I know there is a word for this —
For the gyrating lattice pattern that stretches across my eyelids when I close them,
The morphing blotches and dots,
My mind’s eye doing gymnastics,
The darkness impressing itself,
The inversion of seeing
That cannot be coerced into submission.
It is steeplechasing, somersaulting, a throbbing echo of the light!
It is cannonballing, cartwheeling, metamorphic marauding,
Merlin in mustache, Periclymenus in postiche,
The open Ovid,
Shapes that move of us, that move themselves,
Unwittingly, until erased by sight.
Phosphenes. The word is phosphenes.
But isn’t it much more fun to feel around for it?
To string together the words in loose circumference,
to let it rip or ride
the rhythm?
Yes, sometimes you crawl under the penumbra of possibility,
and find a delicate aloftness while hugging its iridescent wing.
(A case for the free-wheeling.)
Post-Scripts.
+Over the holiday, someone left a comment on the Instagram adaptation of my “Legato List” post, telling me I should have used the word “largo” instead of “legato” to be musically accurate. And he is entitled to whatever opinion he has! The minute a work wanders out into the world, it belongs more to you, dear reader, than to me. You can do as you wish with it! You can improve it with your own edits. You can take it to task. You can love it. You can punish it! In earnestness, perhaps there is an argument for “largo” vs “legato.” And I am genuinely delighted when anyone is reading my work carefully enough to suggest an edit — I mean that. Feedback is a gift. So while I know I need not and philosophically should not comment on this, my inner aesthete cannot help itself from a bit of playful sparring: sometimes, in writing, you favor the suggestive. Sometimes you want to sink into the chewy draw of “prune” where the nasal “raisin” might be more accurate. Sometimes you favor the blue cheese for its heft and funk and pungency even though the recipe calls for sharp cheddar. And yes, sometimes you reach for the undulating triple syllable of legato, the way it deliberates and rolls off the tongue, and you fiend for the satisfying rat-a-tat of the echoed “t”s in the words “legato” and “list,” the way the open “e” settles against the closing “i.” Oh, poor legato! I fear we have clipped his wings, chained him to a chair and punished him, if we do not permit him into the title position, where he very capably performs his own smooth and arcing slowness. (I am having fun here, but I was also struck by the fact that I included a reference to Billy Collins’s “Introduction to Poetry” in that list (“Reading poetry — per Billy Collins: “take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide””). Something meta-textual happening there I couldn’t help but underscore in soft pencil today! This thought sequence inspired the little exploration above.)
Shopping Break.
+What Magpies are loving so far in 2026: this rug, these underwear (divineee), this cable-knit bomber.
+For my racquets ladies: the chicest set!
+OK, these JA Park Ave sets (skirt, top) are incredible. I have one set I ordered maybe two years ago — ? — that I find myself reaching for a ton around the year. You can wear as a set in spring, summer, fall! Layer with a cardigan and suede boots in the cooler months; style with a leather sandal and big necklace in the summer; etc! Super versatile and so chic. And you can of course wear the top with white jeans or dark wash denim, or the skirt with a slim turtleneck or chunky knit to mix things up. Strong rec. Run TTS.
+I know we’re all Crown Affair devotees, but I’ve been hearing good things about this dry shampoo too. BTW, reminder that this is the missing link in your hair routine. Smells so good, goes on invisible (very lightweight), but leaves hair so glassy and shiny!
+Obsessed with this lighting in a breakfast nook. And: a little powder room upgrade.
+Pretty Matouk-inspired bed linens on super sale, and attractive storage bins.
+Just loving baby pink right now.
+I thought I’d misplaced this necklace but just found it in a travel jewelry roll! Eek! So glad I recovered it. It’s such a beautiful piece to add to your everyday stack/mix.
+Chic way to display a special object — rabbit’s foot, car keys, whatever!
+For those of us looking for less screen time while unwinding: a crossword solitaire game.
+Slip on water/snow/sludge-proof boots.
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Your musings above are making me ponder long forgotten musical terms this evening. This may be beside your point re: largo, but I would suggest a third option for the title of your list- Adagio, which connotes not only slowness but calm and serenity. While you may lose the original alliteration, the feeling conveyed by Adagio fits the vibe of nearly all items in the original list. That being said, legato still fulfills the original purpose as it connotes flowing connectedness ( and who could object to that aspiration, I would ask?!).
Amy, I love this! I just wrote a little piece inspired by this note about “adagio.” Thanks 🙂
xx
I’ve purchased often from JA and love the styles and quality, but have found the colors to sometimes be very different in person than pictured. Not sure if you have come across the same. I wish the items were photographed in different light.
Hi Anne! Thanks for sharing this. I have noticed slight differences in their blockprinted pieces, i.e., husband shirts and pareos, between what I receive / what’s online, too.
xx
Hi! I tried the JA Park Avenue skirt without realizing there is a huge slit all the way up the skirt! How do you manage to sit, move,
Etc without feeling exposed?
Hi Mary! OK, I HAVE noticed this — I typically reserve this outfit for “standing cocktail parties” or dinner parties where you can sit with a napkin in your lap. It’s not great for just sitting around on a chair though, I’ll agree!!! I wish there was one more button closure of some kind.
xx