Friday, September 4, 2009

three strange angels

in living my life
i turn my sails
to catch the fine fine wind
that courses throughout this world.

a sweet fine wind
that carries the soul
on its journey far far beyond land and sea!

each moment,
an opportunity
to remember
the human condition
presents itself.

with attention to the significance and value of those moments
comes the opportunity to address my place inside them.

to see the mechanistic,
the impulsive,
the reactive,
to locate their necessity,
to assess their merit
or to acknowledge the damage they are doing.

my experience is that with consistent practice of this awareness
comes the opportunity to move from awareness to sorrow,
and from sorrow to wonder.



not i, not i, but the wind that blows through me!
a fine wind is blowing the new direction of time.
If only i let it bear me, carry me, if only it carry me!
if only i am sensitive, subtle, oh, delicate, a winged gift!
if only, most lovely of all, i yield myself and am borrowed
by the fine, fine wind that takes its course through the chaos of the
world
like a fine, an exquisite chisel, a wedge-blade inserted;
if only i am keen and hard like the sheer tip of a wedge
driven by invisible blows,
the rock will split, we shall come at the wonder, we shall find the
hesperides.

oh, for the wonder that bubbles into my soul,
i would be a good fountain, a good well-head,
would blur no whisper, spoil no expression.

what is the knocking?
what is the knocking at the door in the night?
it is somebody wants to do us harm.

no, no, it is the three strange angels.
admit them, admit them.


all artwork courtesy of daniel paulo

33 comments:

Loren said...

Love those "angels."

Kathleen said...

Hey Steven -- pop over to my place; angels came up in my post as well!

Jinksy said...

What beautiful angels...bourne on the winds of Heaven, no doubt.

Hugh McMillan said...

Admitting angels into your life takes some courage, especially if they're strange. It's a beautiful poem by Lawrence, but dark, too.

Love the art work, as usual

steven said...

hello loren, i felt that they fit the tones of the poem in their statuesque deliquescence. have a peaceful day out west. steven

steven said...

kathleen - i'll be over later! synchronicities often pop up in the little bloggy world i inhabit. steven

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Thanks for sharing the artwork and artist Steven. Great pairing with the poem.

steven said...

jinksy - i think they are carried on the same winds as all souls. whatever they are. steven

steven said...

hi shug - thanks for your insightful comment. i think the first step is admitting that angels aren't white feathered people with wings who come and protect you from bad things. then you can move on to their real purpose. which if you admit that i think takes some courage - yes!!!! this is one of my favourite lawrence poems. it does have an aspect of darkness to it - as does the work of angels. steven

Delwyn said...

Ah I see the wings now Steven, these creatures are so beautifully wrought, he has captured their ethereal nature...

you are a little angel flitting through the cosmos bringing us these novelties...and words to ponder...

Happy days

Anonymous said...

I never have figured out how Jesus got his face in the paintings or the Angels their wings. It is a great mystery.

Thanks for helping me to make history.
Pick a Peck of Pixels

Tess Kincaid said...

There's nothing quite as refreshing as a fine, fine wind.

Barry said...

Great post Steven. I'm really taken by Daniel Paulo's art work. I'll have to click through the link you posted to see more. They are very powerful.

Friko said...

true angels, these, whispers of imagination, to go with the delicate words of the poem. lovely.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I am a great DH Lawrence fan - although somehow he seems to have gone out of fashion these days - and from henceforth I am also a fan of Daniel Paulo - wonderful imagery steven, where did you find him?

steven said...

hello delwyn, thankyou for that sweet comment!!! daniel's work is stunning isn't it!!!! i love that he has captured the essence of angels without the fripperies that adorn their forms in many paintings. i am very fond of the poem. for reasons that are scattered throughout these comments but chiefly because it opens that lovely ambiguous, mysterious space that i thrive in. have a lovely late late evening by the river. steven

steven said...

hi abe - it's funny you should say that because as a kid i attended lots of churches and i always wondered about the white jesus. how did he pull that off when he lived in a country where people have darker skin? but then s much puzzled me about the entire thing!!! have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hi willow - a fine soul-bearing wind. pure energy. steven

steven said...

hi barry - i'm glad we share the same response to daniel's work. he has a lot of work posted on his site and i was hard-pressed to select three as you'll see whn you pop over there. have a lovely day my friend. steven

steven said...

hello friko - thanks for those kind words. whispers of imagination - blowing in a fine-fine wind - have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

hi weaver - you know that's the perennial question isn't it. how did we find images, text, other bloggers? it's a search much like the rest of life. if you leave yourself open to whatever's meant then it will eventually find you - if you don't find it first!!!! have a lovely day in the dale. steven

Sylvia K said...

Love your angels and your blog! Look forward to visiting again!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sylvia

steven said...

hello sylvia - welcome and thanks for your kind comment! i like being here mysefl actually - which i suppose a blogger should - but that's been part of my growth as a blogger is to make a place that i liken to visit myself!!! see you again!! steven

Golden West said...

Off topic of your lovely post, but wanted to tell you what a kick I got out of your writing that you'd worked on a ranch in Kansas. I'm a firm believer that a variety of endeavors can add to one's wisdom and a grateful heart!

gleaner said...

What beautiful angels Steve...ooh, and I notice your sidebar with Nina :) It makes me want to jazz up my blog and resist my minimalist tendencies to keep it very simple.

steven said...

hello golden west, in the next few months i'll be sharing bits and bites of life like that because you're so right that it all adds up!!! thanks for dropping by!! steven

steven said...

gleaner, i love nina. let your blog go!!! add the little bits, tell the world all the stuff you're loving and leaving!!!! go gleaner!!! steven

BT said...

Steven, I just love those Daniel Paulo forms, angels maybe. They are etherial in nature. I love the layers of one colour in them. I will visit the site next. I found the poem quite difficult but moving in a strange way. I do fin Lawrence difficult at times, but I persevere.

steven said...

hello bt! nice to see you. i'm glad you liked daniel's paintings. i find poetry difficult at times. i like this poem just because it offers a way in to understanding the process of letting go, of being available to the fine, fine energy that is freely available to us all. if we get ourselves out of the way. i'm glad you gave it a go!!! see you. steven

alaine@éclectique said...

Wow, more amazing people, my teacher friend!

Margaret Pangert said...

Three angels and three golden apples held by the Hesperides in the garden! Beautiful imagery! and the paintings epitomize all the thoughts going through the narrator's mind. Beautiful post, Steven.

steven said...

hi alaine - more amazing people. it's incredible isn't it that we can "find" these people "share" them, and make the world a richer place for it!! steven

steven said...

hello margaret, thankyou for these kind comments!!! have a lovely evening. steven