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feast days of the heart

IMG_6835the gentle coasting of a blue dragonfly, and
this, the pulsing peace of a quiet afternoon,
Bach on the radio, dinner simmering
on the stove of my tranquility, my day
chasing night, my night chasing day,
rhythms caressing my face, love-bites
on the leg of my being, heart beating
at one with the ocean sighs and
only gratitude for the gift of life,
no more scandalized by the news of
death, baptism into heaven, whatever
that may be, but the reports center on
Kiev, Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan –
easy to foment flash-points for horror

easier to forget just how sweet it is
to breath with the sun and grow
with the cypress bending by the shore,
obeisance to the seas and sky and
living on the edge of Eternity: time to
give it up, give up strife for Lent, only
celebrate resurrections with steaming
sweet greens, scented with onion,
over shared bowls of rice, knowing the
ground of being* is a feast-day of the heart
stirred by the breeze of Spirit winging

– Jamie Dedes

* “being” as in Tillich’s third role of being: Christ manifesting as the “New Being,” the acutalization of the work of the Holy Spirit (as I understand it and I’m not a student of theology or divinity except in a most casual auto-didactic sense)

Excerpted from Issue 4 of The BeZine

To read the work of other writers and poets link HERE.

© 2014 poem, 2015, photograph, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved

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The Man Who Loved

pansy hues
pansy hues

Such a lover of color he was,
always savoring; savoring the
soul-soothing wild indigo, the
blue of a summer sky and the
·
way a daisy with yellow tummy
and white fringe reminded him
to center. He loved the roses,
thorned and feral in racy and
·
raunchy reds and salacious
pinks, accenting the landscape,
exploding with an earthy laugh.
Peppermint was known to trip
·
him into ecstasy; the licorice scent
of fennel to tickle his fancy from
hat to boots. Trees were wise,
with their bulk, age, and sage
·
gnarled trunks. He loved the
sun, setting in Arizona colors,
flaming yellows and oranges,
rising at dawn in New York’s
·
spring peach and pansy hues.
An amiable meal and a good
night’s sleep were raptures
treasured. A cup of coffee, a
·
glass of wine, magical elixirs.
He loved his child too, going
about the business of play, fresh
hands rummaging in new worlds.
·
He loved. He just loved –
….today’s joy,
……..tomorrow’s hope,
…………yesterday’s confusions …

“I love you as one loves certain obscure things,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.”
One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII by Pablo Neruda in The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems

© 2010 (poem), 2014 (photograph), Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved

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Friday Photo Finish: Bird of Paradise

“The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extends generously the products of its life and activity; it affords protection to all beings, offering shade even to the axe-man who destroys it.” attributed to The Buddha

Thanks to my much treasured friend, Mick B. for this wonderful quote. It reminds me also of the visions of a generous nature sharing often stunning beauty amid the dreck of city life: the intrusive metal posts and gates with their rusty chains; the garbage, dust and dirt; the sometimes awkward or sterile architectures housing human beings boxed and stacked twelve or more stories high.

This lush and colorful bird of paradise is thriving in the squalor of a bank parking lot alongside some smelly dumpsters belonging to the bank’s neighbor, a pizzeria.

(c) 2015, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved
(c) 2015, photograph, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved
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FRIDAY PHOTO FINISH: all flowers keep the light

“Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.” Theodore Roethke (1908-1963), American poet and Pulitzer Prize winner (1954 for The Waking)

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© 2014, photographs, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved