Temet Nosce (Know Thyself)

This page exists as what used to be known as a "Commonplace Book" for the purpose of maintaining a log of the poetry and philosophy that inspires and propels much of my own thought and writing, and to share, with fellow sojourners, a collection of the beauty and wisdom of kindred souls throughout time. My hope is that we will collectively work towards the goal of a deep and sustaining self-knowledge that will, then, inspire and guide us to pursue beauty, peace and justice in our world.

“He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe



Monday, April 14, 2014

"The Painter" by Robert Arthur Lewis (for my husband, Benjamin)

I put color on walls, then leave and let light tell its own story. Strange how our vague ambitions lead to such particular situations, like these white overalls with the brass clips, this collection of brushes and buckets. It was never my intention to join the order of caps and rags, but here I am.
One summer evening I knelt in a shed cleaning brushes. Light streamed through the splintered boards and I was there to see how it landed, how it made the shovel and the rake and the dirt floor all count. I stopped and listened. Wind swept dry grass against the dryer siding. The sound was as close as my own breath and my kneeling went deeper into thankfulness
for this strange and lonely craft which makes me love so many things.
~ Robert Arthur Lewis "The Painter"

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