The 60-Second Sabbath

awareness

  • Soon Enough

    Death comes soon enough;Why invite it in early?     Why be jealous? Why be angry?        Why nurse the grudge,        rehearse the hurt?    Why resent? Why fear? Why welcome decay?Why hurry death? Soon enough. Soon enough. Text… Continue reading

  • Simply by the Asking

    Poet David Whyteencourages us to askthe beautiful questions,which,simply by the asking,raise our eyes to the horizon and beyond,open space within our hearts,increase our generosityand transform us.     What do you regret?    Where do you hurt?    Who inspires… Continue reading

  • Digital Silence

    And lo,at noon,digital silencefell across the land–     no phones,    no pods,    no pads,     no tweets,    no posts,    no notifications,    no e-mails,    not a single text– only silence. And in the… Continue reading

  • Sophia, Once Again

    "Sweetie," she said,"these things aren't happening to you,they're happening for you.There's a big difference." My blank lookmust have communicated my confusion. She patted me on the knee."You just sit with thatwhile I get us some tea." Text and image © 2014… Continue reading

  • Releasing

    So many questions,so few answers,so little needto stress about either. Text and image © 2014 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Winter Meal

    Beyond these windows,just two feet from me,the temperature is five below. Incidental flakes sift downunenthusiastically;this meager snow's merely the side dish,lightly tossed. The cold's the main thing,the entree:a big slab of frigid, served raw,biting back. And for dessert?A slice of… Continue reading

  • Sophia Again

    She stepped from the broom closetlike a dinner guest exiting the powder room."Missed me?" she asked. "Like gas pain," I answered. "You know I'm here to relieve the pain?" "Yes, I know that." She eyed the box of Russel Stovers… Continue reading

  • Gentle Lunacy

    He wandered our small town'smid-century streets,disconnected wonder in his face. "A lunatic," mother said,though such gentle lunacyseemed a truer way to greet lifethan how we(busy, busy)leaped past it. Text and image © 2014 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • This Morning

    Furnace hums;coffee mug warms hands;cat on lap chews pen. This morning,too contentto write. Text and image © 2014 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Winter Train Passing

    with a click, click, clackon the cold, steel track,the old train chugsthe engine lugsreluctant carsbeneath icy starson a cold, cold nightwhile a single lightcuts the snow that fallsas the whistle callsto the track, to the carsto the hard, white starswhile… Continue reading