Saturday, March 31, 2007

Superimposed

( for B )

Superimposed on this life
are all of the pasts that I have lived before.
Distant shadows of lessons learned...
.....(do I understand them yet?)

Passionate remembrances of all the places
.....that my love has lived before.
.....Soaring to the heavens in an embrace
.....that lives on forever.
.....Souls and spirits connecting
.....in an intricate dance of joyful reunion.

Shining beacons of all those who have loved me freely...
.....They are all still here.
.....The faces are different,
.....The relationships are reversed,
.....Or changed.
.....Yet they are the same...
.....Recognized and beautiful.

We have travelled together on this road,
We have shared this path many times before.
We are home.

DLD/31MAR07

Look Ahead

Look ahead.
There is a gate.... Do you see?
Where does it lead? Do you dare approach?
You need no key,
But courage.

Look ahead.
The fields stretch beyond vision.
Let the winds carry you...
Let the sunshine warm you....
Let the waters wash your soul clean
.....again.....

Follow the footsteps....
Shallow imprints in the damp earth....
And know that you have been here

(((before)))

Turn now.
Choose a new direction.
Unexplored, unknown, unfettered.
Whispers of encouragement
are everywhere.

DLD/31MAR07

Facing Forward

Facing forward
is the only direction that works for me.

In my fist....
determination, resistance, strength
that will carry me through the challenges ahead.

In my eyes....
shining stars, possibilities, optimism
that fire my soul and form a vision
of what can still be.

In my heart....
the delight of a schoolgirl,
the passion of my convictions,
an abundance of love,

and peace.

DLD/31MAR07

A Drop of Heaven

A drop of heaven,
it seems to me,
would sparkle in its depths
as of a diamond
encased in a shimmering pocket
of wonderment.

Where would one keep
a drop of heaven,
should one happen to accidentally
come across one?

Tuck it in your wallet
alongside the round "tuit" that
someone gave you at a Christmas party
in 1989?
In the drawer of your bedside table,
smooshed between the pages
of the novel you're reading?
Carefully protected
in a turquoise silk pouch,
next to your Bible?

Or would you give it away
to the homeless man
that you've been trying to avoid
on the corner of 10th and Broadway?

DLD/30MAR07

Friday, March 30, 2007

Takin' on a Reading Challenge....

Reading challenges of various sorts are the latest rage in the blogosphere. So far, I've managed to resist the urge to get involved. I know once I do it will be a long slippery slope, a slide into the oblivion of stacks of dusty books, and no hope of rescue in sight. But....Today I caved. Yup. My first true "reading challenge".....you heard it here first.

How could I refuse? It's all about my favourite genre -- fantasy! I'm imagining it as a quick, easy, and pain-free method to return to fantasy reading with a passion. It's called the Once Upon a Time Challenge, and there are many ways to play. I've decided on Quest #1 .... and have committed to read five books from any of the fantasy sub-genres between March 22nd and June 21st. (Yes, I know the proper terminology is I should be committed, but c'mon now, be nice.) Conveniently enough (*grins*), I'm well along in the challenge already. My last finish, The Golden Compass, is #1, and my current Harry Potter read (about halfway through) is #2.

Here's my full list:
1. The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling
3. Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman (folklore sub-genre)
4. The Once and Future King, by T.H. White (a monster of a selection - close to 900 pages! yikes! - from the mythology sub-genre)
5. Once Upon a Marigold, by Jean Ferris (a quick and easy young adult fantasy to round out the field)

Listening to: Slide (Kaya Project), on iTunes radioioAMBIENT.
Glad to report: Essay #1 of 3 is complete.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Some Call It Love

Some call it love
when a heart beats
madly out of control
like a drum solo
on speed.

Some call it love
when the spirit sings
with mischief and delight,
when the world
shines more brilliantly,
when you'd rather
skip than walk.

I call it love
when hands touch
(whilst reaching for the salt)....
you reading the New York Times,
me with a pencil and a folded-up page,
only the crossword puzzle showing....
Eyes meet,
silent smiles appear,
and linger.

DLD/29MAR07

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Transparent Veils

Transparent veils,
Velvet and silk....
Drapes surround,
floating gently.

Soft flutters....
as butterfly's wings,
Invisible touches...
Gossamer fantasies.

DLD/28MAR07

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The Case of the (Temporarily) Missing Wallet

How is it that things can hide in plain view?

A friend and I had a discussion today about the subjectivity of time and space. How is it that time can pass so slowly (or seemingly non-existently) when you're waiting for an anticipated event, and yet go by so quickly at other times (like when essay deadlines are pressing). The clock hand moves at the exact same speed in all circumstances. Or does it? And what happens if your subjective time is going quickly, and mine is crawling at a snail's pace....both at the same -- ahem -- "time." Would the two erroneous subjectivities cancel each other out?

And if time is subjective, can space be subjective too? How is that you can look at something right under your nose and just not see it? Is it possible that for a brief moment in time it really isn't there? And then the next moment it returns?

That would explain why my wallet suddenly, inexplicably reappeared in the bottom of my backpack. I looked. Really I did. I looked many many times, and it wasn't there. I emptied the entire backpack, every pocket, every corner. It wasn't there. I swear. And then -- it was.

All I wanted was mushrooms. And I ended up coming home without them. I'm blaming it on a tear in the fabric of the space/time continuum.

Watching: Tales from the Jungle - Carlos Castaneda, on YouTube
Celebrating: The completion of reading for my Kinship essay (YES!)

Monday, March 26, 2007

As I Navigate...

As I navigate the murky depths
to the next signpost....

Strength is the dragon
that follows me through the fire.
Flames deter us not.

Wisdom is the owl
that flies behind my left shoulder.
His eyes see beyond.

Power is held in the sword
Gripped tight in my fist....
Filigree of silver cradles my hand.

Rage is the angry beast
Lurking on the dark horizon of my mind,
Blazing his mark on my forehead.

Gentility, kindness, courtesy....
These are tucked away unseen,
Protected in a pouch of black velvet.

Deliverance is at hand.
Freedom awaits.

DLD/26MAR07

Escape with me....

#14 The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
Finished 3/25/07
Rating: 4/5
Total Pages: 399
Reason for Reading: b-a-w ATF list, Once Upon a Time Challenge
REVIEW: A delightful romp through a magical place, where every human has a daemon, polar bears wear armour, where children are good and adults are evil (most of them anyways *snicker*), and a mysterious city is perched precariously on the aurora borealis. Wonderfully entertaining and pure escapism at its best. Couldn’t ask for something better to re-ignite one’s boring academic brain.

* * * * *

Journal articles and library books couldn't hold a candle to this book that's been languishing on my TBR stack for far too long. Now let me see.... shall I read about kinship terminology of the Nuer people of colonial Africa, or shall I read about a balloon ride to the north and witches flying alongside and a magical compass with 36 settings, and a marvellously precocious child who knows how to use it to tell the future??

Yeah....Twist my arm. :-P

Fantasy books have drawn me ever since a teenager. There's something about drifting away into a magic world where wizards and princesses and dragons and unicorns still exist that feeds my soul in a way that high-brow "literary fiction" never will. Don't get me wrong -- I love stretching my brain around a Dickens or a Murdoch or an Atwood or a Marquez or a Coelho. Great sci-fi turns my crank, too, like Herbert, Heinlein, and Wells. But REALLY good fantasy is truly what floats my boat. Problem is where to find it these days.

To be honest, I walked away from the genre for a few years because it seemed like everything I picked up wasn't worth the effort. But, thanks to a building network of book recommenders (you know who you are)....I'm finding new authors that take me away -- Pullman has just been added to that list.

Today is Monday.... the start of a new week.... and the need to get back to schoolwork is pressing. I'm determined to get a LOT of work done this week.... My goal is to finish one essay and make a SERIOUS dent in another.

Now reading: Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
Listening to: Takin' It to the Streets (Doobie Brothers)

Between Worlds

Between worlds
Lies a place of great peace and wisdom.
Once in a long while,
we are allowed the briefest
of glimpses,
and the opportunity
to fill a golden flask
with a silken silver liquid,
sparkling with crushed crystals floating therein.

Kneel at the pool.
Give thanks for this gift of the gods.
Drink deeply of love, beauty, health, faith.
Look upon your fellows through eyes of clarity,
in a spirit of acceptance.
Allow this moment
to drench you
within.

DLD/24MAR07