The 60-Second Sabbath

heart

  • 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

  • Abandoned Heart

    The heart I abandonedwaits where I left it.It knows its painand understands that I was unequippedto handle a troubled heartand therefore had to leave. But I cannot livewithout my heart;incomplete,I live unconsciously.I go back;I shall find and comfort by heartand… Continue reading

  • The Box

    He built a small, glass cube,each side 8" x 8",and neatly sealed the edgeswith clear siliconecarefully squeezedfrom a white tube. So the top could serve as a lid,he searched onlineuntil he foundsimple, sterling-silver hingesand a matching sterling latchwith a sterling… Continue reading

  • Native Tongue

    English is my second language. Poetry is my first. Do you want to understand me?Do you want to be understood?Engage me with symbol and simile,metaphor and ritual,evocation and allusion,the resonant, resounding play of syllables,the engaging, enriching arc of imagery. This… Continue reading

  • Slots

    I walk through the casinoto get to the pool.Slot machinesin a taped-off area,have been opened uplike patients undergoing heart surgery,their dark, mechanical innards exposed–lights off,sounds silenced,hearts excised. Not playmates.Not friends.Simply gutless machinesprogrammed to fool  youinto giving them your money. I… Continue reading

  • Fill in the Blanks

    blank page    blank heart a page of possibilities    a heart of possibilities with what will you fill yours?  Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.   Continue reading

  • Wisdom

    Solomon, Buddha, Muhammad, Christ–we look to you for sound advice.And what recommendation are you quick to give?"From each heart alone, one learns to live." Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading

  • Screen Door

    From where I sit at the worn oak tablein the center of the kitchenat the heart of the house,I see the sunset–orange, gold, red, yellow–perfectly framed in the warped screen doorleading to the back porch,where the railing leans outward,and the… Continue reading

  • Belonging

    I want the one I loveto find his place,his happiness,his passion. I know he has found his home,as I have found mine,here where our hearts rest together. But like us all,he yearns to be neededby the world beyond. We are… Continue reading

  • To Die of Tenderness

    Is it possibleto die of tenderness? At times my heart so fillswith unexpected kindnessthat I fear it may burst. So many poets–with frightening beauty–bring to vivid lifethe inevitability of death. And then, in a second's time,I witness such delicate sweetness:one… Continue reading