the always of after
leaves why to wither
lonely without root
or vine
how can never become
when?
who seeds the birdwind?
ask this quiet deep light
growing into moonsong
The Oracle was full of questions today. As are we all.
painting
the beach at night
can moonlight tumble?
reflections transformed by waves–
diamonds in the foam
moonlight tumbles–
reflections transformed–
diamond foam
moon
light
foam
For Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday where the theme, chosen by Franci Hoffman, is the night sky. I did not get to the beach this year, but I’m remembering the magic of past summer nights by the ocean.
And once again using art from the archives.
our voices echo through distances we cannot span
life spills out
into uncontrolled
spaces—still
mystery,
still yearning for parallel
growth, revelation—
who and where
do we think we are?
tiny ex
plosions look
ing for intersecting lines
that collide and cross,
waving brains
tides hands energy
electric
magnetic–
mapping the unseen
with disturbances,
promises
of what could have been–
had lighyears
been compressed
into overlapping sounds—each
a mirrored reply
Marcy Erb’s prompt for the Kick-About #11 was the planet Trappist 1e, an earth-sized planet orbiting the Trappist-1 dwarf star 40 light years from Earth. What makes it special? Scientists believe it is potentially habitable.
But not the entire planet–“there would be only a sliver of habitability”–as the planet does not itself rotate–one side is always facing towards the sun, and the other side is always in darkness. The habitable area is called the teminator line, or in more familiar terms, the twilight zone, as it is always stranded between the darkness and the light.
The idea of a sliver of habitability seems relevant to the current situation on earth–the balance of the ecosystem is delicate, and we are narrowing that sliver day by day. My two mandalas represent my idea of Trappist 1e and the waves of exploration and communication we are sending out in the hopes of finding another blue and green island in the vast dark cosmic sea.
Time Has Come Today
You can sometimes combine the beginning with the end. But take care. The interplay must never be rippled—look for translucence, a changing density that mirrors the journey of the stars. Listen, then turn around. Threaded into the horizon you will sometimes find the edges. Two of nothing will show you the way.
The clock invited me into its worn house, where twice a day there was a meeting place that balanced on the verge of departure. Forward or backward? I became lost in the movement, spinning around into all directions, endlessly lost inside each new location.
If I had found the common denominator…if I had been able to reconfigure what was left behind…if I could have traveled in tandem with the shadows…but if is not when. It is over, said and done.
It was a time and there was never enough of it.
For Prosery Monday at dVerse, Merril gave us a quote from Allison Adelle Hedge Coke: when it is over said and done/it was a time/and there was never enough of it. I ended up writing with a stream of consciousness hangover.
For my art, I took an old collage and superimposed it on a newish painting in Photoshop. As soon as I read the quote I thought immediately of this song.
unexplained
gathered in
like harmony
spilling out
like wings
like harmony
a stillness
like wings
unfolding
in stillness
each chord
unfolding
the world
each chord
filling
the world
with song
filling
the edges
with song
reaching
the edges
uncontained
reaching
the invisible
uncontained
singing
the invisible
to eternity
singing
beyond reason
to infinity
all needs
beyond reason
spilling out
all needs met
and gathered in
An unrhymed pantoum for Sue Vincent’s photo prompt, above.
co(r)vid nights
For Frank Tassone’s #haikai challenge 151, autumn storm/darkness. I wanted a much gentler vision, but the Oracle was having no part of it.
delirious sleep
pounding its raw grey stormchant
wind language dreaming
mad with shadows whispering
in a momentary light
cicada
Cicadas are one of many species that make multiple visible transformations during their lifespans. The longest living insects, they are symbols of both rebirth and immortality.
drinking deep
of earthy tree sap–
high summer
songs weaving
spells of magical
protection
mysteries
of transparency
and winglight
The word for the Kick About #8 challenge is cicada. What beautiful wings they have.
I first painted the cicada, then glued wax paper down for the wings and embroidered on top.
Fore and Aft
Sea, moon, sails–
are words a story?
Wonder. Where.
The journey
ends. Compassed and jibed. Adrift
and dreaming. Betides.
A shadorma for Colleen’s #tanka Tuesday, using synonyms for circled and squared, and for Sarah at dVerse who asks us to consider boats.
Once again I’ve dipped into my art archives for the illustrations.
holiday
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
You would think if you shared a birthday with someone whose date of birth merits a national holiday, people would remember. But the actual date of my own birth is still a constant confusion to many of my family and friends. (I know it’s in January…what day again?)
Maybe it’s the moving of all holidays in the U.S. to Mondays, so everyone can enjoy a long weekend. No need to acknowledge why their employer or school is giving them a day off—the real reason for holidays is to have 3 days off in a row with no work, right?
mid-January–
voice of crow under grey skies–
how to fill the hole
Kim at dVerse prompted us to talk about our birthday.
whalesong
When I saw what the Oracle had given me today, I went looking for an old post I had done on blue whales. What I wrote six years ago is only more true today.
The blue whale is the world’s largest and heaviest existing animal. Hunted almost to extinction by whalers in the 19th century, it is currently endangered, like many other species, by habitat loss due to pollution and climate change. Toxic chemicals and the warming of the ocean disrupt migration and food sources, sonar disrupts whale communication, and whales also collide with ships and become entangled in fishing gear.
Humans have not been kind to whales.
A good, if depressing, compilation of whale and human history can be found in Philip Hoare’s book “The Whale”. My review on goodreads is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/118181104
http://www.whale.org/
http://www.savethewhales.org/
Also linking to earthweal open link weekend.
ancient blue
spirtsong follows
deep moonpath
listen as
secrets breathe between
waterlight
