the art of doing nothing
Monthly Archives: March 2016
you are
“…like the earth you are necessary.” Pablo Neruda
like the wind of emotion that blows among the orange groves, you are;
like the horizon of a far away land,
like the moon red with pain,
like the clouds running in the mountains, you are;
like my mother’s womb,
like a soft coffee in an autumn afternoon;
like the surface of a mirror, you are;
like the dark warmth of my chest;
like the memory of a kiss, you are;
like sweet ice cream on a hot summer day;
like the breast of a madonna,
like a religious vow,
like a nun in a bar,
like the last note of an opera;
like the chapel on the mountain,
like silence;
like the imagination of a child;
like a goodbye between lovers,
like chamomile, you are;
like the infinite fall of the waves, you are;
like the waning and waxing of the moon,
like the taste of sea at midnight;
like biting a bottle, you are;
like rain in my mouth,
like incense,
like the fog on the bay,
like the moon reflected on the ocean, you are;
like singing,
like crying,
like the sleep of a child,
like dying alone,
like eating earth, like seducing the sun,
like sleeping alone;
and in spite of it all, you simply are,
and because you are,
i continue to be.
my feet
i slowly place them
on the ground,
my feet.
they have gone
without gratitude
all my life
they only wish
to feel the dew caress their skin
they ask only
that i do not weigh my life
upon their smile
Sveinn and Joshua – Seven Days
i have become fascinated by the cemetery in the middle of this small town. when i first walked passed i hardly noticed it. the place is currently covered in snow and only a few tombstones and crosses can be seen, but many more small clear crosses can be seen protruding from the snow. small markers of what lies underneath. slowly i began to notice the tombstones., the crosses, the names. every day i walk by this place. i could take another route, but i enjoy seeing the markers, the names, the years where these deaths took place.
today i was struck by one cross in particular it is engraved with the name Sveinn Helgason, indicating it was a boy. upon reading the dates i found that Sveinn had only lived for seven days in may of 1934. seven days.
from may 23, 1934 through may 30, 1934. Sveinn lived seven days.
1934 was a very long time ago in many ways. Iceland was a much different country, the countryside did not have the roads or tunnels available today. Today you can drive to the nearest large city (Akureyri) in less than an hour, if you are not in a hurry, you can get to the other side of the fjord by way of a tunnel through the mountain. these things were just not possible then.
Sveinn was loved enough and his parents had enough resources that his metal cross still stands above the snow, accompanied by a smaller clear cross at the edge of the cemetery.
a little angel as we would say in Mexico. forever innocent.
i knew of another angel more than ten years ago who also graced his parents lives for seven days. his name is Joshua, and he will live forever in his family’s hearts. different time periods different circumstances, but still remembered, still loved.
i imagined then as i did this morning, the parents of these small children seeing their children again in the after life, smiling and the child asking them if it was a long wait to see them again, and the parents responding, “i had already felt heaven, for i spent seven days with you”.
New Friends, Good Laughs, Good Memories.
awesome dinner tonight with my friends Úlfar and Anna Kristín. met a new two new friends as well, their dog Lola and Anna’s father Bjarni. we had a great chat with a wonderful view of the mountains as well as good laughs telling jokes over dinner and coffee. today, as always, was greatly appreciated. the quiet walks, the wonderful landscape, the friendly people.
i only wish a certain someone was here to share this with me, but it was nonetheless special.
now to try and get a ride up the mountain for some adrenaline.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Imperfect
it slowly wraps itself around my soul
this imperfect humanness of mine
it creeps up on me as i live this
charmed life of errors and rhyme
this life is real,
as real as my smile
in the morning as i dress,
still dreaming the dreams
of the day before i slept
still living the life
of the dreams i so created
it is real in its imperfectness
real in its searching
of that we hide within ourselves
real is the life that lives
imperfectly
true is the love that loves
unknowingly
Like That
i do not love you like that
not like the rush of a swollen river
not like the sun as it gasps at sunset
not like the moon and its loneliness
not like that
like the fragrance of mountain mist
like the cover of darkness under a new moon
blinding, but not blind
quiet, but not silent, colorful
and yet unseen
without the pretexts of love
without the arrogance of need
without the blindness
of expectation
like warm rain drops in summer
like sweet song of canaries in spring
like fire, incomprehensible
like that
Like This
like water rushing.
cresting waves of foam.
like embers.
waiting for your breath,
to rekindle.
to burn.
like water drops
on your swollen lips.
like fire.
like water.
like fire.
like water.
like this.
This Now
this now whose being stretches out
to engulf infinity
this now i have yet to cherish
the moment that is me
the instant i believe
this now i have forgotten
this now i’ve yet to live
the endless now among your lips
the breathless now between your thighs
the hopeless now that joins our lives
this blossom of eternity
conjectured truths that end in lies
this blessing gained
this bloom of dragon flies
this whisper in our midst
this now
this present
this you
ERES
“…como la tierra eres necesaria.” Pablo Neruda
eres como la ráfaga de sentir que vuela entre los naranjos,
como el horizonte de una tierra siempre lejana,
como la luna enrojecida de dolor,
eres como las nubes corriendo entre montañas,
como el vientre de mi madre;
eres como el suave sentir de un café en una tarde de otoño,
eres como la superficie de un espejo,
eres como el calor oscuro de mi pecho,
eres como el recuerdo de un beso,
eres como una nieve dulce en un verano ardiente;
como el pecho de una madona,
como un voto religioso,
como una monja en una cantina,
eres como la última nota de una ópera;
como la capilla en la montaña,
eres como el silencio,
eres como la imaginación de un niño,
como un adiós de amantes,
eres como la manzanilla;
eres como el interminable tumbo de las olas.
como el menguar y crecer de la luna,
eres como el saborear el mar a medianoche,
eres como el morder una botella;
como la lluvia en mi boca,
como el incienso,
como la niebla en la bahía,
eres como la luna reflejada en la mar;
como el cantar,
como el llorar,
como el sueño de un niño,
como el morir a solas,
como el comer la tierra, como seducir el sol,
como dormir a solas;
y a pesar de todo, solo eres,
y porque eres,
sigo siendo.
Residence In Iceland 