Aaltoe’s Blog

That inner quiet
more present now
finding a receptive partner.
The steady grey day helps sustain
that fragile relationship,
enlarging the space of conversation
the domain of thought
the limits of patience
the compass of curiosity.

How can the riches of that inner world
best be explored, even described?
Deep pools of crystal clear water
pale blue,
canyons of ice
with forms of near perfect geometries,
forested groves of lush green
with graceful glades
that invite exploration
on paths that have no end
but reveal one precious view
after another
and destinations previously hidden.

The contrast of apparent simplicity
with experienced complexity
shrouds the secrets
making them accessible
only to the settled mind
the bold spirit
open to seeing things
over and over
and gaining new meaning
each time.

Brightness warmth
sow soothing sun,
clouds with independence
form their own places in the sky,
high haze qualifies the blue.
Warm not hot
near perfect gift
from late April.

What will May bring,
and then June?
Days like these pull the year together
through repetition
and mild differences.
They also set the stage
for very different days
which add their furnishings
their different actors
their more dramatic scripts
that strain the themes and the structure
of the surrounding narrative.

But today these can only be imagined.
This day is steady and beautiful
it builds resilience
the capacities to embrace,
endure, and enjoy
those other states
that push the limits of life.

Quiet rhythms
Attenuated moments
Grayness barely interrupted
By shifting clouds
By auto lights and rumblings of trucks
Long sighs of reflection
Memory slow to waken
Not to interrupt,
Amplifying the senses
Drowning out thought.

The inner quiet
So often hiding
Allows a glimpse
Then a longer view.
So comfortable, so secure, so strong.
Timeless
And with capacity to absorb the new
To give it room to explore
Without limits
Probing the deep pools
Of the imagination
Constructed from years of probing, digging, searching
But without the burden of those efforts.

Thunder and lightning intrude
And the visit must end
Throwing a cloak
Over what those penetrating gazes saw,
Protecting it from further interference
But nevertheless
Leaving a glow of that inner world.

How different
this year from last
trees budding out
with greater joy
because of COVID’s slower spread
despite human stubbornness
and failure to act protectively.

This spring speaks hope
sparks thoughts
of the cycle of life
once again finding its rhythm
once again a healing salve
for our wounds of withdrawal.

Tiny petals first ablaze on the trees
now delicately decorate
the floor of the porch,
thickening of the canopy
as the sun demands of the trees
to be shrouded.
Temperature rises,
and beds of daffodils declare their places
in stunning yellow,
weeping willows win the race
to show spring in its early splendor.

What are the different species of mind
that begin to flourish
with greater intensity
that stir the loins
that quicken the pulse
and energize ambition?

Shining hope is surely one
outrageous impulse another
youthful yearning plays a role
and love lurks behind.

One can marvel at these changes
and hope to link them
to people who are close
whom one respects,
even to oneself!
and to find ways,
alongside nature,
to build them into
ongoing streams
of regrowth and rediscovery.

A sudden blow
Abrupt reminder
That nature doesn’t
Indulge languorous
Episodes for long
But hurls herself
When she feels like it
Often with substantial impact.

In-between she strengthens us
And all there is
And then from time to time
She tests that strength.

She just gave a strong hint
Of what more she might have done
Had she been so inclined
But left us able to cope
And able to consider
The likelihood of further contests
Between her sprightly escapades
And her gracious gifts of life.

Indeed this blow is just part of
The ecology of places
We are fortunate to occupy.
It reminds us
That adaptation to place
Is a constant exercise
In observation and adjustment.

If more complacent
We have to rationalize the damage
And complain about what is
Beyond our control.

But with greater adaptive skills
The more vividly we can
Experience nature’s forces at work,
The more we can become true witnesses
And even participants
In the extraordinary processes of
Environmental flux,
Becoming the richer for it.