How artist grieve:

I like reading all sorts of people’s perspectives on how to grieve and live and honor life well. Certain artist teach others how to grieve, which we all have to do, in the end.

Patti Smith’s latest book (her first one, “Just Kids” was an amazing poetically moving tragic memoir of her life in NYC in the midst of a cultural movement in the 60’s and 70’s), M Train—able to grieve for others through art is one of the things I’m learning through it.

She’s also a ridiculously talented writer and poet.

The ability to hold and evoke a container for collective un-grieved things, through her books and art. It’s a unique priestly activity, to be able to help others grieve things which they didn’t know they were grieving.

Wonder if this is one of the truer roles of art. Just reading her latest book today.

Not for everyone-raw beauty-her style, though it is brilliant, but this thing of giving others a

metaphysical/spiritual circle to grieve in, by articulately expressing your own, and really honoring each person and experience which entered, as having meaning and matter—every person, a poem worth beholding, pronouncing. Powerful stuff. The healing aspect of priesthood. With her, of course, she is also grieving lost artist from her own generation; she is holding a vigil for the special ones, which i relate to. The lost levites. Nice, and instilling read so far!