Happy Thanksgiving

I admit, I have a bit of a problem with the whole thanksgiving thing. I

don't think the pilgrims had thanking the Indians in mind when they stole their land

and decimated their numbers.

I do however, concur with the idea of being thankful. Our local UU minister, Jane Bechle, said it well last Sunday, "we should give thanks not just for our joys but for all the experiences that have

brought us to where we are today" or words to that effect.

It would be impossible to make a list of all the things one is thankful for but I'm make an attempt.

For this planet that has just the right balance of elements to support life. For the water and the air, the earth and the fire that warms us, and the spirit that nurtures our soul's inner flame.

For a country where we're able to speak freely, worship freely, and pursue happiness. Though the nation isn't perfect, it could be much worse.

For shelter and food.

For my wife - who keeps me sane

For my family - who drives me insane

For my friends who give me outside perspective, and keep me searching

For past experiences good or bad, That have expanded my knowledge

for all those, but especially the young, who are waking up to the injustices around us. I don't expect the changes to come soon enough to help my generation, But I do have hope for the future.

And these are all things you can't buy on black Friday. So I'm staying home :)

Stay tuned. I’m hoping to post more regularly now. Maybe switch over to wordpress..maybe  I’ve got some new ideas for post so we’ll see how it works out

Poetry Picture Challenge may 22

Go Insane by the Doors

 

Once I had a little game
I liked to crawl back in my brain
I think you know the game I mean
I mean the game called 'go insane'
Now you should try this little game
Just close your eyes forget your name
Forget the world, forget the people
And we'll erect a different steeple.
This little game is fun to do.
Just close your eyes, i'm going too.
And I'm right here, no way to lose
Release control, we're breaking through

Poetry Picture Challenge May 21

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking

Racing around to come up behind you again.

The sun is the same in a relative way by you’re older.

Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

 

Every year is getting shorter. Never seem to find the time.

Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines.

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way…

excerpt from Time by Pink Floyd

Poetry Picture Challenge May 20

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.

~Friedrich Nietzsche

Poetry Picture Challenge May 19

"The words we speak become the house we live in" ~Hafiz

 

Now that’s transparency!!

Poetry Picture Challenge May 18

The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (English Translation)

Wealth is a comfort to all men;

yet must every man bestow it freely,
if he wish to gain honour in the sight of the Lord.

The aurochs is proud and has great horns;

it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns;
a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle.

The thorn is exceedingly sharp,

an evil thing for any knight to touch,
uncommonly severe on all who sit among them.

The mouth is the source of all language,

a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men,
a blessing and a joy to every knight.

Riding seems easy to every warrior while he is indoors

and very courageous to him who traverses the high-roads
on the back of a stout horse.

The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame;

it always burns where princes sit within.

Generosity brings credit and honour, which support one's dignity;

it furnishes help and subsistence
to all broken men who are devoid of aught else.

Bliss he enjoys who knows not suffering, sorrow nor anxiety,

and has prosperity and happiness and a good enough house.

Hail is the whitest of grain;

it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.

Trouble is oppressive to the heart;

yet often it proves a source of help and salvation
to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes.

Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;

it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;
it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon.

Summer is a joy to men, when God, the holy King of Heaven,

suffers the earth to bring forth shining fruits
for rich and poor alike.

The yew is a tree with rough bark,

hard and fast in the earth, supported by its roots,
a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate.

Peorth is a source of recreation and amusement to the great,

where warriors sit blithely together in the banqueting-hall.

The Eolh-sedge is mostly to be found in a marsh;

it grows in the water and makes a ghastly wound,
covering with blood every warrior who touches it.

The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers

when they journey away over the fishes' bath,
until the courser of the deep bears them to land.

Tiw is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes;

it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails.

The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers,

for it is generated from its leaves.
Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned
its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.

The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors.

A steed in the pride of its hoofs,
when rich men on horseback bandy words about it;
and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless.

The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;

yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow,
since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth.

The ocean seems interminable to men,

if they venture on the rolling bark
and the waves of the sea terrify them
and the courser of the deep heed not its bridle.

Ing was first seen by men among the East-Danes,

till, followed by his chariot,
he departed eastwards over the waves.
So the Heardingas named the hero.

An estate is very dear to every man,

if he can enjoy there in his house
whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity.

Day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord;

it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor,
and of service to all.

The oak fattens the flesh of pigs for the children of men.

Often it traverses the gannet's bath,
and the ocean proves whether the oak keeps faith
in honourable fashion.

The ash is exceedingly high and precious to men.

With its sturdy trunk it offers a stubborn resistance,
though attacked by many a man.

Yr is a source of joy and honour to every prince and knight;

it looks well on a horse and is a reliable equipment for a journey.

Iar is a river fish and yet it always feeds on land;

it has a fair abode encompassed by water, where it lives in happiness.

The grave is horrible to every knight,

when the corpse quickly begins to cool
and is laid in the bosom of the dark earth.
Prosperity declines, happiness passes away
and covenants are broken.

Poetry Picture Challenge May 17

Wizardry

 

I may be vindictive

But I know better

than to waste my wishes

on revenge.

I may be righteously enraged

But I know violence

heals no wounds

creates no peace

gives no solace

I have learned through misery

that expectations are heralds

of disappointment, prophets

blind and diseased.

Better to envision calm

vistas, pleasing to sensation,

happy successful scenes, merry

and blessed, when wishes

are conceived.

by Laurie Corzett

Poetry Picture Challenge May 16

And just as a counter point to yesterday’s post.. and to brighten the mood a bit

 

 

The Charge of the Goddess

Doreen Valiente

Whenever ye have need of anything,

once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full,

then shall ye assemble in some secret place

and adore the spirit of me,

who am Queen of all witches.

There shall ye assemble,

ye who are fain to learn all sorcery,

yet have not won its deepest secrets;

to these will I teach ye all things that are yet unknown.

And ye shall be free from slavery;

and as a sign that ye be truly free,

ye shall be naked in your rites;

and ye shall dance, sing, feast,

make love and music,

all in my praise.

For mine is the ecstasy of spirit,

and mine also is joy on earth;

for my law is love unto all beings.

Keep pure your highest ideals;

strive ever towards them;

let nothing stop you or turn you aside.

For mine is the secret door

which opens upon the Land of Youth,

and mine is the cup of the wine of life,

and the Cauldron of Cerridwen,

which is the Holy vessel of immortality.

I am the Gracious Goddess,

who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man.

Upon earth, I give the knowledge of spirit eternal;

and beyond death, I give peace and freedom

and reunion with those who have gone before.

Nor do I demand sacrifice;

for behold,

I am the Mother of all living,

and my love is poured out upon the earth.

I am the beauty of the green earth,

And the white moon among the stars,

And the mystery of the waters,

And the desire of the heart of man,

Call unto the soul, arise and come unto me

call unto thy soul.

Arise, and come unto me.

For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe.

From me all things proceed,

and unto me all things must return;

and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men,

let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the

infinite.

Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth;

for behold,

all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.

And therefore let there be beauty and strength,

power and compassion, honour and humility,

mirth and reverence within you.

And thou who thinkest to seek for me,

know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not

unless thou knowest the mystery;

that if that which thou seekest

thee findest not within thee,

thou wilt never find it without thee.

For behold,

I have been with thee from the beginning;

and I am that which is attained

at the end of desire.

Poetry Picture Challenge May 15

"Charge of the Dark Goddess ~

Listen to the words of the Dark Mother, who of old was called Hecate, Nuit, Morrigan, , Macha, MotherNight, , and many other names:

Whenever you seek wisdom, at the time of the Darkening Moon, come together in love and trust and learn of Me, who am the Wisest of Crones...

Ye who search the mysteries of the Earth, the secrets of Air and Darkness, of Blood and Fire, the silence of the uttermost stars, come unto me, and I shall whisper to you in the depths of midnight.

Ye shall approach Me in silence, and as a sign that ye are free from fear, your breast you shall bare to My blade...for fear has no place in My mysteries, and that which you seek of me will destroy you if you fear it. .

I am the silence before birth and after death. I am the clouded mirror in which you scry your own soul. I am mist in the twilight, the vast and starry sky of midnight, shadows on the Moon. All things come to Me in the end, and yet I am the beginning of all. I meet you at the crossroads, I lead you through the darkness, My hand you grasp in the passage between the worlds.

To those that toy with Me am I an instrument of self-destruction. yet to the true seeker do I bring knowledge beyond mortal comprehension. Of you shall I demand the utter truth of all that you are, and in return shall I give you all that you may be, all that I am.

For My wisdom is beyond the Ages, and knowledge of My Secrets is power over self, over fear,er death. Nor do I demand aught of you which you cannot give.
For I am the Mother of Mysteries, and as you know Me, so shall you learn to know yourself."

~ Author unknown

Poetry Picture Challenge May 14

Again not poetry but …

Bit of trivia. See if anyone makes the connection ;)

 

Overhead the albatross
Hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
An echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.
And no one called us to the land
And no one knows the where's or why's.
Something stirs and something tries
Starts to climb toward the light.
Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me.
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand
The best I can.
And no one called us to the land
And no one crosses there alive.
No one speaks and no one tries
No one flies around the sun....
Almost everyday you fall
Upon my waking eyes,
Inviting and inciting me
To rise.
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning.
And no one sings me lullabyes
And no one makes me close my eyes
So I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky....

 

Pink Floyd .. Echoes

Poetry Picture Challenge May 13

ok this isn’t technically poetry but It is to me.

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music
Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken
Perhaps they're better left unsung
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air
(Chorus)
Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone
(Chorus)
You who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall you fall alone
If you should stand then who's to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home

Ripple.. The Greatful Dead

Poetry Picture Challenge May 12

A Wee Wee Touch

 

Some would ask to be very great,

and high in the hall of fame,

but all I ask is a tiny touch.

A touch of a writers fame.

Like a candle that is aglow,

though small may be the flame,

yet even if one may se by the light,

then the candle glowed not in vain.

 

So all I ask is a touch of light

to place beside my name and

this I ask not for myself but

for my babies names.

I ask tit not that I might live

in the light of a writers fame

except that whne my children walk,

all others will know their name.

 

It’s such a little tiny thought

yet oh so hard to explain,

for my  heart I want to hold

a touch that will make my name.

Now this wee wee touch turns into much

and I question my heart of its gain.

For words must live and hearts must give,

and it lies in the realm of fame.

~Viola G. Scroggins.

  I miss you grandma!!

Poetry Picture Challenge May 11

Green trees

majestic mountains

the clouds

dark in some places

while letting sun through to others

more of the latter, blue sky

The whisper of the wind, her breath

the rain her tears

a mountain stream her healing waters

The sun

And through these images we see our lives

more light than dark

more joy than pain

more hope than desperation

But we can also hear her cry

a cry for help, Listen

Her breath speaks of oxygen depletion

her streams of mercury poisoning

why are we so careless, do we not care?

Do we not see we are killing ourselves and our children?

magic is all around us, everyday, everywhere we look.

Awake before it's too late!! Remember!!

~Written at VWC 2009 By Don Scroggins

Poetry Picture Challenge May 10

Life's waters flow from darkness. Search the darkness, don't run from it.

~ Rumi

Poetry Picture Challenge May 9

He Who Knows The Center Endures

He who knows the outside is clever
He ex−cells life less
He who knows the center endures
He lives in−light end
He who masters, gains robot strength

He over−powers
He who comes to the center has
flowering strength
He is in−formed
Faith of consciousness is freedom
Hope of consciousness is strength
Love of consciousness evokes the same in return
Faith of seed frees
Hope of seed flowers
Love of seed grows

 

From Timothy Leary’s Psychedelic Prayers

Poetry Picture Challenge May 8

 

Be with those who help your being

Be with those who help your being.
Don�t sit with indifferent people, whose breath
comes cold out of their mouths.
Not these visible forms, your work is deeper.

A chunk of dirt thrown in the air breaks to pieces.
If you don�t try to fly,
and so break yourself apart,
you will be broken open by death,
when it�s too late for all you could become.

Leaves get yellow. The tree puts out fresh roots
and makes them green.
Why are you so content with a love that turns you yellow?

Rumi

Poetry Picture Challenge May 7

A Potted Plant

I pull a sun from my coin purse each day.

And at night I let my pet the moon

Run freely into the sky meadow.

If I whistled,

She would turn her head and look at me.

If I then waved my arms,

She would come back wagging a marvelous tail

Of stars.

There are always a few men like me

In this world

Who are house-sitting for God.

We share His royal duties:

I water each day a favorite potted plant

Of His--

This earth.

Ask the Friend for love.

Ask Him again.

For I have learned that every heart will get

What it prays for

Most.

Hafiz

Poetry Picture Challenge May 6

A day late no doubt but non the less

DEFEATED BY LOVE

The sky was lit
by the splendor of the moon
So powerful
I fell to the ground

Your love
has made me sure

I am ready to forsake
this worldly life
and surrender to the magnificence
of your Being

- Rumi  --

Poetry Picture Challange May 5

 

Eldorado

Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied-
"If you seek for Eldorado!"

Edgar Allan Poe

Poetry Picture Challenge May 4

May the beauty you love, be what you.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground

~Rumi