Embers of Oblivion

Bottle it up,
Embers of incense burn,
Diffusing sweetly scented oblivion into the stagnant air,
Take the burning embers inside,
And bottle them up.
Oh, precious, how precious,
Set those burning embers aside,
Reach out for oblivion.

Come, be free.

The still of the silence is penetrating. It seeps slowly within, a slow high, spreading throughout, traveling, fexpanding; illuminating dark recesses that have lain dormant, forgotten, muffled. It overwhelms with a peace and a power that substantiate each other like Yin and Yang. Here, the glassy salt water blends with the iridescent sky-scape, reflecting off one another until they seem to meld together as one continuous prism, and are all the more significant for their union.

The low hum of a passing motor boat and the swooping of a gull break the silence, and water laps up against the edge of the dock- heavy with the weight of years of salty sea brine. Thick and worn and sturdy. At twilight, this is a place of solitude, of thought and awakening. Something in thaw powerful depths of that water stirs something deep inside. It speaks of freedom and risk and power and danger.

"Come," it whispers. "Leave the land behind and come away. Be free."

This is the essence of these docks. Just a taste of freedom. A place to dip your toes and dream. Here, at the edge of the earth, is an overwhelming image of what could be.

Other days they are filled with happy yells of teenaged sailors in matching red shirts trooping down the docks to their thursday night meeting to sail the bay and plan the adventures they will have; the places they will go, things they will see, what they will accomplish. These days the docks are a shelter for growth and excitement, and as always, an escape. A portal, perhaps. Like a magic door. A passage to another world. Yes, these docks are much more than simple wood planks stretched out over the water. So much more than the lines that tether the boats to those planks, and so much more than the chain link fence separating them from the city. They are something beyond their physical form; where two worlds meet and extend into small connections to each other, creating skin deep ties, but speaking naught of the depths of their worlds, only whispering, whispering of secrets and awakenings. Whispering, "Come in." And the dock is still.

Brian Andreas

I think I'm drawn to the quotes, sayings, stories that I relate to, that I dream of, that say something I want you to understand, that define what I want to be. These all mean something bigger than their words. Can you imagine what?


"When she played her music even the night demons stopped their work & it took them some time to remember what it was they were doing & the best of them had no stomach for it for a long time after that."


"I'm an outsider by choice, she said, but I'm hoping that won't be my choice forever."

"They came to sit & dangle their feet off the edge of the world & after awhile they forgot everything but the good & true things they would do someday."

"You have to not care either way about it, she told me, & when you wake up in the middle of the night with anxiety attacks, it's best to lie & say it's because you thought you heard something downstairs"

"In those days, we finally chose to walk like giants & hold the world in arms grown strong with love & there may be many things we forget in the days to come, but this will not be one of them."
"The thing about money is you can't think about it too much, he told me, or you won't sleep at night & you get dark circles under your eyes & nothing seems fun any more. I told him it was that way with a lot of things & he nodded & said, yeah, but with money it makes sense."


"She seemed to move everywhere dancing & music followed her like leaves on the wind."


"I saw them standing there pretending to be just friends, when all the time in the world could not pry them apart."


"We sat in the car & the night dropped down until the only sounds were the crickets & the dance of our voices & for a moment the world became small enough to roll back & forth between us."


"I promise you not a moment will be lost as long as I have heart & voice to speak & we will walk again together with a thousand others & a thousand more & on & on until there is no one among us who does not know the truth: there is no future without love."


"She laid on my chest & her breathing filled me almost to beyond what I could hold."


"It's hardest to love the ordinary things, she said, but you get lots of opportunities to practice."

"Impossible yoga position but she likes to have goals that no one else can imagine, so they'll shut up about how they understand exactly what she's going through"

"When she played her music even the night demons stopped their work & it took them some time to remember what it was they were doing & the best of them had no stomach for it for a long time after that."

"I will always remember the day the sun shone dark on your hair & I forgot where we were & kissed you lightly on the nose & suddenly there was no more secret."


"When I first met him, I knew in a moment I would have to spend the next few days re-arranging my mind so there'd be room for him to stay."


"liking each other because it's a beautiful day & it seems like a waste of time to disagree about stuff the other one is refusing to change out of sheer stubbornness"

"In the heart of the world there is a place that holds the secret names of the rocks & the trees & all the children of the earth & around it gather women & men who hold it dear & each night they stand together to keep it safe for as long as it takes till morning comes & no matter what you have been told, this will always be so, in the heart of the world."


"He sneaked through the world like night itself & never gave himself a chance to love."


"I asked her why she never told us about the Ten Commandments & she said she wasn't ever that good with numbers so she loved everything as best she could & I remember thinking who needs all those rules anyway with a mother like her around."






www.storypeople.com

I will

I can make myself be happy in any circumstance, and I will.
No matter where I end up, who I end up being there with, I will find a way to be happy.
There's just certain things I'd rather not fight through.
Fight to be happy without.
Some battles I'd like to opt out of.
I will fight, and I will succeed,
But I'd rather not have to.
I've had a taste.
I'd rather not forget.

.

Even the ocean leans on the earth.

This awakening in me is of you. Something dormant. Something strong. Some flow of electromagnetivity more powerful than any surging rogue wave and so far beyond my capacity to control that I just let it crash over me, pulling me under, out of control- the most bittersweet immersion in a world I've never known, like the place where the waves crash into the earth-crashing, thundering, melding, two worlds seemingly meeting in a power struggle, only to find that they were joined all along-the earth stretching out under the salty embodiment of power, its source of support to lay it's weight on, for after all, even the ocean needs to earth to lean on.

Quest

My mind's eye, engulfed, as a crystal ball to plunge in, head first, and watching, This third person view, detached but so very connected is my home here, where I only vaguely exist, a shadow, only watching, only seeing:
Running, wandering pointedly, looking, searching,
Through the woods, the dark underbrush, a sky blocked from view,
Vines threaten, twist, eager,
This quest, you will conquer, as you unfailingly conquer all,
Then let that sweet voice of comfort lead you here,
There will be rest.

Simplicity; Scattered

Waiting, yes I am waiting,
There will be a day,
Of all healing,
And hope no longer carried on the wings of a dove, will rest in our hands,
And I am waiting for this day,
As I am waiting for you,
As I will wait for you.

I Can Relate

"There has been none brighter than you.."

Of you, in my mind, there is no equal. No parallel line to be drawn, none so bright as to steal your shine;

Though the cities, oh, their call is strong, and their lights glowing fluorescent and neon, reflecting stars and hope in the eyes of of determination-here to make a name, and again, to the water, all peace and power and dazzling reverence of the artistry of the lights blurred and bright- like the impressionists canvas of the light-scape.

And the stars, Diamonds of the night, sprayed out across the sky by the millions; light and power soaring across the raw expanse of shimmering blackness to pinprick the sky above my head.

Through all the flashbulbs; every blinding, spotlight shone center stage, still I have seen none so bright as you.

No iridescence, no blazing fire,

Nothing shines for me like you.

Let's get lost

Illumination

The sun's rays feel faintly warm on my face; a promise of warmth and light to come. I am overcome by the joy of this promise- The joy of today, the simple sunlight on my face and the way it lightens the sidewalks and makes the trees glow. The sunlight and the warm air swirl together and soak into me, illuminating emotions that have lain dormant in the dark recesses for months on end. The brightness within me cannot be contained.

Awakening

The air outside is intoxicating. Sunlight happily whispers of spring- no longer a distant myth, but a dream from a past life awakening once again. Warm, soft air caresses my skin, soothing the wounds that the biting winter winds have left behind.

The soft air and whispering sunlight come together and fill the empty spots within me-leaving bubbling, giddy happiness where blank pages once were; I feel whole and new. Fresh as the spring sun. I am warming and waking to the sun's sweet touch, as the ocean on an august day, and when it all crashes into me, I am lost in day dreams.