By Hand (WC)

  

(Wendy Cabell, June 20, 2021, Pentecost (image above) in Orthodox Church. Feast day of  the Directress Icon of the Mother of God from the Monastery of Xenophontos,  of Saint Edburga Virgin of Caistor (whose sister was wife of Saint Albert), and of  Blessed Margareta Ebner. Image from here.)

By Hand

(after Lucille Cliffton's Slaveships)


Can the tongue speak? If it does, can I
trust it? Which is deeper then, history or
poetry? Journal or
legend?

Can the tongue speak? If not, the body
will. Be it spasm, sigh or song. Can I trust
it? Which is deeper then, the word or the
flow?

Can the tongue speak? Inner man's tongue is
tied, fatigued by screen. Can I trust it? Which
is deeper then, the knowing or the
showing?

Can the tongue speak? Mine, yours. Back
and forth. Voicing, listening. What I want to
do is trust this. Deepest ground, passing
down, hand to
hand.

*From prompt: freewrite as inspired by Lucille Cliffton's Slaveships, whose line "Can the tongue speak" is used above; from Lisa Freedman's Breathe/Read/Write, June 20, 2021.  

Circled (WC)

  

(Wendy Cabell, June 18, 2021 (updated October 1), feast day of above Saint Theneva (Thaney, Enoch, Teneu) of Glasow. On the the Jewish calendar (in 1834) the Spanish Inquisition was abolished. Image from Mull Monastery of Scotland)

Circled

As life moves along in procession, temptation's 

to search for succession. It's not found. Circles 

abound. One day lingers. Then another. Is this 

what it means to mother? To hold a moment 

softly, let it grow. 

As life moves along in procession, night 

approaches. As it's done every day until now. 

Eyes closing, I look for succession. It's not

found. Circles abound. Is this what it means

to be mothered? Held and sensing tideline's

fencing, rocked

to flow. 

*From prompt: freewrite as inspired by the etymology of the word process, and by our opening up process as covig restrictions are loosening; from Lisa Freedman's Breathe/Read/Write, June 18, 2021. 

With Unicorn Candor (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, June 13, 2021. On the heels of the new moon and the feast days of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, today is the feast day of the above Blessed Marianna Biernacka (her still living granddaughter sings in video here). Also feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua, and the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Paraskeve the New. On the Jewish calendar today is 3 Tammuz, commemorating the (1273 BC) miracle of Prophet Joshua and the stopping of the sun (see Joshua 10:12, and here), and the yahrtzeit (passing) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Image from here.)

With Unicorn Candor

(Or: How to Part Avalon's Mist)

When one passes from under the law of prohibitions to live 

under the benign influences of the law of the Beatitudes... 

they pass into another atmosphere where love 

reigns... They launch out into the deep, put 

forth their powers, and strive to live rather than not to die—

to do good rather than not to do evil, to put forth all their

strength and energy in the loving service of God and man.

--Fr. Basil Maturin, Spiritual Guidelines for Souls Seeking God

With unicorn candor could climb pastel mountains. 

Meek streams there, gentled touch. Never mind the

scattered ground, streams take focus. As daisies of a 

sudden stop one's tracks. Reminding to look up at the why--

Mountain view. With unicorn candor (but not until), can climb.

Candor: from the Latin, whiteness, brightness. 

Evolved to extreme brightness. Evolved to purity, 

openness. Evolved to openness of mind, impartiality, 

frankness, freedom from reserve or disguise. 

So, what's this now? Stripping down to 

white unicorn, I suppose, 

Single horn. No duplicity.

Soft mane, gentled mind. 

Leaving all else behind,

to climb said 

Mountain.

*See etymonline.com, here

**From prompt: freewrite an 11 line/11 component poem as inspired after reading Gerrit Lansing's A Poem of Love in Eleven Lines...from which comes the above line "with unicorn candor"; Lisa Freedman's Breathe/Read/Write, June 11, 2021.