'Up at first light to sit in silence.'

Up at first light to sit in silence. Does the universe fill me, or is that me filling the universe?

James

19 June 2019

'If I believed in gods'

If I believed in gods,
I’d worship the god of the valley,
The farmland god,
She Who Is Rich In Soil,
The god with the power and strength
And grace to bend land, water, and sun
Into life itself.
Life pulled forth from seed,
And thus to feed us
From the bosom of the earth.
That’s the god I’d worship
If I believed in gods.
-gassho-

James
13 Mar 2019
19 JUne 2019

'No one to be seen, and no one to see me' //

No one to be seen, and no one to see me; this valley farmland goes on and on. Peace. The sun at noon, crops growing in the warm light. As far as the eye can see.

James

18 June 2019

'What is it to be a human?' //

What is it to be a human? Well, we have love, sorrow, laughter, and music. And tools, language, and the craft of culture, among other things.  And like all beings, we have the cycles of being alive, the cycles of life. Just as I wrote that, a lovely breeze blew in through the open window.

James

12 March 2019

18 June 2019

'A lifetime of words on paper'

A lifetime of words on paper has kept me open to the words that I read in the empty sky. Go slow. Breathe. Keep your eyes open. The dharma is all around you. Pay attention, James.

James

11 March 2019

17 June 2019

oktu

journal notes. 17 june 2019. -- part two.

The birds have vanished during the heat of the day. The clouds are gone, too. For a moment I think that the sky is empty, but then I focus in on an airplane, and I see several of them. The sky is never empty. Man doesn't give the sky any peace. For a moment I feel sad for my part in this nonsense, but then I finish my lunch and reach for a book, David Hinton's translations of Li Po. And that takes care of me for a couple hours.

James

journal notes. 17 june 2019.

Coffee up. Yo.

Yesterday, the Patrick Grizzell reading, poetry and music; man, that was fun! Grizzell was shining like the summer sun. It's grand to be the host with like Patrick to make you look good.

Getting ready to host poet Lauren Frausto on Friday night at the UU Church library. The series with cookies, and sometimes with poet Allegra Silberstein's brownies.

Giants and Dodgers tonight. That's always a biggie for me, so I've got a pork loin roast to go with it. Like I like.

My wife returns today from a road trip. I miss her.

Last night I sat down in the recliner to read, dropped off and slept four hours sitting there. Like a rock. Got up at 2-something and puttered around the house, checked the baseball schedules online, and listened to some old school R&B. Then to bed where I slept for 3 more hours. That's a lot for me.

Cheers.

James

'I can’t explain the wind, and why bother' ///

I can’t explain the wind, and why bother trying? Like us, it begins somewhere and ends somewhere else. Always traveling, and in a hurry. Does the wind need a reason? No, it just is. Outside just now, the wind felt fine touching my face. And I am not traveling anywhere, I'm staying right here. Why? I just am.

James
10 March 2019
17 June 2019