Three Pieces, Three Poems (new poems)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Form and Formless No.8 - W 7" - Yellow Cedar:

 

With fire

And breath

Traversing mountains

Without motion

MS21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inseparability of Action No.5 - W 7.25" - Port Orford Cedar, Wax:

 

Immanent excursion,

Pulsing sea waters,

Lost nowhere

MS21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intent to Act No.1 - W 5" - Yellow Cedar:

 

That constant presence

So polite and servile

Self-compassion must reign

MS21

First Untitled Form and Why?

WF156

This is another form which came rather spontaneously onto paper. Without an intentional direction the idea appeared vaguely in my mind and the hand (with pencil) completed the design (gave it coherence). It resonated yet I couldn't formulate a title. Normally the title dawns on me soon after selecting a sketch for production. Sometimes even a poem may emerge to supplement the essence of the idea/form. I'm not sure what it is that makes this piece so vague with regards to an associated idea. Perhaps it really is a synthesis of multiple ideas (I had written "synthesis...artist as synthesizer" at the top of the sketch page (most likely before the sketch was outputted) but did not accept it as a title). So this is the first form which assumes the sculpture (or wood form) number (WF156). Other titles I considered were "Sleep", "Dreaming" and Symbiosis No.3 but none of them felt right.

WF156 is made of air-dried yellow cedar, with a subtle grain pattern. It is light in colour and the form may even suggest bone.

Movement captured by mind,
The search for limits
And finality—

Yet on life goes,
The sweet energy prevails
In timeless motion
And shining Love.

MS21

Arch No.16

Arch No.16 - 2021

 

 

Standing straight,
The wind rushing
Against hemp shirt
And hair—

The empty meadow—
Gazing out onto
The distant clouds
Meandering above
The granite horizon—

All of humanity,
Nay, all of Nature,
So pristine and clear
Does sparkle
Within and
Without—

MS21

At 8.75" wide Arch No.16 may find placement on a side table, console or the like. Carved from a single block of Western Red Cedar, the natural grain humbly asserts itself through the satin finish of the wax and oil. The Arch Series consists of forms which are stripped down to their bare essentials. Through this exploration of fundamental structure and organic form, themes of human relatedness to nature, perception of self and other, and the ground of Love, emerge.

The Essence of Reception No.1

 

The Essence of Reception No.1 - 2021

The slight curve may suggest a stretching out or reaching, only to terminate in an open connection that may either imply turning back upon oneself in an infinite return loop, or an infinite opening to "cancel the reach". This may sound very abstract, and it is—indeed it was my feeling when drawing this form on paper. The following poem was also written at the time of the inception of the form on paper. 

As infinite as space, 

So too is Form*— 

 

Yet as subtle as presence, 

So too is sensitivity— 

 

As naturally as a leaf flickering in the wind, 

So moves the mental barrier 

In its blinding transparency— 

MS21 

 *All form in general 

After discovering the form on paper, I contemplate its origin and meaning, and devise a title, then in an elaboration on this meaning a poem may emerge. In this case the poem sets the ground for the conceptual connection with the title: "Once the mental obstacle has been removed, the pure or open "ground" may receive "insight". This particular form (one of infinite possibilities) suggests a "reaching or seeking" with an element of openness/femininity/negativity essential for this "engagement" or reception of the "insight"."

Nature No.1

 

The engagement of sight,

The silent wonders

That quiver before us—

The fluttering butterfly,

Its sails gaining purchase

On the weight of the atmosphere—

The slow moving slug

Its senses, like ours,

Engaged with the environment,

Its head turning with

Smooth trajectory

And compassionate order—

The fruit tree swelling

With such rapid growth,

Turning water into juice

And shining in the sunlight—

The bumble bee busy

In focused activity,

Unpausing to ponder,

To sit and stare

At the endless sky,

The distant moon,

The light of the stars,

And the ending of time.

MS21

Thoughts on the World

  

Thoughts on the world:

The pure present within which all movement plays about is silent amidst the noise, peaceful amidst the chaos. The war-cry is insanity at its most powerful expression and is seen clearly as such only through the eyes of compassion. We hold hands in love and community, ever falling out of violence and into Sanity, Health and Prosperity. We must listen to the angry ones like we would to a hurt child and answer with love instead of hostile reaction. (Clear away wrong-doings of the past and start afresh everyday!) For this reaction is simply more of the same violence. And, this is the cause of perpetuation. This "non-reaction" is the important change in society. Society consists of individuals, so each of us must change and this is how the world is changed — not by trying to control "others" (or ourselves) and manipulate the internal or external system and our surroundings and interior — proper and liberated expression comes later because we don't know how to act properly until we have changed. Before changing (ourselves), our actions will be partial and reactive, causing more conflict. Action is an expression of the core self. If there is peace, love and wholeness at the core, there will be an outward expression and working of the same. So-called "society" is a reflection of our individual selves. 

 

Note: 

This change in ourselves will not occur if we attempt to control ourselves, because this is more violence, just directed inwardly. Real change and liberation can only occur when the fundamental way the psyche works is seen actually — not conceptually. This is the important point. We must see ourselves directly, not through the interpretation of comparative (dualistic) thought. Seeing this way is the action which ends in dissolutionary change; and therefore freedom, love and wholeness.

Self-Inquiry No.1

 

Self-Inquiry No.1

 

 

Carved from a block of air-dried yellow cedar with tight growth rings, the form of Self-Inquiry No.1 reflects the nature and delicacy of the material and craft. The subtle form invites the viewer to peer inwards only to find more space and openness. The irony of self-inquiry is just this. The looker seeks to find oneself, but the self is the looker who cannot possibly see itself (like a sword cutting itself in half). When the self is thought to be perceived, it is actually only a construct through thought. So, our common self-image is this imaginary self. When this ironic fact is grasped by the higher or true self, then there is wholeness and Love. Is this the cosmic joke?

Nothing.
Or is it something?
That empty space,
The vast arena,
The pure silence
And rest—

I look
Yet my eyes are met
With pitch black
And infinite quiet.
But yet, I am,
Not of time,
Nor space,
I am here
And everywhere,
Yet nowhere.

MS21