November 12, 2004

Ephemeral Musings

Trees glowing in autumn splendor, the delicate umbers radiant in the foggy dawn are exquisitely beautiful. Occasional trees or group of leaves seem to be absolutely illuminated with a Graceful Presence. This beauty stirred a memory: I remember lying on my back underneath a tree, looking at the sky and dazzling sunlight through the leaves. A delightful, ephemeral, perhaps mundane, historical moment. But then, gradually, something in the focus of my vision would change, and the leaves and sky and light lost dimension, and all became one, leaves moving up and sky moving in. The leaves were illuminated and a part of the sunlight and sky, and I, absorbed, would forget myself…no longer the viewer. Timeless. Then I would feel the moist grass under my back, and my focus shifted and time again existed and the fleeting moment would be gone. Illuminated leaves coming into existence and passing out again. This was a moment existing in time, in the historical dimension, however it seems that there are so many ephemeral moments in our lives, such as this one, in which we touch or glimpse the vertical axis. It is evocative to conjure them up again.

Another moment that just flashed before me was a memory of looking at my newborn’s face, doing that mimicking sort of dance that parents and their newborn babies do… and then looking deeper, I forgot who I was looking at and began to sense that I was looking at myself because something in my baby’s face, her eyes, seems so familiar it was as though it was me, or someone I have always known… Ephemeral, fleeting, magical moment, yet one that seems to not be of time but rather be of the ultimate dimension. These moments do not happen because of any desire, they are not born of intention. These seem to be flashes on the vertical axis; of a timeless Presence.

7 comments:

Larry Clayton said...

Your poetry is refreshing. I am a very prosaic man, but I do understand the healing value of poetry. You remind me most of Whitman "wherever I go I find messages from God, and I leave them there because I know there will be others ... many others" (rough paraphrase).

And then Traherne: like a new born child with the faculty to write poetry.

This one evokes in me Paul's poetry: ye are all members one of another.

Meredith said...

Thank you Larry, I am touched by your thoughtfulness.
Meredith

Joe said...

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any -- lifted from the no
of all nothing -- human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

e. e. cummings

Meredith said...

Dear Akilesh,
What a wonderful and amazing poem. A true delight! ...tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any -- lifted from the no
of all nothing -- human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

I thank you ... for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes!

Meredith

Marjorie said...

I love to visit this garden. Your subjects touch my heart -- the clarity that comes with the bright, piercing sun of autumn and the gaze into your newborn's eyes -- looking into the face of love, your own face, God's face.

I find rest here and you inspire me to be restful.

Joe said...

Marjorie, I love to visit this garden as well. Here is a poem for you:

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

e. e. cummings

Meredith said...

Dear Marjorie, Larry and Akilesh,

Thank each of you for visiting 'my garden' and leaving me your precious notes. I do notice the graceful presence of all things, and most especially, my friends.

You are Blessings,
Meredith