
Lead one thither into a morass of their own good intentions” (A Wave, 97).

“It takes only a minute revision, and see—the thing
Is there in all its interested variegatedness,
With prospects and walks curling away, never to be followed,
A civilized concern, a never being alone” (A Wave, 107).

John Ashbery, A Wave (1984)

Resonant Thoughts

Posted by:

Thomas Brett

3 responses to “Resonant Thoughts: John Ashbery’s “A Wave” (1984)”

januwine

March 9, 2026 at 10:09 am

Good morning, Brett….. On Saturday, as I watched/listened to works by six composers nestled around a art work called “The Great Wall of Los Angeles” (which is, in itself, art work…..so it’s a veritable egg-within-egg of art!), I thought of how you often feature works of art in conjunction with music and thought you might be interested in this one: The Great Wall of Los Angeles | LA Phil

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| | | | The Great Wall of Los Angeles | LA Phil

Inspired by Judy Baca’s mural The Great Wall of Los Angeles, Gustavo Dudamel and Gabriela Ortiz bring together a… |

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The Great Wall of Los Angeles

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| | | | The Great Wall of Los Angeles

A Social and Public Art Resource Center grant story from the Mellon Foundation. |

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I hope you enjoy and are as inspired as I was! Cheers, Janet Alvarez

“As a child I was taught that to tell the truth was often painful. As an adult I have learned that not to tell the truth is more painful, and that the fear of telling the truth—whatever the truth may be—that fear is the most painful sensation of a moral life.” June Jordan

“…..I look East, West, North, South, and I do not see Sauron; but I see that Saruman has many descendants. We hobbits have against them no magic weapons. Yet, my gentle hobbits, I give you this toast: To the Hobbits! May they out last the Sarumans and see Spring again in the trees”. (J.R.R. Tolkien, Holland, 1958) “Books! The best weapons in the world! Arm yourselves!” ~ Dr. Who

Reply
1. Thomas Brett
  
  March 9, 2026 at 10:50 am
  
  Very interesting and thank you for the heads up!
  
  Reply
  1. januwine
    
    March 9, 2026 at 11:21 am
    
    you are very welcome! “As a child I was taught that to tell the truth was often painful. As an adult I have learned that not to tell the truth is more painful, and that the fear of telling the truth—whatever the truth may be—that fear is the most painful sensation of a moral life.” June Jordan
    
    “…..I look East, West, North, South, and I do not see Sauron; but I see that Saruman has many descendants. We hobbits have against them no magic weapons. Yet, my gentle hobbits, I give you this toast: To the Hobbits! May they out last the Sarumans and see Spring again in the trees”. (J.R.R. Tolkien, Holland, 1958) “Books! The best weapons in the world! Arm yourselves!” ~ Dr. Who

brettworks