The 60-Second Sabbath

Stillness

  • The Party

    Throw a party. Invite all of your various and sundry selves:    the one you enjoy    and the one you ignore,    the one you honor    and the one you fear,    the selfish    along with the selfless,    the… Continue reading

  • Happy Cat

    Two paws knead the air–Open, extend, close, withdraw,Repeat. Pure contentment. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Beings of Light

    "I am surrounded by beings of light,"he said, and then,"Can you see them?" I could not,though I did not doubt him;as surely as he was here,they had to be here, too–had to!—to comfort him, certainly,perhaps to lead him along. Then,… Continue reading

  • The Passion Is Enough

    She pops up unexpectedly–beneath the darkening canopy of treesin the deep woods,from behind a stack of boxesin a corner of the basement,or like now,in a quiet gallery at the back of the art museum:  "Beautiful, yes?" "It is," I answer.… 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

  • 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

  • Self-Care

    What doesself-carelook likefor you? For meit's silence,solitude,a blank page,a pen. What doesself-carelook likefor you? Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.    Continue reading

  • Trying to Write

    1.I apologize to my battered muse,once again elbowed asideby in-crowding concerns,loud and demanding,like rich American touristsinvading by the busloada Mexican villageright at siesta. She shrinks and retreats. 2.My mind is too noisy and busyfor the careful, considered crafting of words,which,… 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