Spirits Speak
When we gather ’round a fire, spirits speak. Some of us are in human form. . [ 1739 ]
Affirmative
The fig tree is a show of tiny hands. The vote for spring is in, all affirmative. . [ 1738 ]
Someday
A full, ripe moon over the wetland. Someday, maybe I will write like that. . [ 1737 ]
A Strange Bit of Knowledge
In terms of gun violence, the city we live in is no different than others scattered across this land. Every time we leave the house, we know we can be shot and killed. It might be during a walk through the neighborhood, or when we’re buying groceries, or visiting a park, or on our way to or from seeing our children and grandchildren. It’s a strange bit of knowledge to […]
Back to the Garden
Meditation, enlightenment, reality, truth, self-realization — aren’t such concepts poor, even desperate, substitutes for living our lives as nature intended? I don’t mean this in a critical sense. Piled up in buildings, trapped on freeways, smothered in cosmetics, drugged, poisoned, plugged in, wired, overfed, under-exercised, devoid of basic survival skills, strangers to each other and the environment — we thwart our instincts at every turn. But they can’t be overridden […]
A Warm, Yellow Glow
Measurement, time, comparison, definition — how quickly they fade when I step outside and face the rising sun with my eyes closed. Is reality real, is truth true, when I am suffused with a warm, yellow glow? . [ 1734 ]
Where None Can Be and None Is Needed
Last night, after a warm, sunny day, I dreamed it had snowed, and that the neighborhood was a hushed, white calm. This morning, there arose in my mind the image of last summer’s junco nest in our hanging flower basket, after the little ones had flown. And I marveled all over again at its simplicity, and how quickly it returned to the elements, to the earth from which it came. […]
Ducks in a Row
Wildflowers, nasturtiums, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, okra, string beans, sunflowers, purslane, crab grass and everything else that wants to grow — this year’s garden will be interesting, especially since I’ve scattered seeds in places I’ve already forgotten in this sudden transition to sunny skies, bare arms, and warm feet. Under these enlightened conditions, spending the afternoon working outside is much like losing my mind, or would be, if I still […]
Purpose
I wonder about purpose. Does the universe have a purpose? Does the sun? Do I? Or are we simply here, and here simply, spinning, gently, of this music, and burning bright? Isn’t this enough? Must I impose myself on this miracle and whittle it down to my size? Must I choose one thing or another and say, This is why I am here? Must I be that important? Can’t I […]
An Attentive Child
The less I think, the better I feel — physically, mentally, every which way. Once I recognized the connection between what goes on in my head and my general well being, the thinking process grew quiet, and the intervals between thoughts became greater. Sometimes, I hardly think at all, and wouldn’t notice it, except that when I finally do think, it’s like waking from a vivid dream. I don’t mean […]
William Michaelian 