This poem was copied from memory after a 30 day silent retreat.
I'm about to go back into silence as the earth is coming out of hers.
I was planning on re journaling this page, and it didn't happen, and so dear readers, please share with the poetry you have- it doesn't have to be fancy or right.
You want to share it and I want to read it!
Strawberries
Strawberries are too delicate to be picked by machine.
The perfectly ripe ones bruise at even too heavy a human touch.
And then I understood one day, that every strawberry I had ever eaten
Every piece of fruit
had been picked by callus human hands.
Every piece of bread
Every drop of wine
represents someones knees
Someones aching back and hips
Someone with a bandana on her arm to wipe away the sweat.
We cannot get away from the truth
that the only way we can live
Is to feed one another.
Alison Luterman
Strawberries are in season from Florida and so far this year are sweet and succulent!
My drink is a cranberry sour cherry juice, tart and refreshing.
I probably wouldn't pair them and it made a good photo!
Link up with other drinks and eats at T is for Tuesday
Send me your mailing info and I'll get one in the mail to you!
I love this poem by Alison Luterman.
I first heard this poem read to me during a silent retreat(the teachers give dharma talks, yogis listen).
Jesus Incognito
Don’t tell anyone, but I love Jesus.
I love his big dark Jewish eyes, so full of suffering soul,
like an unemployed poet’s, and his thick sensuous Jewish lips,
and his kinky curly hair, just like mine, uncontrollable despite conditioners,
and the way he always argues with everyone
and will go to hell for love.
He’s just like that Buddhist god Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion,
except his name is easier to pronounce.
When you’re in trouble it’s hard to remember to yell for Avalokiteshvara,
but “Oh Jesus!” arises naturally
every time a crazy driver hot-dogs past me on the freeway.
I know I should say the Shema when I’m about to die,
but will I be able to remember Hebrew at a time like that?
I don’t want to die saying “Oh shit!”
I’d like to leave my body consciously, like a Tibetan lama, sitting in full lotus
with my head turned toward where I’ll reincarnate next.
But let’s be realistic: I probably couldn’t meditate enough to become enlightened
in the however-many years I have left.
Jesus seems easier. All you have to do is love everyone.
Well, seems is the key word here.
Sometimes the more you try
to love people, the more you hate them.
Maybe it would be better to try not to love people, and then watch the love
force its way out of you like grass through cement.
Anything is better than organized religion.
I don’t like the singing in churches — all those hymns in major keys.
I don’t think religion should sound so triumphant.
It should be humble and aware of the basic incurable pathos of the human condition,
and in a minor key and sung in a mysterious ancient language, like Sanskrit or Hebrew.
Is it OK for me to love Jesus but not be Christian?
I could try to open my heart and give away all my possessions.
It’s not that different from being Buddhist, after all, except for a history
of witch burnings, the Inquisition, the subjugation,
rape, and pillage of indigenous peoples all over the world,
not to mention twenty centuries of vicious antisemitism. That’s a lot to overlook
to get back to a baby born among animals to a Jewish mother, Miryam.
And what about that other Mary, the sexy one? Jesus, I don’t believe you died a virgin.
I think you needed to taste everything human, to inhabit the whole mess:
blood, shit, flies, regret, envy, why-me.
I owe you and all the other bodhisattvas and sages
and newborn babies a debt of thanks
for agreeing to come back and marry yourselves
to our painful predicament again and again —
and I do thank you, bowing to the infinite directions.
Please share your journaled poetry with me, using the links below.
I had a wonderful evening of fellowship with my friend Melissa and enjoyed our dinner together at the new Japanese place in Black Mountain. I am going to say some good things and first I hope they read this and take this advice.
Change the name. It's called Sake - Sushi and all anyone is going to call it with that name is,
"The new Japanese Place" and after awhile that will get old.
Get rid of the garish food photos in the windows, and open the place back up.
One of the reasons to eat here is the view, and those pix are just not Black Mountain!
Overall, the meal was ok, just verging on good.
The plate appeal was high.
Above is the avocado salad, mostly a bowl of iceberg lettuce, cukes and a dressing I cannot identify the ingredients, aside from something orange, sesame and too sweet.
Ask for it on the side.
Our other starters were Harumaki, a Japanese style veggie spring roll.
They were good.
I passed on the dipping sauce, not knowing what might be in it, i.e. food dye , sugar and fish paste.
This months offering is written by Pablo Neruda- go read some more of his poetry!, stamps hand carved by me, in a journal of hand pounded(kneaded?) mulberry paper/
Tuesday was spent being fully present to a day of togetherness of incarcerated Mom's and their teen
children.
One of the rules was no electronics = no photos.
It was an act of Peace. We were all fed.
We made art in our journals, and with each other and these healing mountains.
Sunday was the blessing of the Rivers.
We made prayer flags and sang and danced and howled and blessed and were blessed.
We also raised $150 for scholarship for incarcerated women to go to the local Community College.
Art saves lives!
Make Poetry
Make Bread
Make Peace!
What ever peace looks likes, smells like, tastes like to you
please be it,and let's share in it together in this digital way.
Celebration of my birth! continues and I was treated to two meals out this past week.
DD and I are both very vegetarian(see Phood Philosophy) and thrilled to have a vegan restaurant in Asheville.
Plant.
Even a steak house has at least one Veggie option in Asheville and still, its enjoyable to have options and at Plant everything on the menu is an option!
I like that the menu lists the dishes without feeling the need to categorize i.e., salads, starters, etc.
The kale was just the right chewiness and the dressing a perfect blend of sweet, salty and tart. The candies dried orange slices were a tasty surprise, and I am just getting ready to enjoy winter squash, of which there were a few bites. We could have passed on the tofu add on, and didn't as I love smoked and it was made in house. I ate it all, and it was delicious, excellent texture for tofu and no lingering smokey aftertaste.
The mushroom dish has fried pieces of, as far as I know oyster mushrooms. I like to order fried when I go out, as I don't fry at home and enjoy the crunch and taste. These fit the bill for crunch, and the breading(?) was good, tho it could have been anything inside, or nothing! I love tamales and this one had a good pronounced corn flavor; could have had a bit more poblano. The greens added color and texture to the plate and were delicious. Ditto the pickled onions and cream. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive and set up our table for sharing, without being asked. Dessert. Again let me say how exciting it is to have choices!
Yummy for sure, tho there were some hard spots on the brownies that were very hard to chew and rough on the inside of my mouth. The brownie was very rich and moist and I had to take some of it home for later.
The ice cream is coconut based and not too coconutty, so you could take the mint and cookie flavors.
Cheesecake- pecan crust- blueberries- beet swirl ice cream
The cake was excellent, creamy, flavorful and not too heavy.
The ice cream was swirled with yellow and red beet and it tasted like beet; a bit off putting, and we ate it all!
I see they have changed the ice-cream on the current menu.
We ate outside, and as much as I enjoyed our meal, the ambience could be improved. Walking into the dining room, the planters need a green hand, and the flowers on the service bar were limp.
Some well placed plantings and/or screens would enhance the view, or they could park some luxury cars out front!
I also find the chairs uncomfortable and the food is worth it!
Native Kitchen
Native is in Swannanoa and deserves a visit if you haven't eaten, drunk or come for the music yet.
Their are many choices for vegetarians and the kitchen does their best to keep things separate.
There is a new chef and I forgot to ask if they fry their animal and veggies separately, so if that matters to you be sure to ask.
Lunch on a week day found myself and a friend on a lovely patio with well tended plantings and shade cloth.
I didn't get a photo, as it started to rain! just as we finished eating.
Must have are the popcorn brussels sprouts.
Just get them!
The black bean burger had me covered with ketchup , mustard and mayo on the side and a crisp lettuce leaf and slice of summer tomato.
The bun was ok if you like white bread.
The fries were a bit of a disappointment.
They used to serve thick, steak cut fries that were golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy with no extra grease on the inside and perfectly seasoned.
These were a bit limp and greasy, especially after the perfection of the brussels sprouts.
Note- both restaurants use the same plates!
My friend throughly enjoyed her roasted veggie sandwich and cleaned her plate including the potato salad side.
She let me have the last sprout as it was my birthday!
Both plates came with a very good pickle- extra points for that!
The chairs are uncomfortable here too, and the table is a funny height for me.
Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive here as well, which brings me to a short rant.
Both restaurants were very empty.
Service was excellent and we left generous tips, and that still won't pay a living wage to the servers, making $3 or so an hour plus tips.
There must be a better way.
If you have any thoughts on this, leave me a comment.
One of my photos has a glass of water which links us to
T Stands for Tuesday.
Do stop by to see what others are eating and drinking around the world.
Poetry? Journaling?
Please hop over to Poetry Journal Monthly
and give some love to Mr. Linky.
Comments=prizes.
Comments and Questions Always welcomed.
I am, a brave girl, multi-media artist,facilitator,educator, advocate and nurturer with a major interest in fibers, paper and book arts and spirituality and the arts.
I reuse, recycle and use rejectamenta as much as possible.
Please leave a comment to get in touch schedule a Spirituality and the Arts Retreat, and to purchase art work, discover how you can serve American Friends Service Committee and Friends General Conference
