Day 296 of Year 2 (Actually Day 301)
The Moor
by R. S. Thomas
It was like a church to me.
I entered it on soft foot,
Breath held like a cap in the hand.
It was quiet.
What God was there made himself felt,
Not listened to, in clean colours
That brought a moistening of the eye,
In movement of the wind over grass.
There were no prayers said. But stillness
Of the heart’s passions — that was praise
Enough; and the mind’s cession
Of its kingdom. I walked on,
Simple and poor, while the air crumbled
And broke on me generously as bread.
Found on https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/blog/2018/03/16/r-s-thomas-the-moor-3/
If you are interested in sacred poetry, Poetry Chaikhana is a wonderful resource!
I am ordering this book right away: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401923879
soul fire, Monotype of the Day #362
This is the first monotype I have ever made that does not contain a living creature of some sort whether it be person, bird, or even monster. It's a strange and unsettling feeling. I tried to put a figure in but every time I was stopped, that blocked feeling came up. Finally, I surrendered and now am sitting here being present to the anxiety the lack of figure is producing. That so much emotional can surface from leaving a figure out is surprising and illuminating. It's so easy to become stuck in comfortable ways but internal magic happens when we embrace change. I seem to be going through an emptying process. I's uncomfortable but I am here for it. We shall see what happens.
I love everything about tonight's poem except the use of the pronoun he. However, I'm willing to overlook it for now 😊
Via Negativa
by R. S. Thomas
Why no! I never thought other than
That God is that great absence
In our lives, the empty silence
Within, the place where we go
Seeking, not in hope to
Arrive or find. He keeps the interstices
In our knowledge, the darkness
Between stars. His are the echoes
We follow, the footprints he has just
Left. We put our hands in
His side hoping to find
It warm. We look at people
And places as though he had looked
At them, too; but miss the reflection.
xo
the face, Monotype of the Day #351
I had a really lovely day today with a dear old friend. We visited a botanical garden and I was reminded how important it is to step outside of the busyness of life and feel a different pace, trees and plants move to the slow creep of deep unwavering purpose. It's renewing and offers comfort that everything will find its time and place, even and not limited to an artist finding the time to sleep at night! 🙂
The Bright Field
by R. S. Thomas
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the pearl
of great price, the one field that had
treasure in it. I realize now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.