Earth-Muse (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, January 15, 2025, feast day of Our Lady of Banneux, (above) Our Lady of the Seeds, Saint Ita of Killeedy, Saints Salome of Ujarma and Perozhavra of Sivnia, Saint Cosmas the Melodist, Saint Placid, Saint Teath (daughter of Saint Brychan of Brecknock, Saint Tarsicia of Rodez (granddaughter of King Clotaire II of the Franks, and sister of Saint Ferreolus of Uzès), Saints Britta and Maura, Blessed Diego de Soto (Mercedarian). Image from here.)

Earth-Muse

Inbreath:

Say you weave, from earth’s inside

bud on the rise

Say a breeze, kisses soul first breath

Say you swoon, soft wake tug of moon

Say you spy, ever heed

Light of sun

Say a diamond, splits a rainbow

current sky

Say a ray, slides heartward –-

pushes pen

Outbreath:

Say, pushes pen

a ray — slides heartward 

Say current sky

a diamond, splits a rainbow

Say Light of sun

you spy, ever heed

Say tug of moon

you swoon, soft wake

Say first breath

a breeze, kisses soul

Say bud on the rise,

you weave -- from earth’s inside

*From combined prompts:  Freewrite as inspired by Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, from Daisy Barrett Nash’s Legacy Lines series, January 15, 2025; and choose a poem of yours to refine (I chose above) by posing questions or hypotheses, as inspired by "The Conditional" by Ada Limon, and "Questions About Angels" by Billy Collins, from Tresha Haeffner (The Poetry Salon)'s Write Games, January 16, 2025.

Staircase (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, January 7, 2025, feast of (above) Our Lady of Egypt. Image from here.)

Staircase

(for Jubilee year 2025)

Morning new, to-do list ancient:

Bed's make, candlelight, first thing. 

Day's tasks, one at a time.

Wiggles of any kind, even ten minutes, woven in.

Rest stops often, to read, reach out.

Sensing — even for a second —

                                                   most soft 

                                                       and gracious 

                                                                    space

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by “This Birthday” by E.J. Koh. From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, January 7, 2025.

On Unitive Force (WC)

  

(Wendy Cabell, August 28, 2024, feast day of the Dormition of the Mother of God (old calendar), (above) Our Lady of Kiev, Saint Anna the Prophetess, Saint Agnes of Cologne (companion to Saint Ursula), Saint Junipero Serra, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Joaquina Vedruna Vidal de Mas, Several Martyrs in England and in the Spanish Civil War, Saints Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, Martyr Susanna, Queen of Georgia. On Jewish calendar today is Hasmonean Holiday (circa 100 BCE) (Hellanist secular law replaced). Image from here.)

On Unitive Force 

Love grows, generates [plant soul]. 

Love senses, enjoys [animal soul]. 

Love transcends, understands [human soul]. 

Love moves all things…

–adapted from minervawisdom.com, 

“Aquinas on the Levels of the Soul”

1. The Maize’s Tale Up, out -- blade, ear, grain. Love Herself tends, brings map: one pure and magic Land. And our seed, so vale-familiar finds! a Heart Who understands, finds! a Heart Who understands. 2. The Lioness’ Tale She spots movement across the plains, soft blink of a golden eye. Neighbor’s cub it turns out. The lioness turns towards. There'll be jubilation, no doubt, upon the little one’s return –- to the warm and welcoming fur of her Mother, to the warm and welcoming fur of her Mother. 3. The Author’s Tale (Portland, Oregon, 2006) Once volcano, we hike mount’s rim. A hawk circles. Draws us in. Onto library, spot ancient lore grants us passage, most kindly Shore grants us passage, most kindly Shore –-

*Inspired by Radcliffe Hall’s oft ignored Christianity and Catholic faith.

**From combined prompts: Free association around various words, and freewriting as inspired by Radclyffe Hall’s “Tramping Poem” and “Tradition”. From Daisy Barrett-Nash’s Legacy Lines (Writers at Play), Summer, 2024.

Maxims for a Refugee Artist (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, April 18, 2024, feast day of the “Maximov” Icon of the Mother of God, (above) Blessed Marie of the Incarnation (mere Marie), Blessed Maria Anna Blondin, Saint Agia of Hainault, Saint Athanasia of Aegina (of star miracle), and Blessed Savina Petrilli (..."vowed not to complain deliberately about external and internal afflictions, and vowed to completely abandon herself to the will of the Father"). On Jewish calendar today is Miriam's Passing (1274 BC), and Israelites Cross Jordan (1273 BC). Image from here.)

Maxims for a Refugee Artist

(inspired by John Keats)

Beauty is truth, truth beauty

it's all you need to know

Patience is prayer, prayer patience

to scout the way to go

Art's an unfolding, unfolding an art --

this day's one open road

*See John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”

**From combined prompts: From Daisy Barrett's Writers At Play winter series in January 2024, free write experiences that come as look back on months of past year; then scan for a metaphor of challenge, find another angle there of promise, and combine those two metaphors (my eg refugee artist). From Lisa Freedman’s BreathReadWrite, April 18, 2024 free write as inspired by “Try to Praise the Mutilated World” by Adam Zagajewski. Also inspired by a Lenten homily (about a month ago) from Father Justin Huang of Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, Vancouver: “Our normal rhythm of life is not present anymore.... We have crammed more things into 24 hours than we used to do in three or four days. And it doesn't work. We get unhappy, we get impatient…”

Minimal Requirements (WC)

 

Wendy Cabell, September 14, 2023, feast day of the (above) Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, the Lesna Icon of the Mother of God, Our Lady of Einsiendeln, Our Lady of Steinbach, and Blessed María López de Rivas Martínez (confidant of Saint Teresa of Avila; body incorrupt). On Jewish calendar today is the Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars (3760 BC). Image from here.)

Minimal Requirements

(for Pope Francis)

–Time: to care more, not less

–Space: an ocean’s plain –- for love 

 

      t o   s w i m

  

                       a r o u n d

                              i n 

–Magic: pearls –- from grit-glide-time

  ( as in lots and lots of time ) 

          for star’s  b l o o m

*Based on a quote from Pope Francis, Love needs time and space; everything else is secondary. [Author Laura Alary looks to something similar, a trio of time, space and room (receptivity/generosity.)]

**From combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by “homage to my hips” by Lucille Clifton (Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite Studio Time, September 14, 2023), Ana Blandiana’s “As if” (Lisa Freedman’s Type.Coalesce.Become,June 2, 2023), Ted Kooser’s “Pearl” (Marj Hahne’s Poem a la Mode, IWWG, June 2, 2023, near Our Lady of Bocco's feast), and  “blossoms at night” by Kobayashi Issa and “the old pond” by Matsuo Basho (Tresha Faye Haefner‘s Friday Editing class, The Poetry Salon, May 31, 2024).

From the Stars (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, August 29, 2023, feast day of Our Lady of Valverde (above; "With his right hand he blesses the bystanders looking at them lovingly, and with the other caress a small crane, which shyly hides in the left hand of the beautiful Virgin"), Our Lady of Clermont, Our Lady of the Guard, Our Lady of Tears, the Chortkiv Icon of the Mother of God, of Saint John the Baptist (beheading), Saint Jeanne Jugan, Blessed Teresa Bracco, and Beatrice of Nazareth. On Jewish calendar today continues the Seven [Weeks] of Consolation, and reflection for the upcoming High Holidays. Image from here.)

From the Stars

(in gratitude for the gift of movement)

desire (v.):..from Latin desiderare "long for, wish for; 

demand, expect,"...[from] de sidere "from the stars"

–etymonline.com

Around 300 BC... Chuang-tzu [wrote about] ‘walking like a bear and 

stretching their neck like a bird to achieve longevity.’... [And] it was Hua Tuo

who developed the first complete set of animal-imitating qigong exercises...

[saying] 'If you feel out of sorts, just practice one of my Frolics’.

--GeneChing, Kung Fu Magazine Forums

I want to move like owl

look right look left–-take it in

I want to move like bear

rolling lumbering, from 

this cave where all begins

I want to move like cat

stretching twisting 

uncurl, meet kin

I want to move like monkey swing slide glide give now a spin

I want to move like dragon

seacliff topping

unstoppable my swim 

I want to move says heart

whoosh-thump out 

whoosh-thump in

I want to--

*From combined prompts: Freewrite as inspired by etymology of “desire”, and by “I want” by Jordan Jace. From Lisa Freedman’s Imagination and Justice (via IWWG) BreatheReadWrite, August 29, 2023.

Bamboo Sways In the Wind (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, Bright Thursday (it's focus is on John 3, Nicodemos), feast day of Our Lady of Quito, Blessed María Felicia Guggiari Echeverria (Chiquitunga), Saints Theodora and Didymus, Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Blessed Marie-Louise Trichet, Saint Benedict of the Bridge, Saint Valeria of Milan, and Blessed Jozef Cebula. Image from here.)

Bamboo Sways In the Wind

Allow yourself to follow this natural rocking and movement 

that comes from within [even as you are “still”]…like a 

bamboo gently moving in the wind.--Dimitri Timoshenko

wind’s

hush,

opening--

offering

Spirit a

home

*Inspired by the Qigong exercise Bamboo Sways in Wind (or Bamboo in Wind), and by artwork and discussion at Janice Ariza and Evan Clendenin's Spiritual Tools For Artists: A Pastel Mood  (Priory of Saint Placid, Lacey, WA), April 28, 2022. 

Of Saint Germaine, Sheperdess (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, April 20, 2022, Bright Wednesday/Easter Wednesday (Holy Wednesday in Eastern Orthodox), feast day of La Dolorosa del Colegio and Saint Helen of Laurino (reminiscent of Saint Germaine Cousin), Saint Agnes of Montepulciano and Saint Sara of Antioch. On Jewish calendar continues Passover, and commemorates the passing (1772) of Rabbi Aharon ("the Great") of Karlin. Image from here.)

Saint Germaine, Shepherdess

(an ovine memoir)

We follow her to Mass too, you know. Bilocated spirit. We

like the incense, prayers. But mostly don’t want to be 

separated from her–-                                                                                                                                          

                                   hands  soft,

                                                       heart 

 

                                                                   so  

                                                                         much 

 

                                                                             Space,

 

                                                            her quill of rose

                                         

                                                     thorn worn smooth

                                          that pens this letter…

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by Brad Aaron Modlin’s "On the Last Day of the Semester, the Library Is So Crowded with Raucous Historical and Literary Figures It’s Hard to Tell People Apart."; From Mindful Poetry Moments (NPR's On Being, and The Well), April 20, 2022.