Gratitude

  • God’s Lap

    Oh, to curl in God's lapthe way my cat curls in mine,to feel a strong hand steadying my side,to feel breath rise and falldeeper, slower than mine. Oh, to trust so completely.Oh, to so melt. And when God gets up to… Continue reading

  • Offering

    I ripen:    heavy with juice,    dizzy with flavor,    sweet,    complex,    sticky. Pick me.Bite into me.Feel me drip down your chin. I am that good. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • One Day

    To feel okay about myselfI need to feel superior to others:    I'm better organized.    I eat better.    I attend church.    I give to charity.    My opinion is more considered.    I don't waste money.   … Continue reading

  • Your Own Suffering

    Unawareof his own suffering,covering itwith a sticky shellacof bravado,he formed a crustthat buffered him from othersas well as himself,a mantleof insulating indifference. Unawareof his own suffering,unable to touch it,to heal it,it festered,until finally,sickened by the infection,he could no longer pretendhe… Continue reading

  • On the Illusion of an Angry God

    Jesus tells us,"Love unconditionally."    Why would we imagine God does not? Jesus tells us,"Forgive seventy times seven."    Why would we imagine God does not? Jesus tells us,"Love your enemies."    Why would we imagine God does not? I… Continue reading

  • Confrontation

    He ranted.I listened.Something clicked:     He feels these feelings.    He believes these beliefs.    He thinks these thoughts.    They are his, not mine.    That is him, over there.    Over there seethes anger, drama, ego.  … Continue reading

  • Writing Again

    My muse unleashed, unfettered,roams the grounds like a dog in heat,whimpering, whining, trotting from tree to tree,eager, alert, responding to every new sight, sound, scent,gathering sensations, collecting,distracted always but distilling everything. She returns at dusk,sweaty, tired, sated,flops beside me on… Continue reading

  • Being at Peace

    What a joy to learnthere is no faulty or unworthy selfthat needs to be improved. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • This Quiet

    This quietembraces,wraps me in stillness; in our new spaceI welcome silence,long-lost friend,and hear thingsfor the first time– the metal wall clock that I purchaseda decade agoticks audibly–tick, tick, tick, tick;ten years passedwithout hearingits heartbeat– when the cats pad across the… Continue reading

  • Beautifully Average

    She announced to her mirrored self,"Today I shall celebratesimply being human.That is enough." She tilted her blue, velvet bereta little to the left,smiled acceptingly,and walked out the door,for now, at least,beautifully average. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries.… Continue reading