leaving the nest

leaving the nest  by stacy wills

befriending the rose

how can i befriend the rose?

she  does not lack 

 for admirers, yet

how many eager suitors

would pluck her

tightly bound

in hopes 

that she will bloom

in captivity.

but i,

i would let her be -

just as she is,

to flourish and thrive

on the vine -

in sunlight and rain,

darkness and moonbeam,

thorns and all.

-stacy wills (7/8/2012)

silence on fire

o be still, while

you are still alive,

and all things live around you

speaking (i do not hear)

to your own being,

speaking by the unknown

that is in you and in themselves.

i will try, like them

to be my own silence:

and this is difficult.  the whole

world is secretly on fire.  the stones

burn, even the stones they burn me.

how can a man be still or

listen to all things burning?

how can he dare to sit with them

when all their silence is on fire?

-thomas merton (1915 - 1968), 

from his poem, in silence

coming into being

...into the great beyond

(The Monk and the Moon, 2011)

(The Great Beyond by Jacob Moon)

i first heard jacob moon's music over ten years ago,  and have been a fan ever since.  this song, in particular, made a tremendous impact on me from the first moment i heard it, so i was really excited to find a new live version of it today, and thought it would pair well with this image.  if you enjoy this song, you can check out more of jacob's music here.

talking in circles

Circles create soothing space, where even 

reticent people can realize their voice is welcome.

-Margaret J. Wheatley

art is contemplation

art is contemplation.  it is the pleasure of the mind

which searches into nature and which there

divines the spirit of which nature herself is animated.

-auguste rodin (1840-1917)