Some song or something

another Rumi poem, translated by Coleman Barks. It's how I feel today.

Some Song or Something

Birdsong brings relief
to my longing.

I am just as ecstatic as they are,
but with nothing to say.

Please, universal soul, practice
some song, or something, through me.

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See what I'm huffing about . . .

I haven't posted at my huffing blog in a while. But I just couldn't stand it when I read something today, so I huffed.

Might we use the analogy of a donkey lapping sherbet (from the Rumi poem in the last post)? I know, I know, wrong mascot, but still!

Oh, and I just made the connection with my "Today's word" on the sidebar: STOP.

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the uses of fear

a Rumi poem, translated by Coleman Barks

The Uses of Fear

A donkey turning a millstone is not trying
to press oil from sesame seed. He is fleeing the blow
that was just struck and hoping to avoid the next.

For the same reason, the ox takes a load
of baggage wherever you want him to.
Shopkeepers work for themselves,
not for the flow of communal exchange.

We look to ease our pain, and this keeps civilization
moving along. Fear is the architect here.
Fear keeps us working near the ark.

Some human beings are safe havens.
Be companions with them. Others may seem to be friends,
but they are really consuming your essence
like donkeys lapping sherbet. Detach from them,
and feel your flexibility returning.
The inner moisture that lets you bend
into a basket handle is a quickening inside
that no one is ever afraid of.

Sometimes though, it is fear, a contracting,
that brings you into the presence.

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fragility

A flame for those who are suffering.

Myanmar cyclone, China earthquake, US tornadoes, and all the everyday suffering that keeps on whether I notice it or not.

I'm going to add links for helping, as they come up, if you're interested:

Myanmar: UNICEF
China: Red Cross Society of China

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the laundry line

Under the sun.

A spring wind.

Woven basket
holding cotton towels,
wet and heavy.


Wooden pins with simple spring mechanisms,
invented by David M. Smith
of Springfield, Vermont, in 1853.

A wicker basket.




Spare pins weathered.








Two strong, simple Y design posts with four lines.

Cotton sheets
bleached in the sun

ironed by gravity, wind and heat -
smooth on the bed.

An apple tree, blossoms as white as cotton sheets, and as light, as transparent.

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waking up

Do you ever feel that spring is too suddenly upon us? That life is so abruptly growing out of its dormancy you can't keep up with it?

Don't get me wrong, I was longing for spring at the end of a very long and harshly cold winter. But during the long sleep, I got used to the quiet and not worrying about missing something out of doors.

I need to quicken my pace and spend more time outside, with a spring in my step!

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elements of a getaway

Warning: photos might not appear as they should in Firefox. I recommend IE or another broswer.














~ Local Culture ~




Wander around the local towns and walk the piers and beaches.

Hang out with the teenagers downtown at the java hut,
or the fishermen at the lighthouse hut.



















~ Shopping ~

If you're me, you don't like shopping. Browsing antiques is fun though. But when the antique market is closed, what are you going to do?




You go "photo shopping," snapping away under the watchful eyes of Mother Mary and a golden-eyed cat, who make sure you don't take more than photos.

~ Walking ~

If at all possible, walk in the fog.

~ Nature ~

And if you want the most rejuvenation, get it from nature. Walk in a nature preserve with a back-dune forest of hemlocks and beeches (your favorite trees), knowing this is the only place in the world with dunes and forests like these.












































A rain shower is not at all detrimental to a getaway. It makes you stay indoors to read and write. And when it stops, everything is clean, clear and covered with drops.

~ Hosts ~

Your hosts should have a lovely, restful home a half mile from the big lake, serve you coffee, let you read in bed, and let you come and go as you like.

Your brother's name is James, and he and his gracious wife offer you their guest room. They live on James St. near Lakefront Drive.

And they should walk you to the big lake at least once for the sunset.

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