The 60-Second Sabbath

grief

  • Mary Magdalene at the Local Bar

    Imagine my surprisewhen my server that winter evening,is none other than Mary Magdalene–the Mary Magadalene.  She brings me my next cup of wine–red, thick, the color of blood.Candlelight swims through. I resist the temptationto ask the obvious questions;celebrities are people,… Continue reading

  • The Day My Father Died

    The day my father diedthe snowman in the yard melted–one releasing warmth,the other absorbing it. Pale blue eyes slowly clouded,gazing at a bloodless blue wall;Corona-cap eyes rested on slush,gazing at a cloudless blue sky. One lay gray against a background… Continue reading

  • The Dresser

    The dresser(in which reside my underwear and socks)is an antique,formerly owned by my sister(now deceased). Sometimes at night,with only a candle burning,I wish with all my heartto see her in the flecked, speckled mirror,to observe her pulling back her hair,putting… Continue reading

  • Credo

    I do not believe in hell, nor in the efficacy of war. I believe greed destroys and fear creates monsters where none exist. I believe in humility, the resilience of the human heart, and the revelatory nature of our nightly… Continue reading

  • Grieving and Receiving

    Grieving, believing, receiving. Or maybe not:perhaps it's grieving, receiving, believing. Or possibly it's simply this:grieving and receiving. Shall the believing be optional? Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.  Continue reading

  • The Common Hearse

    It's time to write a simple versein honor of the common hearse,sleekly polished, darkened glass,slowly taking one last pass down the tree-lined avenues,past long-assumed, familiar views–street lamps, fences, kids at play,neighbor's gardens, Miss Delay, whose laundry flaps despite the rainfrom… Continue reading

  • Whose Heart

    Whose heart is thisbattered, shattered,scattered in pieces on my bedroom floor? Ah, it's mine. Unspoken, broken,I block the entrance,shoulder the bureau to barricade the door;I quote the raven: "Nevermore!" Text, image and audio © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights… Continue reading

  • Two Great Instructors

    Throughout lifeI have been taughtin tandemby two great instructors–grief and amazement. These may be,in actuality,the only two teachersI'll ever haveor ever need. What have you learnedthat has not comethrough loss? What have you learnedthat has not comethrough wonder? Text and… Continue reading

  • The Widow

    And now she is a widow walking into the dim parlor,pausing between their worn chairs,watching rain run down the window,listening to the unfamiliar silence,picking up the book she'd been reading,touching the top of the bookmark,sliding open the pages,finding the paragraph… Continue reading

  • God Stopped By

    God stopped bywhile Adam was naming the animals. A black dog stepped forward:"Julian," said Adam. A long-haired cat:"Carla."  A brindled, full-uddered cow:"Samantha." God smiled and shook his head."No, Adam, that's not it.Give them generic names.Julian is a dog.Carla is a… Continue reading