Reflections of the Chesapeake, 1608
July 24, 2009

O Mother River
who has carried me
so long

O Father Tree
who has long pointed
the way

O Brother Grass
who has given me place
to lie

O Sister Wind
who makes the earth
to sing

I hold Thee
like warm sunshine
in my heart

You fly from me
on the wings
of an eagle

And echo long
in River, Tree, Grass, and Wind
my Home

when all the earth was clean it was most alive
all she had to offer was evidence of this
the birds songs were long and happy in the trees
the trees sent roots down and long branches up
they moved only with the wind
they lived and died just as long as they should
they gave back all they took and more
leaving the earth richer, open for new growth
scented sweetly with green and brown mineral
and the rains fell in pure color then
speeding from cloud to earth in pure light
saturating earth
bubbling in the pond
pooling in the stream
flowing in the river
crashing in the ocean
dissolving in the sky
falling again in clear light
each time the earth celebrated with motion
the things the water moved in its force and before that
the woods creatures all moved at the coming
the leaves and blades of grass trembled
the birds went mute and turned their song to diving
like pools of black and fluid light in the sky
revel in the rain
the rolling cloud silver at their backs
the lightning glinting off their wings
the thunderous motion of the wind
making them light up the sky
seldom so free as when the rains come
but all this is forgotten
when the lifting clouds part like a curtain
and the face of everything shines
in yellow sunlight
then for moments all the surface of things sigh
caught in transition
happy to be wet and drying
thankful for warmth
for light cutting down in strands
through the grass and leaves
water lilting at its surface
fish quiet in their frenzy
begin to nap in cool shaded banks
the birds take to singing again
a prayer for rain
the earth is clean
it is most alive

software

i'm just rolling out of bed at 12:30. can't afford this. not any more. the light on the banyon tree outside is already high and dull. the morning winds have died to a lull. why do they trim that grass so much. i'll just have to ignore it. there are bigger fish to fry today and class starts in an hour. the longest class of the week. 합반. 난 왜이래...기운이 왜없을까...부분적으로...well that's a good sign. I'm thinking in korean more. miles to go before I sleep though. and i just got up. maybe those smoothies aren't helping. she said not to drink cold stuff. makes sense really. all the cold soaking up all the heat in the pit of the stomach. some pepperment oil should help. and that toe. more filing and more tea-tree oil. can't expect things so bad to get well in a day or after just one application. it took years to get that way. i've got to be willing to wait it out--see it out to the end. that's that kind of fasting Isaiah ment in 58. breaking from food was layer one. though i need to do that too. haven't done that in a while. well theres only room for so much. what was all that about josh and i moving that fridge around. dreams. all night moving a fridge. no wonder i'm still exhausted. and didn't in end with the fridge in the same place it started. yikes. only up to minutes and already its throbbing. enough thinking. be don't think. give those wires a break. hot water. that's what i need. and some bob marley too. i don't want to wait in vain. knock knock knock. 'and I still can knock some more'. yeah i need to knock more. 6 more months gone and i haven't knocked on any doors. cute enough girls here. byron's right. 'in time' doesn't mean 'in eternity'. and the Lord won't move a parked car. oh old joe. he was right. and he's in fifth gear now with marilyn. alright. enough of the should dos. got to stop shoulding myself. class in just less than an hour. hot water and then get to it.

the miracle of gl

It occured to me yesterday during and acupucture appointement that the words we use to describe what we feel are surprisingly limited. After twenty minutes of free-flowing gi it wasn't peace or tranquility or sublimity. It was like something in a song. Like I was feeling tamberine. Maybe borrowing from the world of music could help us hit home a little closer to what we feel. Some days are too full of trumpet. Some moments to heavy on the bass.