Tuesday, October 19, 2010

begin

on a day
of falling leaves
and soaring inner spirit
a golden thread
of sunlight
holds the multi-hued tapestry of it
all together

following this golden thread
across the landscape of the day
i come across
the wonder of green
in a clearing
where
somehow a sward of grass
has been overlooked

almost as if it is beginning
rather than ending
and standing on the improbable
emerald ribbon
bathed in the warmth
of the mid-autumn sun
i am so glad
to be here
now
because very soon

very soon


it will be hidden



begin

this is now. now is,
all there is. don't wait for then;
strike the spark, light the fire.

sit at the beloved's table,
feast with gusto, drink your fill

then dance
the way branches
of jasmine and cypress
dance in a spring wind.

the green earth
is your cloth;
tailor your robe
with dignity and grace.

rumi

20 comments:

ellen abbott said...

soak up that green with your eyes for soon all will be white.

Acornmoon said...

Beautiful words, embrace the moment.

Elisabeth said...

A leprechaun's green, as slight and as fleeting. Thanks, Steven.

Golden West said...

Yes, today is the gift = that's why they call it the present!

steven said...

ellen - i imagine so! steven

steven said...

thankyou very much valerie! steven

steven said...

elisabeth in a world of oranges and browns and greys the strip of green was almost shocking. like seeing someone i hadn't seen for a while!!! steven

steven said...

golden west - being in the moment. enjoying the wholeness of it. that's the present!! steven

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

steven/rumi, rumi/steven - both enchant and inspire

Lorenzo — Alchemist's Pillow said...

Steven, my morning coffee meditations have been brightened by the fact that you did not 'overlook' that sward of grass and have brought it to us here, along with the philosophy captured and so richly communicated in your sentient observation and embrace of that lovely moment.

Truly this morning you have tailored "your robe with dignity and grace".

Reya Mellicker said...

The green, you, me? Just here for awhile. I'm with you. Carpe diem, brother! xx

Dan Gurney said...

A lovely pairing, your poem and Rumi's. Just now, right here.!

Linda Sue said...

Your references to tapestry- to fabric/ thread- to weaving- something i can really understand down to my core, these words of yours and RUMI are nourishing!
when I first moved up north I couldn't see much but purple haze and muted tones of green, now that I have adapted- that particular tapestry is memory, vision has become more acute- through the fog images and colour are defined- when it snows, it is a rest from all of that visual input.So, I guess I am looking forward, now that I have adjusted, have reckoned with the change...It's just the in between that makes us cranky, don't you think? These words are so beautiful - You must have been a woodland spirit in a former time, before traffic....

Tess Kincaid said...

I love that tapestry.

steven said...

bonnie thankyou for your kindness! steven

steven said...

lorenzo - i've literally just returned from a day in the woods with my class. a day filled with trees and rainshowers and brilliant sunshine, fossils embedded in an ancient sea floor somehow exposed to the surface, a campfire with my class singing and listening to ancient stories. i am filled with a lifetime's blessings - and all in one day! so many little moments. steven

steven said...

reya - the green us. steven

steven said...

dan - entirely now! this is all there is - as you've taught me. steven

steven said...

linda sue - i feel so at home and then also thrilled when i am in the woods and they scare me and fill me at the same time because i know them in one way and not in the way that ensures my seurvival in them but entirely assures me a place in their affections. steven

steven said...

willow - the call of the woods, the quiet lands is so deep to me that i wonder now about so much that i haven't followed, pursued, allowed into my life. steven