Saturday, August 8, 2009

grass shadows



and here it is still
summer.
the grass is long and the rocks are warm.
nothing's moving very quickly.
life is slowing down long enough to get to know itself.


"that shadow, my likeness, that goes to and fro,
seeking a livelihood,
chattering, chaffering,
how often i find myself standing
and looking at it where it flits,
how often i question and doubt
whether that is really me;
but in these, and among my lovers,
and carolling my songs,
o i never doubt whether that is really me."


oh yeah walt.
that's me in those moments of revelation,
ecstacy at the touch of a plant,
singing inside the connection over almost fourty years between me as a fourteen year old boy,
and my own fourteen year old sweetboy,
loving the little world within a world that i call home
and knowing that the digital melting of the outside inside edge of my home
is good and kind
and loving
and almost as i saw it happening
all that time ago
when i dreamed of such a place
as this.

12 comments:

Kay said...

Hi Steven, this post made really think of what I was feeling as a fourteen year old....I think probably a whole mish mash of insecurities!! But by 17 I probably knew more than I do now!!

Delwyn said...

Hello Steven

I love the lichen on your rocks
and the shadows too...

I like your prose too,
heartfelt
genuine
content

just lovely

Happy days

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Steven: How beautiful on every level - how blessed in every way. Such sweet, sacred space - the intimacy you create with the earth you love and the ones you love.

Fabulous photographs, Steven - and sounds like two fabulous fourteen year olds - connecting in liminal space.

steven said...

hi kay - it was such a golden time in my memories - and the beauty of it was that you (and i) probably did know more then than we do now . . . and we never ever wrong!!! ha!!! have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hi delwyn, the deep days of summer when everything slows down and there's an almost quiet about everything. the little moments of connection between my children and i. all magical and heart-filling. you saw that. of course you did!! have a peaceful day by the river. i'll be eating tim tams today!!!! steven

steven said...

hi bonnie - it's one of the more amazing and unexpected features of being a dad is the ability to reach across time and connect the who i was with the who my children are. i don't want to ask them what it's like for them because i'm afraid that the magic bubble might burst!! have a lovely day. steven

The Weaver of Grass said...

Perfect words for a perfect summer's day - which it is here also. Pure Whitman too, what a treat.

steven said...

hello weaver, the days are all so different and my idea of a summer day has been adjusted, softened in some respects to allow for the variety. this was a gorgeous one. i love the line between heat and coolness that is drawn in the shadow of a tree. have a lovely day in the valley, steven

Crafty Green Poet said...

Its lovely to see the patterns of the grass shadows against the lichens...

steven said...

hi juliet, how did you and i end up liking something that so few other people appreciate?!!! i am amzed by these little plants and espcially there ability to withstand absolutely anything that comes there way, to make homes in the most unsustainable spots, and to look delicate and beautiful at the same time!!! i'm glad that you appreciate them. have a lovely evening. steven

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

I always find your comments uplifting when I visit Willow. Just had to stop by. I appreciate your writing, your perspective, your photos! I will be back. Have a wonderful evening.

steven said...

hello boomer, thanks for dropping by! thanks especially for your kind comments. i love willow's blog -she's a real inspiration!!! have a peaceful evening. steven