meaning

  • The Convention

    Twenty-seven floors above Indianapolis:I stand at my hotel windowand soar, like a bird, over the river,    across which grinds a long train of empty coal cars,over a vacant, blue-seated baseball stadium,over anonymous autos crawling the Interstate,past other tall hotels where, possibly,… Continue reading

  • Ten-Thousand Poems

    Today, around the globe,ten-thousand poems shall be written,one, perhaps, by me.  Each begins with an ache,likely echoing another's ache–answering, enflaming, soothing… But most(this one?)may never be sent beyond these few, ruled lines,never find life beyond this page,lost to all but… Continue reading

  • When I Lost My Parents

    When I lost my parents(as in death, not in the grocery store)I questioned the purposeof their life's creative output:    my mother's needlework;    my father's woodworking;    my mothers hand-written, stained recipe cards;    my father's watercolor paintings of… Continue reading

  • Limits

    Last night I dreamt of flying,but could only do sowithin the confines of my living room. Even the green and yellow parakeet,within her cage,can fly. Even the iridescent blue betta,within his gallon tank,can swim. Even the cane-enabled old lady,within the… Continue reading

  • All Is Metaphor

    All is metaphor.God,the Divine,the Transcendent,Truth(however you choose to define and labelthat which is beyond us)surrounds us,ready to lead, guide, teach. All of life is metaphor if you'll open to it. See the way the puppy looksto its ownerwith frustration, immediacy, adoration?So… Continue reading

  • My Words

    The words I write(what you read in this moment)gestate for days–weeks–months–in some cases for decades,never spring from my writer's womb formed and ready to stand. I lick them clean.I nurse.I wean.  Then comes the day(for a few, but far from all)when… Continue reading

  • Why I Write

    I don't expect to be understood.I write because I must.I write because writing leads me to what lies beyond.I write to survive.Writing connects me with what is holy, eternal and true. How do you connect with what is holy, eternal… Continue reading

  • Did You Awaken Last Night?

    Did you awaken last nightwondering where you fit?how you will continue?what is the point? So did I. And with us,so did the Beloved. Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.   Continue reading

  • Little Words

    Little words, most effective.Simplest truth, the one enacted.The occasional voice, most clearly heard.Purest heart, most impacted. Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.   Continue reading

  • When Reading Sacred Stories

    We in the West(as in Europe and North America),when reading sacred stories(from our traditionand those of others),tend to ask,"Did this really happen?" A more helpful response?"It's happening now." Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.   Continue reading