Current family duties will preclude me from updating here for a bit. Thanks.
Lay down these words
Before your mind like rocks.
placed solid, by hands
In choice of place, set
Before the body of the mind
in space and time:
Solidity of bark, leaf, or wall
riprap of things:
Cobble of milky way.
straying planets,
These poems, people,
lost ponies with
Dragging saddles –
and rocky sure-foot trails.
The worlds like an endless
four-dimensional
Game of Go.
ants and pebbles
In the thin loam, each rock a word
a creek-washed stone
Granite: ingrained
with torment of fire and weight
Crystal and sediment linked hot
all change, in thoughts,
As well as things.
Gary Snyder
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
— BY THEODORE ROETHKE
The scientists are in terror
and the European mind stops
Wyndham Lewis chose blindness
rather than have his mind stop.
Night under wind mid garofani,
the petals are almost still
Mozart, Linnaeus, Sulmona,
When one’s friends hate each other
how can there be peace in the world?
Their asperities diverted me in my green time.
A blown husk that is finished
but the light sings eternal
a pale flare over marshes
where the salt hay whispers to tide’s change
Time, space,
neither life nor death is the answer.
And of man seeking good,
doing evil.
In meiner Heimat
where the dead walked
and the living were made of cardboard.
His soul stretched tight across the skies
That fade behind a city block,
Or trampled by insistent feet
At four and five and six o’clock;
And short square fingers stuffing pipes,
And evening newspapers, and eyes
Assured of certain certainties,
The conscience of a blackened street
Impatient to assume the world.
I am moved by fancies that are curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.
Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh;
The worlds revolve like ancient women
Gathering fuel in vacant lots.
— Eliot
I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil, this
air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their
parents the same,
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.
— Walt Whitman
Gerard Van der Leun
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Will pray that all works out well.
Hope it’s nothing serious. Let us know if prayers are needed!
All the best!
What EOP and Esky said above. Sending good hopes and wishes your way.
Ditto, ditto, ditto, Gerard.
Hale Adams
Pikesville, People’s still-mostly-Democratic Republic of Maryland
I sincerely hope all is well.
Gerard’s Mom took a tumble and skinned her knee.
All is well at this time, he will report in later.
Lois is resting and has been looked at by the EMT’s and will get a good nights sleep, Gerard not so much. Send him some prayers, he has asked for them. Thanks, this is coming from a good friend.
“Send him some prayers, he has asked for them.”
Have sent and will keep sending.
Hope and pray all is well with you both.
Thank you Geoff C. The Saltine. It’s clear how GVDL adores his Mother. Will direct prayers his and his Mother’s direction.
“Gerard’s Mom took a tumble and skinned her knee.”
DAM!
Last night I wrote, “Hope Mama’s doin’ OK!”, and then didn’t send it, didn’t want to draw ill will.
And now this.
Sincerly hope she’s alright.
She’s an American Heirloom.
Can you imagine sitting and talking to Lois?
Her life spans a century.
To touch memories of a time before the great war, the Titanic, when motorized kites filled the air. WoW.
I’d bring a legal paid full of questions and subject matters.
And a bit of quality chocolate.
Looking forward to seeing “all is well” for all. Agree with Ghost, this precious lady has some wonderful stories yet to be told!
Prayers and mojo from Utah.
We’ll miss you (and your Mom) for a bit. Our prayers are with you. Meantime, we’ll put our critical thinking on hold ’till you’re back.
Prayers for Mama and Gerard.
Love you brother
Praying all is well, for both of you, and will remain well, Gerard.
Thoughts (good ‘uns) and prayers for your Mom and yourself. Make haste slowly in your return and her recovery.
Prayers coming for you and for your Mother from another Northern Californian and a fellow traveler from the Bay Area ’60’s…….
Best wishes, Gerard. I hope things turn out well for all.
Gerard,
Good wishes and prayers for you and your Mom.
Praying.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Mrs VdL – suspect that skinned knees have lots more mileage in them. Greetings and grateful thanks from Norfolk England for rearing the best blogmeister of the intertubes. Your vicarious influence is manifest and much appreciated.
That last comment was mine, mistagged. 🙂
Gerard,
I’ll continue to pray for your mother’s recovery. Your blog is a wonderful resource. But, as you obviously know, the real world takes priority over such things. Tend to your mother – I guarantee we will still all be here when you return.
Thanks,
Tom
Prayers UP for a speedy motherly recovery attended-to by an obviously devoted son and heir who is followed and revered by hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of we inter-stellar bloggers … Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen. Maranatha! .. In Him! .. <3 <3 <3
Wish your mother well for me Gerard.
Bless her heart!
She reminds us all of the need to keep some skin in the game to play our part.