Monthly Archives: June 2020

POETRY IS OFTEN “NOT THAT!”

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Can one talk about God except through poetry?
No and yes,
Because without song there’d be nothing memorable to say
But God insists upon our being intelligent, or, at the very least, intelligible,
And poetry often is “not that!”

Without inspiration, (taking a spiritual breath), there’d be no God –
But that’s about breathing “in” – not “out” –
Yet, when we’re talking about God, isn’t it always a mix?
Part understanding and part a tapping of the feet.

Isn’t it true that as soon as God comes to mind
Our heart wants to start singing –
Isn’t it also true that as soon as black letters hit white pages
In an attempt to describe God –
A bucket of color gets thrown over the words –
Because God is so wild, alive, and unanticipated.

A newborn baby first opening its eyes to the world
Could not be more surprised
Than a poet sitting down and starting to write anything about God.

TALK ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF GOD

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Jesus and the Sufis believe God is “Love” –
And it’s hard to disagree –
But, for now, I want to speak about “Beauty.”

Older adjectives for God included “Power” or “Knowledge”
Especially in the more ancient patriarchal brands –

All these go low.

Presently, though, I prefer “Love” or “Truth” –
While, like I said, I want God to be experienced as “Beautiful”
With a “knock your socks off” look –
When we do take a look.

Can’t we agree that people dedicated to Beauty
Are God’s people –

People who bring live beauty into the world –
Who’re as natural as Nature –
And possess the openness of children.

Beauty is like the first appearance of Spring –
A “natural” gesture –
A spontaneous smile.

The most valuable, aching, type of beauty,
Is the kind that’s just on the verge of disappearing –
Like cherry blossoms – falling –
A kingfisher’s flash dive into the lake –
Or a kindly memory surfacing later on in a well-lived life.

In essence, Love “reflects” Beauty –
Truth “tells” it –
And the fundamental fairness of Justice “requires” it.

God’s eyelids blink out numerous metaphors of Beauty –
Heart-stopping, if you’re fortunate enough to see one.

Beauty is a dream waiting patiently for God’s entrance into the material world
Or waking up to one of God’s repeated emergences into Time –

Beauty is a “splash” of Life –

Revivifying, spontaneous, fresh!

CLOUD IN FRONT OF THE SUN

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Who is God, anyway?
Is God a spiritual entity encouraging us to be our best
Intellectually, morally, and spiritually?
Is God someone pointing us in the right direction?

My main problem with God involves the influence of certain people
Who also are pointing us in one direction or the other –
People from whom we think we need permission,
Or who provide us with identity,
Or even the permission to be?

When these people merge with God, we get “Religion” –
Like a cloud in front of the sun –
Especially when we’re not able to distinguish one from the other.

All human beings are born with the capacity to experience joy –
And so, from birth, potentially we can embody it –
But then, almost immediately, we find we aren’t seeing beyond our family
(Unless our family’s exceptionally transparent to God) –
So, when we perceive family instead of God –
That is, when we experience a world largely of related people instead of a world of God –
This becomes one of the main sources of our anxiety.

We know God is there – right behind them– just over their shoulders –
As spiritual “light” –
And when we fall in love with that light –
It frequently occurs to us to “hit the road.”
If we do that, we’ll have to leave family, society, and world –
And risk dying for God.

But, if we follow through on this, eventually we’ll get everything back –
God and the world –
Even family.

If we become a “God” person
We’ll be able to “see” God in others –
In all others.

Then, when we’re able to distinguish what’s not God from God –
That won’t upset us –
Because it’s reality
And God is reality.

When we start seeing reality through God’s eyes –
Feeling with God’s heart –
We’ll fall deeper and deeper in love with Love
So that everything turns out alright –

You might even say, we’ll have been “Saved!”

HOW TO LOVE GOD DURING A CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOMPANYING PANDEMIC

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It’s hard to stay focused on God, especially now,
But that’s what I want –
Even though I’m worried about finding food, toilet paper, and other life necessities.

This makes me irritable.

At such times, it’s hard to bring God close,
Especially when worried about society
And that reality show “wannabe” tyrant spewing lies,
False assertions, and made-up facts –
(And I don’t know how to stop him).

I’m older now, and want the presence of God
To become ever-present –
But, don’t know how to do it –
Even though that’s what I want most.

God is everywhere –
Especially hovering near my heart –
And mind.

God encompasses Nature and everything above and beyond Nature.

Question though:

Is God present in “man-made” things –
Like tables and chairs – houses – cups and bowls?
My real question is whether God may be experienced derivatively –
That is, through “man-made” as opposed to “natural” things?

Then, going even a step further –
Can God be experienced digitally – through the internet –
That is, to what extent can the derivative world overlap with the world of God
Through man-made technologies unleashing algorithms of artificial intelligence
Which, in turn, recreate human-like ideas through the use of intelligent machines
And which, at some point, might get disconnected completely from mankind and life itself
Through a “Singularity”
Or a “Singularity” squared.

Where could God be in any of that?
My biggest problem now, though, is one of forgetting –
Because I get distracted by so many things
And lose touch with God – repeatedly.

How can I make fresh contacts with God – and hold onto them
More than a few seconds?

I want God to come into my heart and remain there
I want to hold onto God with determination –
To fall asleep repeating God’s name,
And wake up with the joy of God on my lips.

I want other people – coming into my presence –
To feel God –
Like a spiritual surprise!

I want you – reading this – to find God
Coming like an eagle straight through your eyes –
Down into your heart –
And then, lifting your feet high up into the air,
You’ll begin feeling ecstasy
While quietly nibbling away on tiny bits of “Diner Mystic.”