A non-sorted terrigenous deposit of large clasts in a matrix of fines.
111 posts
Latest Posts by sealanehill - Page 4
“Why I Wake Early,” by Jane Hirshfield
I wake early, make two cups of coffee, drink one, think, go back to sleep, wake again, think, drink the other.
To start a day over is a card game played for no money, a ripe tomato, a swimming cat.
Time here: lukewarm, with milk and sugar, big and unset as a table.
I wake twice.
Twice the window unbroken, transparent.
Twice the cat’s nose and ears above water.
Twice the war (my war) is distant, its children’s children are distant.
Equation of Time II: Noctilucent Clouds at the Dark of the Moon Handmade collage. Cut Anthropologie lookbook 10/2015, p. 16, Marie-Agnès Gillot, prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet and choreographer; and laser print of online image: "Pamela Anderson Vamps It Up in Saint Tropez" W magazine online, 8/2/2017, photo by Luke Gilford (https://www.wmagazine.com/story/pamela-anderson-activism-feminism-interview/amp). Tissue paper, marker paper, rubber stamp image, color marker, ink pen, and gold paint pen on a white sketchbook page, with artist and studio seals. ~7.5x10 inches (~19x25 cm), 10/8/2017.
In the solace of mist
Rhine full of emaciated ghosts , clear faces with manic hatchets , disappointed trunks , floating flowers , agonizing masks , rustling dreams , palpitating empty baskets , plodding branches & thoughts of blithe martyrs
Like all the rivers
Ma confiance dans la poésie est sans limite. Elle est seule capable de me consoler de l’horreur du monde.
Dany Laferrière
(via mignonne-allons-voir-si-la-rose)
Many years ago I spent a summer studying Chinese in Taipei, Taiwan. One Sunday we went to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, which has a large plaza in front of it. The plaza was crowded, and the sky above was filled with hundreds of kites, all dancing together in the wind. @soulreserve's photo and poem remind me of that afternoon.
My Spirit Soars
“A little thought floats away, unobserved… hidden among the flying kites, and my spirit soars”
First Sighting of the constellation Orion at the end of summer 2017, Maplewood, NJ, USA (40.7739d N, 74.2739dW), 5:20 AM EDT (10:20 hr UTC), 9/9/2017. Notebook sketch with Pigma graphic pen on paper, approx. 18.7 x 26.7 cm. Original sketch is black ink on white paper. The digital image here is color-inverted white on black.
Early morning walk. Hurrying to find interesting new smells along our route.
Although @soulreserve has given me a bit of credit for this work, I regard myself as nothing more than her first audience. She captures Pilbara in my mind's eye most beautifully.
Songs of the Red Earth Elders
hear the voices rise in unison, even as the parched red earth sings, its dust shimmers on passing travellers;
the sun wildfire-like breaks into dawn, here are trees drawn, crowded along the banks of the sole muddy river, that crawls, cacophonous with the notes these men serenade;
striking wood: the gold of the prospectors ships of intruders visions of the future eroding peace, these frantic beating drums and ancient rhythms, encapsulate meaning into story story into lore lore into pure sensation;
the unbroken blue skies of the Pilbara, an umbrella under which salt is made, sweat is broken and blood is dyed, these textures are found embellished in summer hearts, that hum and console, a promise to the rugged land spread far beyond the eye.
© SoulReserve 2017 & © SeaLaneHill (9/4/2017)
[Writing this poem was an experience for two reasons: One, that I recently heard the ‘tjaabi’, or song-making and singing of dream visions by the traditional custodians of the Pilbara land. The Aboriginal Elder who narrated the story behind the songs ensured that we were all transported to a time and place, and that we felt the red earth, the sole muddy river, the crowded trees and the blazing sun upon our skins. The exploitation of the aboriginal people, although not a prominent theme, is felt too through the songs and I have tried to incorporate some aspects. Two, I collaborated with @sealanehill who inspired me to delve deeper into the words, strengthen the constructs of this poem and build something that to me is of lasting value. He titled the poem - ‘Soulsongs of the Red Earth Elders’. But, since I believe I overuse the word - soul, I took the liberty to omit it, (sorry Chris!) and keep the title 'Songs of the Red Earth Elders’. I share the credits for this piece with him, of course.]
As Though Burned. Rain-Washed Street Tree Stump and Fungi II, 9/6/2017, Maplewood, New Jersey. (Fuji XP point-and-shoot, flash on, Photoshop adjustments--b-w version overlaid on color version.)
Tea with the Poet (dialogue with @soulreserve) Murmurs over a cup of tea, A heart half-hid, not all can see: Her heart obscured in formulary, And veiled beneath arcane vocabulary. Yet warm within, her heart beats strong, Love, joy, and passion her inner song. Her words be freed of technical efficiency, Woman whole again--the gift of poetry.
92 Random Questions
Especially for @soulreserve
THE LAST:
1. Drink: Diet Coke.
2. Phone call: Last night with my daughter in New Orleans.
3. Text message: With my friend about a Twentysomething sex term she didn't know and was hesitant to lookup online for herself.
4. Song you listened to: "Drive It Like You Stole It" (from "Sing Street" soundtrack.).
5. Time you cried: I was seriously depressed.
HAVE YOU:
6. Dated someone twice: Yes.
7. Kissed someone and regretted it: No
8. Been cheated on: No.
9. Lost someone special: Yes.
10. Been depressed: On and off most of my adult life.
11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Yes. More than once.
LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Green. *** 13. Saffron. *** 14. Rose.
IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends: Not in person.
16. Fallen out of love: No.
17. Laughed until you cried: Had some hearty laughs, but nothing _that_ hearty.
18. Found out someone was talking about you: Yes, but it was idle chatter during downtime at work--my "monster hours" at my desk--and exaggerated.
19. Met someone who changed you: Beginning more like 16 months ago, and we're still at it.
20. Found out who your friends are: Not new news, but they're still with me.
21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: Yes. My wife.
GENERAL:
22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: Almost all of them--mostly it's family and friends.
23. Do you have any pets: Yes. An elderly beagle and the purrfect cat.
24. Do you want to change your name: No. But I sure wish there were fewer guys in the world with the same name as me.
25. What did you do for your last birthday: Celebratory dinner at our favorite local Asian restaurant with our closest local friends, in the tatami room.
26. What time did you wake up: 6 AM (on Saturday morning!!). The cat wanted his breakfast.
27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping.
28. Name something you can’t wait for: The next US solar eclipse in April 2024.
29. When was the last time you saw your mom: More than 25 years ago.
30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: The endless commentary in my mind expressing trivial dissatisfactions.
31. What are you listening right now: The tick-tick of the living room clock, rain on the street, and my tinnitus.
32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yes. One of them was a long-ago workmate from Martha's Vineyard. He was a good guy.
33. Something that is getting on your nerves: The mess verging on disaster area that fills the room at home where my desk is.
34. Most visited website(s): Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, NY Times, in approximately that order.
LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME:
35. Mole/s: None. Some freckles.
36. Mark/s: Scars from a boisterous boyhood--face, belly, legs.
37. Childhood dream: To be a great scientist or an astronaut.
38. Hair color: Gray. Used to be mousy brown.
39. Long or short hair: Short. But it get longish and scraggly between haircuts.
40. Do you have a crush on someone: Yes. There's always someone, but secret, minor, and evanescent.
41. What do you like about yourself: Those all-too-rare flashes of creativity when everything just flows
42. Piercings: None.
43. Blood type: A+
44. Nickname: Some of my colleagues at work occasionally call me "Doc."
45. Relationship status: Married nearly 36 years.
46. Zodiac: Taurus in the cusp of Aries.
47. Pronouns: He, him.
48. Favourite TV Show: Working my way through the seven seasons of the current reboot of Hawaii Five-O. It's decent trashy TV. Started watching Friday Night Lights recently, and like it.
49. Tattoos: None. Am puzzled by their profusion among younger people. I always thought they were a bit déclassé. But times change.
50. Right or left hand: Right.
51. Surgery: Most recently left wrist after a fall. Long ago--tonsillectomy and hernia surgery.
52. Hair dyed in different colour: Never.
53. Sport: To watch: baseball, hands down. (Go O's!) To play: Bocce with friends on summer evenings.
55. Vacation: To North Carolina for a family eclipse viewing get together. Our group got rained out. Other members of the party were luckier.
56. Pair of trainers: Nearly every day since childhood.
MORE GENERAL:
57. Eating: Dim sum.
58. Drinking: Calvados.
59. I’m about to: Feed the cat, feed the neighbor's cats, make supper, wash dishes, order toilet parts online. The life of a householder.
[60. Supply your own--> Last Can of Soup: Chicken noodle.]
61. Waiting for: The clear, cool skies of early fall.
62. Want: Self acceptance.
63. Get married: Been for 36 years and still at it.
64. Career: Archaeologist and historic preservation consultant.
65. Hugs or kisses: That's not an either/or. Both, for sure
66. Lips or eyes: Eyes.
67. Shorter or taller: Just right.
68. Older or younger: My generation and younger.
70. Nice arms or nice stomach: Stomach.
71. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive. Occasionally loud, but only in brief bursts.
72. Hook up or relationship: Relationship, hands down.
73. Troublemaker or hesitant: A bit of both.
HAVE YOU EVER:
74. Kissed a stranger: Don't recall; maybe.
75. Drank hard liquor: Yes.
76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: Misplaced? You bet. Lost? No.
77. Turned someone down: Yes.
78. Sex on the first date: No.
79. Broken someone’s heart: Yes.
80. Had your heart broken: Yes. First serious girlfriend, long ago. But we're Facebook friends now, and I am happy we're in touch again.
81. Been arrested: No.
82. Cried when someone died: Yes.
83. Fallen for a friend: Yes.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
84. Yourself: Sometimes. Not always.
85. Miracles: Wish for them; don't expect them.
86. Love at first sight: Yes.
87. Santa Claus: No. But in my scraggly periods, strangers sometimes mistake me for him.
88. Kiss on the first date: Depends on what came before the date.
89. Angels: No. OTHER:
90. Current best friends names: Celeste. Rob.
91. Eye colour: My drivers license says blue. I'd call them gray, like the goddess Athena.
92. Favourite movies: Rom-coms first: Practical Magic (my go-to movie when I feel pushed around by the world); Bossa Nova; Love Actually; Groundhog Day... All the others: Monsoon Wedding; Ghostbusters (the original); Argo; K-19 the Widowmaker; Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon; Hero; Kagemusha; and the list could on for quite awhile longer... 2Sept2017-6PM
Yellow rose, Wytheville, VA, 8/19/2017
Sine wave (curtain / floor - light / shadow). Baltimore, 6/4/2017.
Read to Me, My Darling. Handmade collage. Torn magazine and catalog illustrations (NY Times T Magazine 3/5/2017 and Anthropologie lookbook 4/2017), tissue paper, acrylic paint, and gold paint pen on a white sketchbook page, with artist and studio seals. ~7.5x10 inches (~19x25 cm), 4/16/2017.
