(By Vern Crawford, November, 2013.) Memories are rather like the things they never were. People, places, colors, scents–all were similar to our memories. For an instant or a day these memories persist, Even offering recollections of distant decades past. But what is it that preserves our memories, saves them at all? Though they are never […]
(By Vern Crawford, October, 2013, edited March, 2018.) This silky milkweed fluff, With a tiny puff of air, Becomes a weightless drifter: It softly lofts above my hand. Heeding Autumn’s cooler nights and frost, We plush ourselves in fleece, Our arms and backs and bellies Softer now to tender, touchy fingers. Quilted bathroom tissues (The […]
(By Vern Crawford, September, 2013) This callosal contest Of strength and skill (Or maybe simply single-mindedness) Appears, from a higher perch, to be a tug-of-war. The Left Team pulls against the Right (Or is it the New against the Old?), A Nerdy Team connected by a fibrous cord To the other bunch, a Rowdy Team. […]
(By Vern Crawford, September, 2013) There are only three ways to go from here: Go back; Stop; or Move On. Yet they say I really can’t Go Back. And I’ve tried Stopping, only to regret it. So, how many choices do I have left? Hmm: Three, minus one, minus one… Higher math strongly suggests […]
In Blog #5: We Humans, I offered a “trick” to help us confront our anthropocentrism. I suggested, when you see or hear the words “we” and “us”, mentally tack on the word “humans”. If you do this, it becomes starkly clear that most of our attention, most of the time, is locked onto us–us humans–not […]
Way back in 1806 the English poet William Wordsworth observed, in part: “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” Let me tell you, Bill, nothing has changed! […]
(by Vern Crawford, November, 2013) May the stars inspire you. May the moon thrill you. May your legs beg to go. May your arms long for work. May your eyes find loveliness in common things. May your home place be comely. May the sea and surf impress you. May birdsong lift your heart. May […]
If you observe an annual round of festivals–say, as a Christian, or Jew, or Moslem–you already know the value of this practice. If not, and if you want to try out such an annual round, check out the eight festivals that I observe as part of Tefistry. These are based on Celtic and other European […]
Why employ the central idea of Tefistry: the Total Experiential Field? Does its use bring us more of life’s good things: love, joy, security, beauty, poise, hope, wisdom, etc.? People live their lives–more or less successfully–in various ways. I, too, use various strategies for living, at various times, day in and day out: We can […]
(By Vern Crawford, July 2015) Plumes and foams of montane greenery Spray upward from these undulating soil-seas And bursting through both sea and spray The humps of broad-backed granitic whales, Dappled over with crusty lichens and crystal barnacles: Great granitic whales rolling up from hidden depths.