One of my friends mentioned recently that while he used to write, he hadn't written anything in an entirely too-long time. Which is how the whole concept of 'creative jam' night came into being. The four of us in attendence last night made a vow to post one of our works (from the jam) online; this is mine.
I would also like to point out that it's interesting how you don't really need to be filled with teenage angst or on an emotional roller coaster to be able to write. In fact, too much emotion can make for some pretty sappy (crappy) stuff. Now that I'm older, I realize that... and that it's a good thing. Because while I'm normally about a 60% logical/realistic and 40% emotional type of person, lately I've been feeling about 92% logical/realistic and 8% emotional.
Anyway. Here's the piece I was encouraged to post.
We spun with arms outstretched
Caught beneath a hazy moon
And a million different stars
And far too much room to feel.
And dizzy with the night
We collapsed to the cool grass,
Let the world rock back
Into place.
And I asked, in such light
How do you tell the difference
Between the lightning bugs and the stars
That flicker in and out of clouds?
And you said,
By the distance,
You define them by the distance.
And at that moment
There was an inch or two of grass,
A little night air
And a gulf of thoughtful silence.
July 25, 2005
A variety of unrelated comments to exhibit the spice of life
There's a song that almost no one would guess that I like, but that I really, really do: "Possum Kingdom" by the Toadies.
No matter how much I dislike some of my old poetry, I will always treasure the one about the yellow paint.
I love love love maps. Of all kinds. And I heart Google Earth.
Number of miles I've run in the last five days: ten. Number that I ran in the entire month before that: Maybe nine.
With any luck, I'll have the title of 'Dr.' in ten months. Good. Lord.
Creative people in a scientific field are few and far between, but they're out there. Finding such kindred spirits is always a joy.
People who move a very long ways away, and who you seldom hear from, tend to become suspended in your mind. You think that one day they'll reappear and be exactly as they left, but it's not like that. It's good to keep this in mind.
'Howl's Moving Castle': two thumbs up!
There is never enough time to do all the nothing that you want.
It is July 25, 2005, and this day will never exist again. What have you done to make it lasting?
July 10, 2005
Este, oeste, norte, sur
I find bits and pieces of poetry and writing whenever I open any of my old notebooks. Had I ever finished any of these little bits, I'd have written a book by now. But I like them as they are, a sometimes startling reminder at times of who I was or how I was feeling in that moment. Emotion overwhelms us in the moments of our lives, but we forget those moments and the strength of that emotion as time dulls our memories, as hearts heal and winds change. The bits of poetry and prose that I find are like little treasures to me, sad in that they were never finished, enjoyable in that life is always a Work in Progress.
I miss you most
in the quiet
where your laugher should be.
I miss you most
in places where joy would be greater
should I have you there
to share it with.
And most in the nights
beneath the shine of starlight
And then in the mornings,
afternoons, evenings,
marking time in each breath
I am consciously breathing.
So, you see? Not much more than a jaunty little lament, if that makes any sense. It doesn't. I leave you with a photo, because everyone likes photos. I think.
July 6, 2005
Asante sana squash banana
I just did my yoga video for the first time in months. This in itself is big. But I wanted to mention my favorite part of the video, in terms of dialogue. It's this cool, very stretch-worthy move where you've got one leg extended in front of you and the other bent behind you (in that hurdler's stretch that many experts disapprove of), and you stretch your arms the opposite way of your legs... the first arm underneath your back leg and the other arm directed forward, over the extended leg. And that's when the yoga guru says, "It's as though you're in a figure eight... and all of your energy... is contained in the bind."
All my energy is contained in the bind. It always strikes me as being profound, somehow.
That is all.
July 5, 2005
Independence Day (and why it rocked)
Words to live by:
This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before being thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
-George Bernard Shaw
