bay horse stands tip-toe
calling the storm through his nose
wind holds his passion
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
new poem: Grail Quest
Wow! I've got 5 followers! Believe me, I'm excited!!! 8-)
Now for my newest poem:
GRAIL QUEST
38 years
he sought her
his lost dove
the one with weak wings
the one would could not fly well.
At dusk his round calls
circled on winds
stirred by desire
and meek hope
But once he found her
what was to be done?
An obituary would have been simpler.
He holds her in his cupped palms
repeating well-rehearsed coos.
She cannot perch there forever
teetering upon his open hands,
mincing toward the tips of his fingers.
He wavers between
clutching her tightly to his own feathered breast
or tossing her back to that
vast and empty sky.
Now for my newest poem:
GRAIL QUEST
38 years
he sought her
his lost dove
the one with weak wings
the one would could not fly well.
At dusk his round calls
circled on winds
stirred by desire
and meek hope
But once he found her
what was to be done?
An obituary would have been simpler.
He holds her in his cupped palms
repeating well-rehearsed coos.
She cannot perch there forever
teetering upon his open hands,
mincing toward the tips of his fingers.
He wavers between
clutching her tightly to his own feathered breast
or tossing her back to that
vast and empty sky.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
To Walk in the Light
Yesterday, I spent my contemplative time focusting on what it means "to walk in the Light." As a Quaker, this is an important phrase and issue.
Walk in the Light: to be enlightened, enlightenment, to see our way out of darkness
In order to understand the Light, it helps enormously to have experienced and comprehended the darkness, whether we mean the darkeness of life's circumstances or the darkness that results from our own unwise, selfish, and/or short-sighted choices. When we chose to act without integrity, we are not walking in the Light.
Are there ever times when the lighted way is unclear? Of course! We Quakers use contemplation and the consensual process as means of discerning which path is the lighted path. Sometimes the way that is eventually revealed surprises us; it's not what we had originally assumed. It is too easy to jump to conclusions -- "This is the way things should be," we might think early in a situation or a decision-making process. This is why we Quakers use silence to leave ourselves open to the ultimate teacher, that which is of God within us, which is the best teacher of all.
Odd as it may seem, sometimes being aware of personal boundaries is a huge manifestatin of the Light. What is and what is not in my personal domain? If I overstep, my integrity is compromised. Having my own way is not contiguous with walking in the Light.
Walk in the Light: to be enlightened, enlightenment, to see our way out of darkness
In order to understand the Light, it helps enormously to have experienced and comprehended the darkness, whether we mean the darkeness of life's circumstances or the darkness that results from our own unwise, selfish, and/or short-sighted choices. When we chose to act without integrity, we are not walking in the Light.
Are there ever times when the lighted way is unclear? Of course! We Quakers use contemplation and the consensual process as means of discerning which path is the lighted path. Sometimes the way that is eventually revealed surprises us; it's not what we had originally assumed. It is too easy to jump to conclusions -- "This is the way things should be," we might think early in a situation or a decision-making process. This is why we Quakers use silence to leave ourselves open to the ultimate teacher, that which is of God within us, which is the best teacher of all.
Odd as it may seem, sometimes being aware of personal boundaries is a huge manifestatin of the Light. What is and what is not in my personal domain? If I overstep, my integrity is compromised. Having my own way is not contiguous with walking in the Light.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Dressed to Serve Breakfast
I wrap my heavy robe over the flannel gown, and in my barn boots
trudge down Hwy 574 to feed the horses.
It's nearly 8 a.m., and they've been standing at the fence
eyeing me out with the dogs;
they wonder why room service is so slow.
My loose hair flies in this misty wind.
I cannot wonder what the neighbors think --
they say they love my fortitude.
That is enough, and the horses have been fed.
trudge down Hwy 574 to feed the horses.
It's nearly 8 a.m., and they've been standing at the fence
eyeing me out with the dogs;
they wonder why room service is so slow.
My loose hair flies in this misty wind.
I cannot wonder what the neighbors think --
they say they love my fortitude.
That is enough, and the horses have been fed.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Karma: Payment for the Past
I just watched a video on Iraq Veterans Against the War. Everything those vets said confirmed what I had said before we invaded, but now more and more people are seeing The Big Picture, and saying that we cannot achieve peace through violence. Violence only begets more violence, and this is how the wealthy of our nation increase their incomes.
But on a more personal level, I've been haunted this week by how a decision I made 38 years ago affected more lives than my own. Can I write this off to the folly of youth? I did have my reasons at the time, good reasons. Even now, I can defend my decision to terminate a relationship that just wasn't working at the time. That doesn't mean that either of us were or are not good people, and re-connecting this last week has confirmed that. But we certainly are very different individuals. So would we have grown apart anyway, or would we have grown together? The great unanswerable questions of "what if" will always remain unanswered.
What if Leah's Jason hadn't ben a Marine who died horrifically on his 2nd deployment to Iraq? What if I hadn't already had plans for the evening that Sam Lehman asked me to attend the AGR Christmas Party in 1975? What if I hadn't broken up with Dan Bevan in January of 1973?
While I cannot change the decisions I or others made in the past, I do feel regret for those whom I have personally hurt. And I cannot help but wonder at times if the pain I deal with (physical and/or emotional) is not some sort of repayment for the harms I have done to others.
But on a more personal level, I've been haunted this week by how a decision I made 38 years ago affected more lives than my own. Can I write this off to the folly of youth? I did have my reasons at the time, good reasons. Even now, I can defend my decision to terminate a relationship that just wasn't working at the time. That doesn't mean that either of us were or are not good people, and re-connecting this last week has confirmed that. But we certainly are very different individuals. So would we have grown apart anyway, or would we have grown together? The great unanswerable questions of "what if" will always remain unanswered.
What if Leah's Jason hadn't ben a Marine who died horrifically on his 2nd deployment to Iraq? What if I hadn't already had plans for the evening that Sam Lehman asked me to attend the AGR Christmas Party in 1975? What if I hadn't broken up with Dan Bevan in January of 1973?
While I cannot change the decisions I or others made in the past, I do feel regret for those whom I have personally hurt. And I cannot help but wonder at times if the pain I deal with (physical and/or emotional) is not some sort of repayment for the harms I have done to others.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Seasonal Reminder
Had to get up and retrieve another quilt out of the closet last night before I could fall asleep. Yes, it was that cold! I have to remind myself that Kentucky's "frost free" date for gardening is May 9. I have to remind myself of freezing my fanny off in a mini skirt at a Derby Party in 1989 when we had sleet. (I weighed 118 lbs. then, so mini skirts were possible. These days at 58, I don't care what the weather is or what I weigh, mini skirts are not in my wardrobe anymore.)
And 2011 is now Kentucky's wettest year on record since record keeping began in the late 19th Century. We've had 29" in the Louisville area since January 1, and I'll bet the lion's share of that has been in the last 3 weeks. It's not the cold that's preventing me from getting my veggies in the ground, it's the soggy ground. Any attempt at cultivation would result in making bricks. I don't mind hauling horse manure up from the pasture, but soggy horse manure is heavier than dry. My barn boots are positively disreputable!
Of course one benefit of the cold is that it has kept the insect population at bay for the moment. I keep up with continual cootie checks on the dogs for fleas and ticks and haven't found either, which surprises me. I was sure I'd have seen a tick or two by now, even with my guys all on prevention. Heck, I usually find a tick or two ON ME since I love being outdoors. Gads, I hate those things. They give me the heebee jeebees.
Did have a slight ant invasion in the house. I think everyone I've talked to has. The ants are moving to higher ground! Ants aren't listed as marine life.
The ponds are full, the creeks are muddy and over their banks, but everything is a lovely green and the weeds are growing in great profusion. I have found the previous residents' plantings of lemon balm and spearmint. And I've found a grape vine that's going to receive some tender care and cultivation, even if it's just for the leaves for making dolmas.
And 2011 is now Kentucky's wettest year on record since record keeping began in the late 19th Century. We've had 29" in the Louisville area since January 1, and I'll bet the lion's share of that has been in the last 3 weeks. It's not the cold that's preventing me from getting my veggies in the ground, it's the soggy ground. Any attempt at cultivation would result in making bricks. I don't mind hauling horse manure up from the pasture, but soggy horse manure is heavier than dry. My barn boots are positively disreputable!
Of course one benefit of the cold is that it has kept the insect population at bay for the moment. I keep up with continual cootie checks on the dogs for fleas and ticks and haven't found either, which surprises me. I was sure I'd have seen a tick or two by now, even with my guys all on prevention. Heck, I usually find a tick or two ON ME since I love being outdoors. Gads, I hate those things. They give me the heebee jeebees.
Did have a slight ant invasion in the house. I think everyone I've talked to has. The ants are moving to higher ground! Ants aren't listed as marine life.
The ponds are full, the creeks are muddy and over their banks, but everything is a lovely green and the weeds are growing in great profusion. I have found the previous residents' plantings of lemon balm and spearmint. And I've found a grape vine that's going to receive some tender care and cultivation, even if it's just for the leaves for making dolmas.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Rural Quakers of North Central KY can now gather together!
Quakers (The Religious Society of Friends, aka "Friends") will be meeting for unprogrammed worship every Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. beginning May 7, 2011 at the Port Royal Methodist Church, 8230 Port Royal Road (Hwy 193), Port Royal, KY (Henry County). This is an informal group that is under the guidance of the Lexington (Kentucky) Friends Meeting. I'm the contact.
We are open to participation by Conservative and Liberal Quakers and to anyone else who would like to attend. There aren't that many Quakers in this area. Let us join together! I am hoping we will have some participants from Owen, Trimble and Carroll Counties as well.
We are open to participation by Conservative and Liberal Quakers and to anyone else who would like to attend. There aren't that many Quakers in this area. Let us join together! I am hoping we will have some participants from Owen, Trimble and Carroll Counties as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)