Love thou art high!

Emily Dickinson

(1830-1886)

Emily Dickinson was such a fantastic romantic.... would this work as a wedding poem?

LOVE THOU ART HIGH

Love - thou art high -

I cannot climb thee -

But, were it Two -

Who knows but we -

Taking turns - at the Chimborazo -

Ducal  - at last  - stand up by thee -

Love - thou art deep -

I cannot cross thee -

But, were there Two 

Instead of One -

Rower, and yacht - some sovereign summer -

Who knows - but we´d reach the Sun?

Love - thou art Veiled -

A few - behold thee - 

Smile - and alter - and prattle - and die -

Bliss - were an Oddity - without thee -

Nicknamed by God -

Eternity -

I knew a Woman!

Theodore Roethke

(1908-1963)

I knew a Woman

I knew a woman, lovely in her bones,

When small birds sighed, she would sigh back at them;

Ah, when she moved, she moved more ways than one:

The shapes a bright container can contain!

Of her choice virtues only gods should speak,

Or English poets who grew up on Greek

(I'd have them sing in chorus, cheek to cheek).

How well her wishes went! She stroked my chin,

She taught me Turn, and Counter-turn, and Stand;

She taught me Touch, that undulant white skin;

I nibbled meekly from her proffered hand;

She was the sickle; I poor I, the rake,

Coming behind her for her pretty sake

(But what prodigious mowing we did make).

Love like a gander, and adores a goose:

Her full lips pursed, the errant note to seize;

She played it quick, she played it light and loose;

My eyes, they dazzled at her flowing knees;

Her several parts could keep a pure repose,

Or one hip quiver with a mobile nose

(She moved in circles, and those circles moved).

Let seed be grass, and grass turn into hay:

I'm martyr to a motion not my own;

What's freedom for? To know eternity.

I swear she cast a shadow white as stone.

But who count eternity in days?

These old bones live to learn her wanton ways:

(I measure time by how a body sways).

So I live and so I dream

So I live and so I dream

So I hear and so I think

Rich I am 

Imagine

Rich of Life

Imagine

with the Golden Light

and the waves flushing 

up the sand while I

Sink into my womb chair 

or my plateau bed

The golden light 

 imagine

that I am rich

Rich of life

Rich of gift

The one who can give

Give a dream of life

Golden with the sound of

the unknown

An ocean of secrets

to share

So I live and so I dream

So I hear and so I think

I will greet the sun again

Forough Farokhazad One of the most influential female poets from Iran. 1935-1967 I will greet the sun again

I am sending my greetings to the sun, To the tender river that filled my veins, To the raining clouds that carried my long dreams And to the sore aging of poplar trees in the yard: They escorted me in all visits of dried times. I am sending my greetings to the crowd of crows: They always brought me the fresh perfume of nights’ crops. And to my mother who stayed in the mirror, And looked like my aged face. My greetings to the earth, The earth that the thrill of repeating me, was cramming beneath its aroused inside, by green seeds. I will come, I will come, I will arrive. With my curls: the winged scent of the soil With my eyes: the bright insight of the night And I will bring all flowers I picked from the other side of the wall. I will come, I will come, I will arrive. And then the gates will be invaded by love, And there, I will greet everybody who loves. And, I know: There will be a girl, still standing in front of the gates, those soaked gates in the deluge of love… I will greet her again as well.

ah...

ah...

Drinking German beer

and trying to come up with 

the immortal poem at

5 p.m. in the afternoon.

but, ah, I´ve told the

students that the thing 

to do is not to try.

but when the women aren´t

around and the horses aren´t 

running

what else is there to do?

I´ve had a couple of 

sexual fantasies

had lunch out

mailed three letters

been to the grocery store.

nothing on tv.

the telephone is quiet.

I´ve run dental floss

between my teeth.

it won´t rain and I listen

to the early arrivals from the

8 hour day as they

drive in and park their cars

behind the apartment

next door.

I sit drinking German beer

and trying to come up with the

big one

and I´m not going to make it.

I´m just going to keep drinking

more and more German beer

and rolling smokes

and by 11 p.m.

I´ll be spread out

on the unmade bed

face up

asleep under the electric 

light

still waiting on the immortal

poem.

-Charles Bukowski

Ahahahahaha

Welcome home

ahahahahahah

Welcome home

Don´t run

just walk

silently 

up the stairs

and I will

welcome you home

Don´t stare 

don´t smile 

not yet

first I need to 

frighten you a little

Wait for my scream

then wait for my laughter

I can´t help but

play this game

Welcome home

ahahahahaha

I knew you would stay

I knew we could

 laugh ourselves

into the future

Welcome home

ahahahahahaha

- Kristin Hjellegjerde

Dalai Lama in New York!

Picture taken by Elton Melo

The Art of Happiness

A Handbook for Living

by

Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. M.D.

Elizabeth from the great and inspiring Elizabeth Avedon Blog put some gorgeous photos of the Dalai Lama taken by Richard Gere today. This made me inspired to write about "The Art of Happiness" that I read a while back. Dalai Lama will be in N.Y. City the next four days offering teachings and public talks at Radio City Music Hall.

Dalai Lama, the smiling, loving definitively deserving Nobel Prize winner is spreading his happiness, that he is known for in this book. Helping us learn to deal with our worries and to think of happiness as the purpose of life.

Here are some quotes from the book:

"The purpose of our existence is to seek happiness."

"If we utilize our favorable circumstances, such as our good health or wealth, in positive ways, in helping others, they can be contributory factors in achieving a happier life."

"The greater the level of calmness of our mind, the greater our peace of mind, the greater our ability to enjoy a happy and joyful life."

- I am working hard on this one...being calm....

"We don´t need more money, we don´t need greater success or fame, we don´t need the perfect body or even the perfect mate - right now, at this very moment, we have a mind, which is all the basic equipment we need to achieve complete happiness."

"If you maintain a feeling of compassion, loving kindness, then something automatically opens your inner door. Through that, you can communicate much more easiliy with other people. And that feeling of warmth creates a kind of openness. You´ll find that all human beings are just like you, so you´ll be able to relate to them more easily."

"Everyday as soon as you get up, you can develop a sincere positive motivation, thinking, I will utilize this day in a more positive way. I should not waste this very day. And then, at night before bed, check what you´ve done, asking yourself, Did I utilize this day as i Planned?"

"The turning-toward happiness as a valid goal and the conscious decision to seek happiness in a systematic manner can profoundly change the rest of our lives."

"We need to actively cultivate the antidotes to hatred; patience and tolerance."

Please let me remember this one:

"If there is a solution to the problem, there is no need to worry. If there is no solution, there is no sense of worrying either"

"So if our definition of love is based on a genuine wish for someone´s happiness, then each of us does in fact love himself or herself - every one of us sincerely wishes for his or her own happiness."

As the book opens with.

Dedicated to the Reader:

MAY YOU FIND HAPPINESS.

Love Kristin