L.M. Browning's Blog, page 31
May 5, 2011
A Quote from Uncle Walt
"You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, not look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books. You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, you shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself." – Whitman [Song of Myself]
May 3, 2011
Crunch Time
Final exam time at Yale next week. With any luck Modal Logic, along with the rest of my course load, will be conquered and I will collapse over the finish-line into Summer. Final exams are worth 90% of the course grade, that said after exams I will give myself time to decompress and reorient after the full-on 100+ hour work weeks I have been pulling for the last 2 years.
If I am a bit elusive, take no offense. ~
May 2, 2011
Sense in the Insanity
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." –Martin Luther King
Go Gently
Go Gently
Be a good sociable citizen.
Celebrate the greeting card holidays.
Stand up and wave your flag and cheer
when the [APPLAUSE] button lights up.
Settle into the linear life
they have laid out for you
from the cradle to the grave.
Do what they want you to do–
never question, never diverge,
never break that socially unforgivable law
of independent thought.
Make it easier on the spin-doctors,
have no preference for truth above lie.
Live up to your potential
as a member of the mob–
be faceless, mindless,
shapeless, voiceless–clueless.
And in this content.
May 1, 2011
Life-Bearer – A Song for Beltane
Life-Bearer – A Song for Beltane
The lanes are dusted mauve
as petals of the Hawthorn tree
descend thickly through the summer sky.
Blown by the warm wind
the fragrant fallen leaves
gather along the edge of the grasses–
gilding our world
with soft yet vivid lines
of pastel distinction.
April 29, 2011
Departure from Avery Point – {A Poem}
Departure from Avery Point
{Written in route to Flat Hammock Island / April 26, 2011}
I.
Setting out across the deep landscape–
afloat atop the fathomless.
The bow presses forward
into the misted Long Island Sound.
The Herring Gulls scavenging the dock
are spurring into the air by the ruckus,
following the sluggish boat around the jetty.
Barn Swallows curled through the air–
plummeting for the surface to dive.
Only to pull up at the last moment–
skimming the surface of a world
into which they may not cross.
A flock of inky Cormorants
planted on the stubby rocks
are drying their wings
in the morning breeze.
Arms open they face East
reciting their morning prayers
unto the listening wind.
Read More >>
April 27, 2011
Our Overlooked Kin [Thoughts on Nature]
Many of us feel alone even when surrounded, not because we are so but because we overlook a great deal of those who offer themselves to us as companions. Even when dwelling as an outcast within the social circles of humanity we are not alone. Leaving behind the synthetic world constructed with toxic materials and filled with artificial people, we can return to the natural world to dwell in different circles. Look beyond the distinctions of form—beyond the distinction of two-legged and four-legged, beyond fur, flesh and frond to see the coursing heart of one who is akin beside us. -[L.M.]
April 24, 2011
Spring Blessings – The Return of the Sun
The origins of the Easter Bunny is found in Eostre, the goddess of dawn. She was linked to both the rabbit and the egg, which are/were symbols of fertility. In an effort to convert the Druids to the new faith (Christianity) the missionaries turned the Pagan Spring festivals into Christian holidays. However, no matter what your faith, this day is indeed about resurrection and renewal. For myself, a non-catholic, I praise the resurrection of our biological mother the Earth as she moved from the dormancy of Winter and into the renewal of Spring. Warm Blessings~
April 22, 2011
Rilke's Words
"The deepest experience of the creator is feminine,
for it is experience of receiving and bearing."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~
Arboreal Spirits – A Poem In Honor of Earth Day
ARBOREAL SPIRITS
{A Selection from Oak Wise: Poetry Exploring an Ecological Faith
posted in honor of Earth Day 2011}
I. Pilgrimage to the Silent Sages
-
Wanting to know more of you
I go unto the longest living species―
unto those who have long been your confidants
and storehouses for your seeds of wisdom.
I make pilgrimage unto these spiring,
living monuments
at whose roots you deposit the knowledge
gleaned throughout your perpetual life,
as well as your most-treasured memories.
__________
Read More >>
