Tuesday, May 10, 2011

the arc of return

georgia o'keeffe red and orange streak

the birds and the wind and the rain
and the sun and the pushing
of billions
of green shooted births
through the softening soil
are the song of the arc
of return

-


i heard the spring wind whisper
above the brushwood fire,
"the world is made forever
of transport and desire.
"i am the breath of being,
the primal urge of things;
i am the whirl of star dust,
i am the lift of wings.
"i am the splendid impulse
that comes before the thought,
the joy and exaltation
wherein the life is caught.

excerpted from "earth voices" by bliss carman

18 comments:

Rachel Fenton said...

I love O'Keeffe's work - so sensual, so very full of life and unexpectedness.

Titus said...

Wonderful, steven! Great start to the morning.

Ruth said...

I felt all this riding my bike last evening! Riding into the wind wasn't easy, but it was beautiful.

kelvin s.m. said...

I deeply like it in every sense and shape.

Pauline said...

huge happy sigh - thanks, Steven :)

steven said...

rachel - i'm right with you on that. i remember first seeing her flowers and then discovering that they were only one piece of her work. i'm still stumbling across pieces that i hadn't know existed and it's a joyful journey that's for sure!! steven

steven said...

titus - we aim to please!!! steven

steven said...

ruth - must've been the same wind i rode into. a malcontented zephyr with a playful side!! steven

steven said...

ahhh windowlad you're very generous - thankyou!!! steven

steven said...

pauline - when i was a lot younger i loved bliss carman's writing and would never have thought that one day his work would sandwich mine alongside georgia o'keeffe's painting. it's a happy place. steven

Reya Mellicker said...

Oh yay! You're getting some green at last!!

Jo said...

Oh, to think of ourselves as splendid impulses that come before thoughts leaves me breathless.

Some, like you, are more splendid than others..like O'Keeffe's blossoms.

I need to read more from Bliss Carman (what a GREAT name).

Beautiful post, Steven.

Valerianna said...

Wow.... beauty everywhere....

Tess Kincaid said...

I am in awe of this O'Keeffe piece. I had to sit and stare at it a while.

steven said...

reya yeah the green is rising and energing and ... and my cherry tree is just ... very just . . . pressing blossoms into the air! i love the cherry tree. it wanted to die a few years back and i took good care of it and now it blossoms and makes fruit every year and of course the birds eat all the fruit and leave pinkish purple splatter marks every where but it's the most special thing that the tree chose this place and continues to wow me. steven

steven said...

jo i am drawn to the knowing of us as before thought because i think that so much gets transmuted and deliquesces in thought. "bliss", can you imagine - you'd have to know something to name your child bliss. steven

steven said...

valerianna - so very much! steven

steven said...

tess i can feel it like the edges of a shoulder blade. steven