Welcome to the October Poem of the Month!
It has been a while since the last poem of the month, and I am thrilled to be back on the POM cadence.
Where to begin… From the moment Summer hit, everything seemed to just accelerate. The summer was filled with all manner of excitement for the Todds: a trip to California to visit the Bay Area contingent of Jody’s family; camping for a week with the Kealy Clan on Orcas Islands; a new position for me at T-Mobile that continues to keep me busy and happy; Emma performing as Portia, one of the wicked step-sisters in the Broadway Bound production of “Cinderella”; the disappearance – and surprising reappearance – of our 18 year old cat, Emily; a summer of soccer and fly-fishing for Alex; and my parents coming to visit us from Alabama. An active summer filled with some really wonderful memories.
Our most recent adventure was the trip Jody and I took to Portugal about four weeks ago, and which served as inspiration for this month’s poem. As most of you know, Since 2006, I have been traveling to Portugal every fall during the Port wine harvest on my friend Roy’s “For The Love of Port” Harvest Tour. However, this year I decided to give his other tour (the For The Love of Port “Fortification” Tour in May) a try, as it combined northern Portugal’s Port wine region with a visit to the island of Madeira – famous for that “other” type Portuguese dessert wine.
A few days before I left on the May trip, I received notice that I’d won a sweepstakes sponsored by the Portuguese National Tourism Board and (of all things) the Sports Illustrated 2010 Swimsuit edition. Apparently Lisbon was one of the cities that SI chose to shoot their 2010 Swimsuit edition. And apparently, at some point I registered for the sweepstakes on the visitportugal.com web site. And apparently, I (who rarely wins anything) won the grand prize of a trip for two to Lisbon, Portugal.
So at the beginning of October, Jody and I set out for Portugal – my second trip of 2010 and Jody’s first trip to Portugal. We spend a few days in Lisbon – wandering it’s amazing neighborhoods and reveling in all of the sights and sounds of such an amazing city. We then took the train up to Porto in Northern Portugal, where we visited with old friends in the Port industry, and spent a wonderful night at the Yeatman, a brand new hotel and spa with views that rival any other hotel in the region. We then took the train East up the Douro River Valley into the heart of Port wine country. We met up with my friend Roy and the Fall Harvest Tour, visiting some historic and legendary wineries – Quinta do Vesuvio, Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta do Crasto. These were properties that I visited on my first trip to Portugal in 2006, and seeing Miguel, Alistair, Gilly, and Dominic was like visiting with old friends after a long absence.
There were so many memorable parts to our trip, but one quote in particular really resonated with me, and it typifies the passion that so many Port winemakers in the Douro share. At a tasting at Ramos-Pinto, Winemaker João Nicolau de Almeida described the process of blending various years of tawny Ports into a perfect blend as “being like a conductor of an orchestra. You have all the instruments at your disposal, but it’s up to the conductor to bring them all together to make beautiful music.”
We drank in our time in Portugal. It was a feast for the senses, and a deep appreciation for the passion, the wines, and the spirit of the people of Portugal.
This month’s poem is “I’m A Keep of Sheep” by Alberto Caeiro (also known as Fernando Pessoa, one of Portugal’s most famous poets, and beloved sons).
Wishing you all the best,
Stewart
Stewart & Fernando Pessoa – Lisbon, Portugal
Fernando Pessoa
(1888 – 1935)
Alberto Caeiro
(pseudonym for Fernando Pessoa)
I’m A Keeper of Sheep
I’m a keeper of sheep.
The sheep are my thoughts
And my thoughts are all sensations.
I think with my eyes and ears.
And with my hands and feet
And with my nose and mouth.
To think a flower is to see it and smell it
And to eat a fruit is to taste its meaning.
That’s why on a hot day
When I ache from enjoying it so much,
And stretch out on the grass
Closing my warm eyes,
I feel my whole body lying full length in reality,
I know the truth and I’m happy.
