the spirit runs, intermittently

Water’s my will and my way,

And the spirit runs, intermittently,

In and out of the small waves,

Runs with the intrepid shore birds─

How graceful the small before danger!

                                 Theodore Roethke

These marvelous birds were dancing for me at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.

the edges of time

I saw this astoundingly perfect line of poetry yesterday and it reminded me of one of my favorite photos from a couple of years ago. Not quite the small stone observation of the past month, but wanted to share it.

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf

                                                                                Rabindranath Tagore, from The Gardener

Perhaps it is time to share some of my favorite photos over the next weeks and lines of poetry from some of the wonderful poets that have been in my life. Or, a few poems of my own.

Small Stone: January 31, 2013

No deep, pensive observations today.

As we come to the end of our January

mindful writing community, it seems

appropriate to walk hand in hand toward

the next challenge. Thanks to everyone

for all your great posts and for visiting

with me here. Until we meet again….

the Sunday group? I plan to keep "mindful"

at least once a week. Hope we can all

hang out together in 2013.

Small Stone: January 30, 2013

The January Small Stones project is coming to an end tomorrow.

Looking back over my daily “stones”, I am struck by how

often my observations become a reflection of my

own inner processes, questions and even turmoil.

I truly question if this is ego or an attempt to really

connect with my environment, the people I encounter

and the joys and sadness of the world I inhabit. 

More to be learned.

This photo was taken today at the Martin Luther King memorial in San Francisco. A place for thoughtful remembrance and reflection. Bright sun, afternoon shadows and reflection.

Small Stone: January 29, 2013

“A fertile bedlam prevails”

a quote from a review of an exhibit

of surrealist drawings in NYC.

Kind of nice to think about

what there is to gain in the uproar.

A goal for this week will be to find

a fertile moment in topsy-turvydom.

(that is a real word) 

The photo isn’t from today, sadly. But, from a fine outing to the San Francisco Zoo recently. Seemed to represent topsy-turvy.

 

Small Stone: January 28, 2013

Today: I saw a lovely child exploring her world out the bus window. It made me think of the excitement of discovery. I saw a gorgeous young couple. It made me aware of youthful vitality. I saw a fast-striding businessman and I connected with the thrill of success. I saw a white-haired woman carefully choosing oranges and thought of how age allows us to be selective.

Sweet child. Sexy youth. Successful exec. Serenity in aging.

Do any of those have anything to do with the individual at that particular moment? What was their actual experience? Even close to my immediate perception?

As I reflect on the day, I am aware that all of those observations were tinged with a judgment on my part, not wholly in the moment and formed somewhere in my past.

The photo is a first leaf daring to break out of winter against a south-facing wall around the corner.

Small Stone: January 27, 2013

Somewhere in life, I learned

how to make a civil smile.

Yesterday, I exchanged

friendly, reserved, very polite smiles

with a pleasant woman

as we passed on my street.

Then, down the block a child hit me

with an unlearned smile.

The photo is of my great-grand nephew, Luke, on 

another wonderful occasion. His bright, fresh smile─

spontaneous in most children.