ammendment

My friend
once
drew 
harsh,
red,
sand lines 
about
abortion,
homosexuality,
transgender issues.
divorce,
etc.

Until 
death
came
knocking,
on her family door.

Now
her aching heart
is
ajar.

Black
and
white
merged gray,
because 
Life is
too winged
for
never.

the light of mine

The good lord knows I love candles!

Candles automatically mellow my mind. I love the flicker of drafts, I love the smoke, I love the waxy puddles, but most of all I love the sense of light. A flick of a match and you have created light! What was previously ambient light from electrical fixtures or sunlight is now an intensified flame of warmth - physical and spiritual.

We have always burned lots of candles in our homes wherever we are, and not just at holidays, but the day by days. Candles bring that inexpressible softening to a dinner table, bedroom, bathroom, easy chair table. Dancing life in the midst of systems.

In this present world where the systems seem so muddled and despair so imminent, I will light my candle. I won't change the world, but my heart will sing a small song. 

And who knows, more people might join in the chorus!

blow the man down!

This is a day for the "fisherman's horn" to blow! 

I think I've written before about the transom on the front door of my childhood home that had some crack in it - or at least a space for the wind to elbow in on a really blustery day and set off a racket! In some ways it reminded me of an eerie foghorn at sea. It certainly got our attention as kids! I can't remember the first time it blew of course, but I do know that no matter how old I got in that house and heard the blow, my imagination soared! In my current house I hung a windchime outside my bedroom window ages ago and while it is getting a tinkling workout these days, it is but a weak emulation of the transom of old.

 Wind is a magical thing! As I age - though I love it still - to me wind is the most feared of all the elements. True, snow/rain/sleet/fog can cause as lot of havoc depended on your location at the time. But if you are home, safe and sound, and all those elements fall upon you, it's not a crisis. Whereas, the constant roar of the wind these past two days is truly ominous, inside and out. 

Man proposes - but the powerful, prowl of wind disposes.

a toast to Mary Oliver

With much sadness I read of her passing and will now hoard and treasure even more the words that fell from her bountiful mind.

Just one small sample which I adore -

"Whoever you are, no matter
how lonely,
the world offers itself to your 
imagination, 
calls to  you like the wild geese,
harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing 
your place
in the family of things."

Rest in peace, dear heart.

Bonus across and down

My crossword contained a term "troy ounce" this morning and once again I was scrambling for a definition! I discovered that it was a pharmaceutical measure- who knew! My thoughts turned to how each profession has its unique vocabulary and when reared within those walls, the terms are bread and butter - to an outsider, complete bafflement.

But for that matter - my morning crossword took me to Senegal, Eritrea, Cozumel, Oneonta as well. And I relearned info about Lenya Lotte, Alan Alda, and Ajax! You can well ask, will I retain it all and probably the answer is no! But for the moment my sleep-sated mind was flushed with new words, places, ideas, and images.

What a fabulous way to begin the day!

the queen's undies

I was watching the PBS special on Queen Victoria as the curators attempted to recreate her wedding dress by studying royal underwear of the time and following the lines. To me, that was a snapshot of how the monarchy is a thing of the past!

Just to think of someone trying to recreate anything from today's underwear is such a giant leap beyond reality as to be incomprehensible! In Victoria's day, the undergarments followed the lines of the outerwear precisely. Just so, the form of the government followed step by step to the lowest levels of the kingdom. Such order, such precision! Mind you, at the bottom of the hierarchy, they were lucky to have a job - or underwear!!

To me, the pomp and circumstance of Great Britain while lovely to behold and fascinating to break down to the most minute detail, in reality has very little relevance to today's world. Witness the chaos of Teresa May's world!

On the other hand, I'm not dismissing grandeur! Right now, I would love to lift my eyes to anything about our current tawdry government to anything grand.

different times, different strokes

How did we survive childhood without any of today's protection?

We didn't bathe daily (in a tub). We didn't floss our teeth. We didn't use sunblock. We didn't wear sunglasses. We didn't take vitamins. We didn't take pills on a daily basis of any kind, except for my mother's eternal fix for everything was, "take an aspirin"! We didn't use seatbelts. We didn't wear helmets when biking, knee pads or protective gear of any kind in contact sports. We skated in skirts!

We ate fatty things non-stop, rich desserts, sugary pickled salads and relishes, and fried foods and gravy won the day! We snacked on chips, pretzels and crackers with abandon. Meat and potatoes were our mainstay diet. Everything was laced with liberal infusions of salt and sugar.

But on the balance sheet we had fresh air, fresh vegetables, good water, doctor/dentist appointments as needed. We had endless hours of play with family and community. We awoke safe and happy and content.

And yes, of course we had our share of childhood illnesses - mumps, measles, chicken pox - I had whooping cough at five months! Plus throw in colds and flus aplenty. But basically we were healthy and very few broken bones among the 5 of us children my entire childhood.

Yet, we couldn't begin to replicate that life-style now! I would be horrified at every turn!

How did I arrive at this place -literally and culturally?!