Consciousness,
the universe is–
a way to understand
and make small enough
a vastness into parts.
Your mind will never
grasp the whole, no,
that is a feeling
for your soul
to warm when
cold clasps your heart
and galaxies never seen
seem almost familiar
and close enough
to nod acquaintance.
Understanding is
accepting you cannot.
Birds play tag:
close-drill flitting,
chasers suddenly chased
at the flick of a feather.
I laugh;
my mind flips like they do,
but without their agility.
I am honored to watch,
bathed in their game,
humored with their compassion.
(photo: avopix.com)
(for William Stafford)
Your poems run the gamut;
you have blessed us with music
of realization and understanding.
Many of those poems were born
on your couch, lying on your back,
looking up at your journal.
Really? Their birth is as
astonishing as their venerable lives.
(Here's an example of a the beginning of a daily writing session. No
edits have been made, other than what happened during the initial
flow. If you think it might be a keeper, edit later. The important
thing is to keep going. jrs)
Blood moon coming tomorrow;
eyes will be skyward, hoping for
clear enough and no rain.
A dramatic sky—clouds and
patches of stars—would be fine,
maybe even preferred,
like daily writing obstacles that
educe a story with grit and
a voice like an old friend
with a mug of steaming coffee
come to visit for no particular reason
other than coffee and to breathe
the same air listening to the sea.
Stories can do that:
come alive and show you how they need to be.
A story will not lie to you
unless it becomes your lie.
Daily writing does not require approval.
All it needs is a curious heart.
Anger finds my heart
unreceptive to the pull
of self indulgence;
it is not the time
for self righteous behavior
and losing my way.
My heart knows the way
when my mind is distracted.
I am who I am.
I know where I need
to be–in a gratitude
so deeply profound
that the future of
my existence is ordained
by the love in me.
(water: fineartamerica.com; elk: narble.blog)
The wind hurls itself
across my roof in big waves
as I hold my breath.
The skylights receive
a violent drum solo;
I receive the awe.
The house bravely waits
for the next real world onslaught;
my faith is a gift.
(damage: usatoday.com; lighthouse wave: katu.com)
I hope everyone reading this is having (or had) a special wonderful day. Gratitude is a driving power in the Universe. We all should exercise it more often. Every. Single. Day.
This is from Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom:
“True gravity connotes the joining of awareness, delight, and embracing-force. But our modern world and its dominant philosophies work to separate them. True gravity is an experiential reality; a force-at-large in the world, the omnipresent heart power or feeling-force that permeates all things.”
~M. Murphy
(Looking southeast from between the 12th green and the 13th tee box at Gearhart Golf Links, the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi. Taken by yours truly.)
Okay. Another shameless plug:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/white-ravens/id1439393149?ls=1&mt=11
The collection goes live tomorrow.
Coming October 31, 2018 to your favorite book source from Word Hermit Press:
(Cover design: Vinnie Kinsella Book Publishing Services)
This is a collection of tales set in the modern American West with characters who somehow dispel the rugged individualist myth, while at the same time giving it new meaning.
Jim Stewart says: The first edition of White Ravens was self-published via Smashwords, just to see if I could pull it off. The editing was not rigorous and the whole concept of doing it yourself was fairly new. It was a great learning experience and I’m grateful to Smashwords for the guidance and encouragement. Then, Word Hermit Press offered to publish my novel, Ochoco Reach, and I was very happy at my good fortune. The original version of White Ravens And More Stories languished with very little attention from me or anybody else. I also self-published a short story single called Early to Rise because it made the rounds of literary magazines with no takers. Editors who said they liked the story told me the awkward length of it handcuffed them. So, I included it in White Ravens for this edition. Willy Hayes, one of the main characters in Ochoco Reach, makes her first appearance as a fictional character in Early to Rise.
Appearing for the first time anywhere is the story Bleeding Alder, featuring a young Mike Ironwood, the forthright hero from Ochoco Reach. After White Ravens comes Joshua’s Tree, the second Ironwood novel. It should appear in 2019.
Release: October 31, 2018
Publisher: Word Hermit Press
ISBN: 978-0-9982794-9-7 (paperback)
978-1-7327508-0-7 (hardback)
Paperback Price: $16.99 (library discount available)
Hardback Price: $27.99 (library discount available)
Kindle Price: $5.99
Pages: 85
Distribution: Ingram, B & T
eBook Distribution: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iTunes, Barnes&Noble
Publicity Contact: StewartInk Media
The audiobook is live!
