tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19352322323085030862024-03-05T03:35:28.907-08:00the goddess projectJoan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-6637697855725947372010-08-23T18:58:00.000-07:002010-08-23T19:00:04.221-07:00goddess #52<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKXjuBKDN5f2PbW_t3qkPDddA2Pc3Hink9g7xgLn2hjpTjxQyXoTGhKZwvrU3TKEtRSe1ekw-w9SVgr1h6y29TFB-pg2V3NJM5S9EUpddXpJMfLjZTuW3ZxhEYPx4AoCp2lpRYB-_BdCM/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKXjuBKDN5f2PbW_t3qkPDddA2Pc3Hink9g7xgLn2hjpTjxQyXoTGhKZwvrU3TKEtRSe1ekw-w9SVgr1h6y29TFB-pg2V3NJM5S9EUpddXpJMfLjZTuW3ZxhEYPx4AoCp2lpRYB-_BdCM/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YeSOK6tn6wKX7YmQhh7FV-28TuknxXCJ8rC4s1HG9YTlmwDjAy1lQZjMTodMAhqoR9DOcwRjRTK93Wg9ciJGwiIiMwVdgACMM0pE8AGAHSplEp_pPlzrBtuw3zDhtBqvnfCw7mbC1Zc0/s1600/waves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YeSOK6tn6wKX7YmQhh7FV-28TuknxXCJ8rC4s1HG9YTlmwDjAy1lQZjMTodMAhqoR9DOcwRjRTK93Wg9ciJGwiIiMwVdgACMM0pE8AGAHSplEp_pPlzrBtuw3zDhtBqvnfCw7mbC1Zc0/s320/waves.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">no sunbathers here today</div><div style="text-align: center;">only rain and surf</div><div style="text-align: center;">washing the ancient rocks that line the shore.</div><div style="text-align: center;">fifty-two weeks ago</div><div style="text-align: center;">on a bright sunny day<br />
the first goddess found her place </div><div style="text-align: center;">way down the other end of the beach.</div><div style="text-align: center;">today her sister sits in the rain.</div><div style="text-align: center;">same beach, only different</div><div style="text-align: center;">same ocean, only different</div><div style="text-align: center;">same goddess, only different</div><div style="text-align: center;">same me, only different.</div><div style="text-align: center;">the goddesses, the weeks, the places</div><div style="text-align: center;">dissolve into one another</div><div style="text-align: center;">like this goddess</div><div style="text-align: center;">dissolving into the wet greyness</div><div style="text-align: center;">of rocks and sea and sky.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-35310108013298044382010-08-16T19:23:00.000-07:002010-08-16T19:23:16.918-07:00goddess #51<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtZWeh3oM50DJq-4JWGsX-Y9vJkN_RmC1ynwkVX3dJ7jjn1D3vCqlFxHPXHmAwf7iDeiiG7piLotfRb1kqwmAVdIKTZGzDxQfz39NVADzggB2hV6NAwdkBLWvHCMVJEuIxPkio8ZwwoqP/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtZWeh3oM50DJq-4JWGsX-Y9vJkN_RmC1ynwkVX3dJ7jjn1D3vCqlFxHPXHmAwf7iDeiiG7piLotfRb1kqwmAVdIKTZGzDxQfz39NVADzggB2hV6NAwdkBLWvHCMVJEuIxPkio8ZwwoqP/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">rain threatens today</div><div style="text-align: center;">not the devastating floods drowning pakistan,</div><div style="text-align: center;">nor the downpours succeeding drought and fire in russia,</div><div style="text-align: center;">nor any of the other numberless disasters across the globe.</div><div style="text-align: center;">just a polite new england rain</div><div style="text-align: center;">washing clean the puddingstone,</div><div style="text-align: center;">falling on the plastic bags, food wrappers, and assorted debris </div><div style="text-align: center;">scattered by the weather front known as homo sapiens.</div><div style="text-align: center;">in a thousand years</div><div style="text-align: center;">will we still be here?</div><div style="text-align: center;">casting about our stuff?</div><div style="text-align: center;">seeing only ourselves?</div><div style="text-align: center;">or will have learned to breathe with the body of the earth?</div><div style="text-align: center;">to see with the eyes of all beings?<br />
in a thousand years will we finally understand with the mind of all that is?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxTMIYkBhszkE6TWCKANqqANs8xJ_irb7ZJ2Mxtm-fYAEnY1cuPwzcD8VB4p5a7k1sxttRjzHZSC6fVAXDsh8smt6WXZ9NjXCkOX7hR1m9JhUxCE3pqivWGD3y_ck2d40vZva3HEFRvBq/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxTMIYkBhszkE6TWCKANqqANs8xJ_irb7ZJ2Mxtm-fYAEnY1cuPwzcD8VB4p5a7k1sxttRjzHZSC6fVAXDsh8smt6WXZ9NjXCkOX7hR1m9JhUxCE3pqivWGD3y_ck2d40vZva3HEFRvBq/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-21472422051409258242010-08-10T06:25:00.000-07:002010-08-10T06:25:08.539-07:00goddess #50<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17WrPdyb_HQjxqeoQRtKPeSRyVSN035c5HADvUZLdqwL8t73Bt_dCAS9gj7M6W6KwdYPAm7Z2L4vaABs7BnR4vsnDvRsjo660YxjtElIlDXUsAKOmzFLVEWJw5gPGTxZ7XkTrYF08Ac_6/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17WrPdyb_HQjxqeoQRtKPeSRyVSN035c5HADvUZLdqwL8t73Bt_dCAS9gj7M6W6KwdYPAm7Z2L4vaABs7BnR4vsnDvRsjo660YxjtElIlDXUsAKOmzFLVEWJw5gPGTxZ7XkTrYF08Ac_6/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">business is booming here at the dunkin' </div><div style="text-align: center;">in the state of "live free or die".</div><div style="text-align: center;">but i'm drawn past the edge where the mowing ends </div><div style="text-align: center;">and the weeds grow high,</div><div style="text-align: center;">thinking that "live free and die" is perhaps more apt,</div><div style="text-align: center;">since the "dying" part is really not optional,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and the "living free" part is easier said than done.</div><div style="text-align: center;">and i think of janice singing 'bout how </div><div style="text-align: center;">"freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."</div><div style="text-align: center;">and i think perhaps she's right -</div><div style="text-align: center;">how slowly divesting, </div><div style="text-align: center;">letting go of things -</div><div style="text-align: center;">of ideas</div><div style="text-align: center;">of what's right and wrong</div><div style="text-align: center;">important</div><div style="text-align: center;">necessary</div><div style="text-align: center;">essential</div><div style="text-align: center;">safe or dangerous -</div><div style="text-align: center;">makes it just a little easier </div><div style="text-align: center;">to walk past the edge</div><div style="text-align: center;">and sit among wild blackberries</div><div style="text-align: center;">listen to cicadas</div><div style="text-align: center;">and enjoy the goldenrod brilliant against the summer sky.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2SVOQzhifXWMjEhs1XchHcK9KWNOUEf1vk-XGhgLagkm2zzIp6XuXHSTZbA0gq7daaavSYDI_U7CV_FqAjU-h2OcZgzYtP3UnXBsAL8tSxTWk6m3bAgM0jAlwUk9pJ36cA4-r9jsUKM9/s1600/goldenrod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2SVOQzhifXWMjEhs1XchHcK9KWNOUEf1vk-XGhgLagkm2zzIp6XuXHSTZbA0gq7daaavSYDI_U7CV_FqAjU-h2OcZgzYtP3UnXBsAL8tSxTWk6m3bAgM0jAlwUk9pJ36cA4-r9jsUKM9/s320/goldenrod.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02f7F-n0FAEGA8QAlpTX6XDY-7Rjg8cvwd3eBixJdAoxLT5dm2ISZivDA6zQpzLmMO5B2dp4BoB6jBdN8fi8mCtE8Ag3o-GHTGMz7ZCv1yM1YasZy4Ll9kdI9pzCc_0qjx49xLHdQTgFZ/s1600/mid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02f7F-n0FAEGA8QAlpTX6XDY-7Rjg8cvwd3eBixJdAoxLT5dm2ISZivDA6zQpzLmMO5B2dp4BoB6jBdN8fi8mCtE8Ag3o-GHTGMz7ZCv1yM1YasZy4Ll9kdI9pzCc_0qjx49xLHdQTgFZ/s320/mid.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-21580274777758076862010-08-03T06:51:00.000-07:002010-08-03T06:51:37.833-07:00goddess #49<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TnjYOBFnYHdU7HgaTEWKeJiZ67QnIIq68jnuHqDpO_jsuGOUm_OHVXlRvukQMd7yfzQkbL5oN2kikge5PopaELpYw9sX0UwHDhgUVXhI4z9XNph0BaCiTmE_2dZUrKhEQNzYhrPUrByr/s1600/mid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TnjYOBFnYHdU7HgaTEWKeJiZ67QnIIq68jnuHqDpO_jsuGOUm_OHVXlRvukQMd7yfzQkbL5oN2kikge5PopaELpYw9sX0UwHDhgUVXhI4z9XNph0BaCiTmE_2dZUrKhEQNzYhrPUrByr/s320/mid.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">some urban artist assembled sheet metal</div><div style="text-align: center;">carving out ciphers on this hillside,</div><div style="text-align: center;">then erected sentinels to watch over the weeds as they grew,</div><div style="text-align: center;">softening the edges of the steel-framed beds.</div><div style="text-align: center;">i imagine squashes growing here,</div><div style="text-align: center;">their golden blossoms bright among eggplants, tomatoes, cukes and kale,</div><div style="text-align: center;">nourishing this neighborhood on the other side of the tracks.</div><div style="text-align: center;">i see pumpkins ripening in the sun, </div><div style="text-align: center;">peas and beans adorning the chain link fence,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and a woman, young and vibrant, who perished nearby - </div><div style="text-align: center;">wiped out as she pedaled home some years ago.</div><div style="text-align: center;">she would have smiled to see a garden growing.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-75251475046512249712010-07-26T18:49:00.000-07:002010-07-26T18:49:57.431-07:00goddess #48<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhgNnzhT2-YAvPneePNO4MGQdWbRraq5d_iDq89MxcjmzVAmPqMlR48OQFnYuqlWm6udwh_cIvVvSc7u_njqjAxq3U-L-MJML0b41dYNiSFck5ga_peA183zdaWBsvx2kgABRcLUCcnwS/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhgNnzhT2-YAvPneePNO4MGQdWbRraq5d_iDq89MxcjmzVAmPqMlR48OQFnYuqlWm6udwh_cIvVvSc7u_njqjAxq3U-L-MJML0b41dYNiSFck5ga_peA183zdaWBsvx2kgABRcLUCcnwS/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35wLzzCzkASkVOQLz3iLLrBCm2nbfREgMZZVVG_-6LIF1PyIwotdGBxCA7NvvFwXy7U4fmqE1tJ6JaItQCZXbrJY2xBggBvhj4tWLDAmbum6j-18a7kaXEsETVLABp6Obv93s_BPkf1P_/s1600/fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35wLzzCzkASkVOQLz3iLLrBCm2nbfREgMZZVVG_-6LIF1PyIwotdGBxCA7NvvFwXy7U4fmqE1tJ6JaItQCZXbrJY2xBggBvhj4tWLDAmbum6j-18a7kaXEsETVLABp6Obv93s_BPkf1P_/s320/fence.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">sisters - separated by endless loops of razor wire that sparkle in the sun</div><div style="text-align: center;">me - free to come and go, to make the countless small decisions that determine my life</div><div style="text-align: center;">you - confined by endless rules and the barked commands of crackley loud speakers,</div><div style="text-align: center;">indecipherable to me, but understood by you, the result of long practice and necessity.</div><div style="text-align: center;">and yet, we are the same.</div><div style="text-align: center;">it could have been me on your side of the wire if causes and conditions had been different.</div><div style="text-align: center;">it could have been you on this side.</div><div style="text-align: center;">and so we breathe slowly, in and out</div><div style="text-align: center;">sense our bodies sitting here, alive in this very moment</div><div style="text-align: center;">and learn to be free and to know that we are one.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-83829914420950869952010-07-19T18:45:00.000-07:002010-07-19T18:46:26.389-07:00goddess #47<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBnfnJsrxL2NQR46e_4uLo1j6k_dn_agr8DsLFDVdID_lYzfQ-r828mQxP-PXGcooy7mCYZMEdruGC3cZueJzXwTpnKGrp7cT4-J6FrhlrscT9uTc9kPOkBxckjpLqjNC4IQviLutJpQF/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBnfnJsrxL2NQR46e_4uLo1j6k_dn_agr8DsLFDVdID_lYzfQ-r828mQxP-PXGcooy7mCYZMEdruGC3cZueJzXwTpnKGrp7cT4-J6FrhlrscT9uTc9kPOkBxckjpLqjNC4IQviLutJpQF/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">a beaver dam dressed in green - </div><div style="text-align: center;">strawberries, blueberries, moss, and ferns.</div><div style="text-align: center;">the lake three feet above where i stand with an eerie sense</div><div style="text-align: center;">of the built and the unbuilt.</div><div style="text-align: center;">earlier mineral hard land gave way to delicate new ferns, then rich forest humus . . </div><div style="text-align: center;">then opened to this vista of water, lilies, and trees.</div><div style="text-align: center;">i am touched by tiny winged beings </div><div style="text-align: center;">and remember how many of them there are compared to us -</div><div style="text-align: center;">some incredible number of times our biomass-</div><div style="text-align: center;">and i can only stop<br />
and breathe it all in</div><div style="text-align: center;">as an inchworm makes her way across my page.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqiYO7gnpUhl7BJABNniDLUgreBulmve_bfL69xeCcqAvCX2TQq3cwrIgcxkNdgAYJnKWEub0BQBjeSgPZm0goCeafClJ5XmOhRtGLjec2ioV_4aZUTYteur__HdE6apovwtKLpARatgk/s1600/lilies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqiYO7gnpUhl7BJABNniDLUgreBulmve_bfL69xeCcqAvCX2TQq3cwrIgcxkNdgAYJnKWEub0BQBjeSgPZm0goCeafClJ5XmOhRtGLjec2ioV_4aZUTYteur__HdE6apovwtKLpARatgk/s320/lilies.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRBsTWahUv0zz3_33v9AWBtAojUdCoKjC6St7JCuS0L6pnZKoSaBR3BZeTttHyp82zS85C6EAAVBl6-cKiN_f9INBJaZGh2HwD50L36VZqHKklV2YEJMvLKF1U-3xlyDvJl1SNXpj_qA/s1600/vwide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRBsTWahUv0zz3_33v9AWBtAojUdCoKjC6St7JCuS0L6pnZKoSaBR3BZeTttHyp82zS85C6EAAVBl6-cKiN_f9INBJaZGh2HwD50L36VZqHKklV2YEJMvLKF1U-3xlyDvJl1SNXpj_qA/s320/vwide.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-28849985223921425222010-07-12T20:01:00.000-07:002010-07-12T20:01:20.370-07:00goddess #46<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNHO3XN7WBrqjF6e78BQz-37RLxfYtqgbjNg53tDkLQ03PpNE2FtW62GsQUJ65g3FSVwdLZcQ4vgbQbCiYj_9E4L2o4Omv8KfwcnZv9NeSE4PUGtNhNzkO40GLf2DwZ7n_BJSco5VKPsA/s1600/leaning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNHO3XN7WBrqjF6e78BQz-37RLxfYtqgbjNg53tDkLQ03PpNE2FtW62GsQUJ65g3FSVwdLZcQ4vgbQbCiYj_9E4L2o4Omv8KfwcnZv9NeSE4PUGtNhNzkO40GLf2DwZ7n_BJSco5VKPsA/s320/leaning.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">a pause</div><div style="text-align: center;">in this day that cycles between downpour and brilliance</div><div style="text-align: center;">the kind of day where there might be a rainbow</div><div style="text-align: center;">but isn't</div><div style="text-align: center;">only the wet lushness of green moss</div><div style="text-align: center;">mist rising from the earth</div><div style="text-align: center;">and a thousand other shades of green</div><div style="text-align: center;">gladdened by the arrival of sudden storms.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_re4sLddtfV9DKwWgi08eTdLCtrg7Et9s4H1VEd5GwK3PuMOS3tEYFEjMZfYjlad0DH-6WQGuCbV26KRhP3q8osWCYSP_q5UQivr7UB43DAQPF0iNODg1HaslsdS0eznIc4Rz0rGOxB27/s1600/mid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_re4sLddtfV9DKwWgi08eTdLCtrg7Et9s4H1VEd5GwK3PuMOS3tEYFEjMZfYjlad0DH-6WQGuCbV26KRhP3q8osWCYSP_q5UQivr7UB43DAQPF0iNODg1HaslsdS0eznIc4Rz0rGOxB27/s320/mid.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-86033177274335979482010-07-05T13:32:00.000-07:002010-07-05T13:32:47.262-07:00goddess #45<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_Q2-rdgb1sFZvsH-ktXiOQwdTz4AKYynNd8Bncj-FsNPXWbqmzBlmdvzwHby3mLaKUjUKuUw3BL_pDK62uXyDPo9sEhV2qIeuijDy3fwRfoqPLWciICfBbKvVIAE4o8weSDJUng-DDFP/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_Q2-rdgb1sFZvsH-ktXiOQwdTz4AKYynNd8Bncj-FsNPXWbqmzBlmdvzwHby3mLaKUjUKuUw3BL_pDK62uXyDPo9sEhV2qIeuijDy3fwRfoqPLWciICfBbKvVIAE4o8weSDJUng-DDFP/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">geese inhabit the parking lot this morning</div><div style="text-align: center;">"school's out for summer"</div><div style="text-align: center;">or at least the day after the 4th of july.</div><div style="text-align: center;">here at the edge of the marsh</div><div style="text-align: center;">i celebrate interdependence . . . </div><div style="text-align: center;">bird calls reverberate in my heart,</div><div style="text-align: center;">sun warms my skin,</div><div style="text-align: center;">i breathe in as all around me exhales . . . </div><div style="text-align: center;">a dragonfly flashes a brilliant wing as it lights</div><div style="text-align: center;">and small creatures everywhere go about their business</div><div style="text-align: center;">of keeping life going.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikahLUJsUbagHP9u3M8ITXK0iSo9Rn59FWKZIHC3ld2R4Xr-pvs3GnAmoz6XSJimhE2XnjlGXZTVqhqZbPmzs4j2bRfLhwVcTrhvsb8RXs-6aVwFGCCIgGhelJ0ARxC3AXNyY6ZXOeU_Dc/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikahLUJsUbagHP9u3M8ITXK0iSo9Rn59FWKZIHC3ld2R4Xr-pvs3GnAmoz6XSJimhE2XnjlGXZTVqhqZbPmzs4j2bRfLhwVcTrhvsb8RXs-6aVwFGCCIgGhelJ0ARxC3AXNyY6ZXOeU_Dc/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-5952126946823534062010-06-28T15:07:00.000-07:002010-06-28T15:07:30.636-07:00goddess #44<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFFZoUc-FyQwrtp2t0htGYwU1rapOjsyaYiNLvJX6LmozkB1vCnNkkjjeK8YoJo83pnNu0QEBLFk5bg8jwBIsiSez80kObj7FSNzSi3bfH16ab2eFr75F3og-2ByLqAfoQWl74Spvmfxc/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFFZoUc-FyQwrtp2t0htGYwU1rapOjsyaYiNLvJX6LmozkB1vCnNkkjjeK8YoJo83pnNu0QEBLFk5bg8jwBIsiSez80kObj7FSNzSi3bfH16ab2eFr75F3og-2ByLqAfoQWl74Spvmfxc/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">it's peaceful here at world's end</div><div style="text-align: center;">despite images of ships sailing over the edge into terra incognita</div><div style="text-align: center;">despite the echo of Eliot's "not with a bang but a whimper"</div><div style="text-align: center;">and the sudden vision of black, thick, gooey water snuffing out life.</div><div style="text-align: center;">an ancient oak patiently engulfs a stoney outcrop,</div><div style="text-align: center;">cries of children and running feet break the silence and fade away,</div><div style="text-align: center;">a myriad of tiny creature deconstruct a fallen branch, returning it to the earth.</div><div style="text-align: center;">all this is true</div><div style="text-align: center;">here at the end of the world</div><div style="text-align: center;">all this, and everything else in this moment -- in every moment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai23IGaCiIb3ZcxDSQQ3RDMpZpLdFIMYIDCvxn0ZAT0oAeoSdKf3qC34Cjj_18dGZgpmJKUcRMYBXg-XXgRDNZ24R3QfeI-8zDKRdBRQH0ZBUET3zLraTvWsGvquXJzuWA7EDub-nCswd/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai23IGaCiIb3ZcxDSQQ3RDMpZpLdFIMYIDCvxn0ZAT0oAeoSdKf3qC34Cjj_18dGZgpmJKUcRMYBXg-XXgRDNZ24R3QfeI-8zDKRdBRQH0ZBUET3zLraTvWsGvquXJzuWA7EDub-nCswd/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gTQCveghMjnTZQ_1pSpaU0VEtVIZfP516f_g2xXcLlk6FaBZYenTzwKMzwjsW4HaIHCQZv4Rd-MYeSrtYUnKuMYUcvHRdBxIuKLaLeGikbG1uDggsCxEzNzL9BxMJKhF-2DR2oL28TnM/s1600/connect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gTQCveghMjnTZQ_1pSpaU0VEtVIZfP516f_g2xXcLlk6FaBZYenTzwKMzwjsW4HaIHCQZv4Rd-MYeSrtYUnKuMYUcvHRdBxIuKLaLeGikbG1uDggsCxEzNzL9BxMJKhF-2DR2oL28TnM/s320/connect.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-66827593635941630092010-06-21T20:08:00.000-07:002010-06-21T20:08:21.038-07:00goddess #43<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a_RMgJcV7b70oGAIwEzrEWJX4lllVgpRY6THrr1fuzc8YmI4ofGACliDGBTe1LmeHRbXg-BtO0_yQ2WXxFsJWOt7MIYDE2Q5u5gJqyvj1E_4szz6H6Kx2G8P9v24uZr-YQet8Qr2VRee/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9a_RMgJcV7b70oGAIwEzrEWJX4lllVgpRY6THrr1fuzc8YmI4ofGACliDGBTe1LmeHRbXg-BtO0_yQ2WXxFsJWOt7MIYDE2Q5u5gJqyvj1E_4szz6H6Kx2G8P9v24uZr-YQet8Qr2VRee/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">another goddess lived near here</div><div style="text-align: center;">before the winter</div><div style="text-align: center;">before the rains and the ice and the snow</div><div style="text-align: center;">watching as the leaves turned brilliant, then fell</div><div style="text-align: center;">watching as branches became ink strokes brushed across cold winter sky,</div><div style="text-align: center;">watching as they softened into red, then green then burst into leaf.</div><div style="text-align: center;">and now, as spring turns into summer</div><div style="text-align: center;">she is gone</div><div style="text-align: center;">disappeared without a trace</div><div style="text-align: center;">only memories remain</div><div style="text-align: center;">and the sound of the water </div><div style="text-align: center;">and birds conversing in the trees.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may we cherish what is and know it is forever transforming.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNCrElGbV2SxBU0vHh33uJzdvUU0BKPLwJC3rDqLiYoFqG72IW7OTRsiV_BxH5fUPyL0h5Dlq8UlObmBMf9CNTE5Wh3LfJMfOtVlMRxeUchQkiJ7oBLkHgw_CMzLNyT15zlxQGyJ0iaYi/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNCrElGbV2SxBU0vHh33uJzdvUU0BKPLwJC3rDqLiYoFqG72IW7OTRsiV_BxH5fUPyL0h5Dlq8UlObmBMf9CNTE5Wh3LfJMfOtVlMRxeUchQkiJ7oBLkHgw_CMzLNyT15zlxQGyJ0iaYi/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-25395623637202222602010-06-15T06:42:00.000-07:002010-06-15T06:43:32.317-07:00goddess #42<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesKefusL1g-cr1DMWYf_4MjXlbIAnWUe1Yq1nNOR32D7esxnwBZZ6Oy1u6Zuk6M4Md_IWyI4yI4zK2aaw8SqFO2MENEEWNxof1V8YT48JsQcguXP_O4hIXnCqd4Yhgty5feFyqwR_dIOu/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesKefusL1g-cr1DMWYf_4MjXlbIAnWUe1Yq1nNOR32D7esxnwBZZ6Oy1u6Zuk6M4Md_IWyI4yI4zK2aaw8SqFO2MENEEWNxof1V8YT48JsQcguXP_O4hIXnCqd4Yhgty5feFyqwR_dIOu/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">my path today</div><div style="text-align: center;">took me along one i walked quite often</div><div style="text-align: center;">some twenty years ago</div><div style="text-align: center;">in a different body</div><div style="text-align: center;">less saggy and wrinkled . . . </div><div style="text-align: center;">but still i delight in the call of a robin</div><div style="text-align: center;">and the soft curve of a chipmunk disappearing under a log,</div><div style="text-align: center;">in ducks and ducklings gliding past yellow pond lillies.</div><div style="text-align: center;">alive with sound there is silence,</div><div style="text-align: center;">amidst constant movement, stillness</div><div style="text-align: center;">in this green leafy refuge.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">may we all know we are gloriously alive in each and every moment </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTYspqm6bGYDhui2Zg5-YMv1CWIHhi1vT4FXCKsUJUYKV_1s0xtibPUUJcVsQT5jspLPqulBwElftlaRAQG1Oh-F_DSa4jz5ax2GIKaYKxDzXHHZcmyerq6ohjZU7LYgn49nC_D74q_EY/s1600/closer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTYspqm6bGYDhui2Zg5-YMv1CWIHhi1vT4FXCKsUJUYKV_1s0xtibPUUJcVsQT5jspLPqulBwElftlaRAQG1Oh-F_DSa4jz5ax2GIKaYKxDzXHHZcmyerq6ohjZU7LYgn49nC_D74q_EY/s320/closer.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilreLz4IILLkJSoSfqIG2KoiRJFjup9IXDnUFOlSsdLkxBGhs7YaVzCW025j-ryQgXzBzjYfdGovzn36ELozxeUogwGog8KVHZvvf_M6JursbF4bN7eIvdKZkTYhops0ux8iimaAzOwpDe/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilreLz4IILLkJSoSfqIG2KoiRJFjup9IXDnUFOlSsdLkxBGhs7YaVzCW025j-ryQgXzBzjYfdGovzn36ELozxeUogwGog8KVHZvvf_M6JursbF4bN7eIvdKZkTYhops0ux8iimaAzOwpDe/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-79960673728423439412010-06-07T17:34:00.000-07:002010-06-07T17:35:28.869-07:00goddess #41<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2xmTOseA1jhPEXftoaZN8PwaipWy9Wg36Jm5_OxZU6SUFeH1G13Zzabooeu0xiBJK6zZy1UYWAzUGs4aTOvLFh_nmaO1OgwxSVXNCi1jaj-PLoQfLdb8ivWU0mIs0hfuD5hvHbk5Z3jY/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2xmTOseA1jhPEXftoaZN8PwaipWy9Wg36Jm5_OxZU6SUFeH1G13Zzabooeu0xiBJK6zZy1UYWAzUGs4aTOvLFh_nmaO1OgwxSVXNCi1jaj-PLoQfLdb8ivWU0mIs0hfuD5hvHbk5Z3jY/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">within sight of two windmills</div><div style="text-align: center;">birds sing</div><div style="text-align: center;">crickets chirp</div><div style="text-align: center;">and geese swim in stately rows.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">no gobs of oil lurk in these glistening waters.</div><div style="text-align: center;">yet all the seas are one sea</div><div style="text-align: center;">and just last week the smoke of fires hundreds of miles north dimmed our skies.</div><div style="text-align: center;">oh, what will we do with our one precious world.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(with thanks to Mary Oliver)</i></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx20VIccGntR5fFTTYL2dPsSrW1k1A0fye8844iR0oYvsiIfxc3hwtgXSYvv48SXCumWXWPiYp0VdlLOCE1IBxA_T7deG0hJVaIgr6rVxLWMFDT6YGqyDleGUU0AGOm-_xkdBNJ9G8Xg8X/s1600/onrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx20VIccGntR5fFTTYL2dPsSrW1k1A0fye8844iR0oYvsiIfxc3hwtgXSYvv48SXCumWXWPiYp0VdlLOCE1IBxA_T7deG0hJVaIgr6rVxLWMFDT6YGqyDleGUU0AGOm-_xkdBNJ9G8Xg8X/s320/onrock.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may we know that the earth is our body, the waters our blood, and the air our very life.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwP7LERiGtkipzn4_QtandngPyVm9qCZOw_WIDXHhTthChQRv7fjgT95aLsqTO7PW0EhB52_BnRyxURQAc0pvXMi01Epy_lKryqNEeNaCaen6EMM8TwU-vw1KVJvfjQPlyZ2VmW-Zzb8cQ/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwP7LERiGtkipzn4_QtandngPyVm9qCZOw_WIDXHhTthChQRv7fjgT95aLsqTO7PW0EhB52_BnRyxURQAc0pvXMi01Epy_lKryqNEeNaCaen6EMM8TwU-vw1KVJvfjQPlyZ2VmW-Zzb8cQ/s320/back.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-82123785474930285892010-05-31T12:26:00.000-07:002010-05-31T12:27:40.764-07:00goddess #40<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPLA0lM-RKiZPKMOOGNf6mIoPbAgbn-JslNWmx54JacDrEhAGtXqBfS-xwEpM339Dxs3Mt13K1pOC8plfna1RcV7aqB79-ZmCPzB88qcvc08ZVyIK6MjP-rSCA0_j45mEkkZrkCrhS7ov/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPLA0lM-RKiZPKMOOGNf6mIoPbAgbn-JslNWmx54JacDrEhAGtXqBfS-xwEpM339Dxs3Mt13K1pOC8plfna1RcV7aqB79-ZmCPzB88qcvc08ZVyIK6MjP-rSCA0_j45mEkkZrkCrhS7ov/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">anger unleashed</div><div style="text-align: center;">lashes out to destroy.</div><div style="text-align: center;">malicious mischief</div><div style="text-align: center;">brings no peace.</div><div style="text-align: center;">not to the maker, nor to the marked</div><div style="text-align: center;">nor to those who walk by</div><div style="text-align: center;">wondering where the family has gone.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may we learn to care tenderly for our anger<br />
before we inflict harm on ourselves or on others. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAnvSrvxzyVj6PxhyQAeWmCZXI8UuQsN9__xFnVVxUUyS5A3evi6w72c6_Pit20nC8yt5MVroyHSbqp86b-RalXya8tmf4KWEhIgPCse9VpQBJDAS6io_Ge5HCw10C0GlAx1lrvZbJthl/s1600/removed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAnvSrvxzyVj6PxhyQAeWmCZXI8UuQsN9__xFnVVxUUyS5A3evi6w72c6_Pit20nC8yt5MVroyHSbqp86b-RalXya8tmf4KWEhIgPCse9VpQBJDAS6io_Ge5HCw10C0GlAx1lrvZbJthl/s320/removed.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7-3v3qArE5aKvXJYvXw_7-x_LB-SE2r0GixyYax8q0xKKICuOLQNSCvs075CjJBCUHjHkp1VJEQ0p3OY2sTNkCBmhNCBUrJyfc_YOxNioZ4mJYtB-XbjXSa0BYQUaa_kX7P55iRkcxLk/s1600/gone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7-3v3qArE5aKvXJYvXw_7-x_LB-SE2r0GixyYax8q0xKKICuOLQNSCvs075CjJBCUHjHkp1VJEQ0p3OY2sTNkCBmhNCBUrJyfc_YOxNioZ4mJYtB-XbjXSa0BYQUaa_kX7P55iRkcxLk/s320/gone.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-81356954032639234892010-05-24T09:40:00.000-07:002010-05-24T09:40:47.143-07:00goddess #39<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FcT3bVzIbK4nUn3OgfDUct7CSUqqATRAwoS9JNTftXpXmZ-UX1w9_ceDNAUCEyfU6vrVQAjcDHktEFEsEbwqeWNyF7uFmxVmDAUuWygtvOAXck6FB4bFTSf95ELYBaRj1XCvqbAniBJR/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FcT3bVzIbK4nUn3OgfDUct7CSUqqATRAwoS9JNTftXpXmZ-UX1w9_ceDNAUCEyfU6vrVQAjcDHktEFEsEbwqeWNyF7uFmxVmDAUuWygtvOAXck6FB4bFTSf95ELYBaRj1XCvqbAniBJR/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">monday morning, 8:23, new york city</div><div style="text-align: center;">how can there be so many people</div><div style="text-align: center;">toting brief cases</div><div style="text-align: center;">bags</div><div style="text-align: center;">cups of coffee</div><div style="text-align: center;">each intent</div><div style="text-align: center;">purposeful</div><div style="text-align: center;">on a mission</div><div style="text-align: center;">each keeping his or her earth in its proper orbit</div><div style="text-align: center;">as do i</div><div style="text-align: center;">sitting here</div><div style="text-align: center;">sipping coffee</div><div style="text-align: center;">watching.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may we all find more opportunities to let our worlds collide</div><div style="text-align: center;">and break away from our ideas of how things are.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7HUBQLe0uzyi2zmJLxhDZxysAUWNHViB9eZRsg4X6Lp_Dx62W9u3TRygqLBwVNdz9E5igVqXYMMkNq7kasq0EvEMYdCCEb_clsBATur80Dd-5vNbH85kHI5UT2OjUiH03kR7OB-L6-Ei/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7HUBQLe0uzyi2zmJLxhDZxysAUWNHViB9eZRsg4X6Lp_Dx62W9u3TRygqLBwVNdz9E5igVqXYMMkNq7kasq0EvEMYdCCEb_clsBATur80Dd-5vNbH85kHI5UT2OjUiH03kR7OB-L6-Ei/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-57550961800802092402010-05-17T12:26:00.000-07:002010-05-17T12:26:55.430-07:00goddess #38<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGI0jVJSDexA9zfldB5K8yKmphNFyTWCRoXc4vvtRBe_VNTCrgFk0OLjMCHD3UHIENuvGcxyy1ePowda7dnrqBIT2JXQA0H6fju94x29yGjuqwqDfIOk-OZikDYGrJ35o7SaBh1pVlpzxS/s1600/crown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGI0jVJSDexA9zfldB5K8yKmphNFyTWCRoXc4vvtRBe_VNTCrgFk0OLjMCHD3UHIENuvGcxyy1ePowda7dnrqBIT2JXQA0H6fju94x29yGjuqwqDfIOk-OZikDYGrJ35o7SaBh1pVlpzxS/s320/crown.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">out behind winn dixie</div><div style="text-align: center;">steps from the blacktop</div><div style="text-align: center;">wilderness lives.</div><div style="text-align: center;">palms, grapevines, and wild blackberry</div><div style="text-align: center;">prevail over the discarded debris of civilization,</div><div style="text-align: center;">reclaiming the land for us all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may we grow ever more thankful</div><div style="text-align: center;">for the nature of earth to renew herself,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and find ways to nurture renewal in ourselves</div><div style="text-align: center;">and in the world.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEike6GHG3_z3AX-ExoSOPoUlIjG7Ckr1ESNGaGZA1db6kzJIRGs_ZmcPQlQnIuUEP0iZ8EdR7x4uZxezhyfnpqlfA7cNTp2alxSEWoFzJAMDUVkumUwNABe8z10Fmd8nrk-0rZyaniXb73m/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEike6GHG3_z3AX-ExoSOPoUlIjG7Ckr1ESNGaGZA1db6kzJIRGs_ZmcPQlQnIuUEP0iZ8EdR7x4uZxezhyfnpqlfA7cNTp2alxSEWoFzJAMDUVkumUwNABe8z10Fmd8nrk-0rZyaniXb73m/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have always loved the boundaries of civilization, the narrow places where wildness and civilization collide . . . the weeds that sprout from the cracks in the sidewalk, the vacant lot vibrant with plant life and the cast-off things of city life . . . today a short teaching arrived in my inbox at around the same time I was finding a home for this goddess . . .it's called <a href="http://www.tricycle.com/insights_outtakes/3639-1.html?offer=dharma">"See the Wild in the Made"</a>.</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-49488229009179400772010-05-11T05:50:00.000-07:002010-05-11T05:50:00.537-07:00goddess #37<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLhyphenhyphenJnny2FbzC9TmLQplNek-6ainz1aqD4wbMabcNKwcz8Wza41QaOBCMSlSeITru5z8RiIYcHn8I1h5nOzI-Aeg-jEx73xNaIJlD2R7zaUMyJrPRPlhB8eR2kh8v8j-nbBrkxrSWi8sO/s1600/road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLhyphenhyphenJnny2FbzC9TmLQplNek-6ainz1aqD4wbMabcNKwcz8Wza41QaOBCMSlSeITru5z8RiIYcHn8I1h5nOzI-Aeg-jEx73xNaIJlD2R7zaUMyJrPRPlhB8eR2kh8v8j-nbBrkxrSWi8sO/s320/road.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">mysterious pathway</div><div style="text-align: center;">wide . . . grassy</div><div style="text-align: center;">bounded by stone walls carefully shaped and placed</div><div style="text-align: center;">here in this final jewel of the necklace.</div><div style="text-align: center;">a carriage road perhaps</div><div style="text-align: center;">from some earlier time</div><div style="text-align: center;">when people dressed and rode in carriages</div><div style="text-align: center;">to visit a museum of the natural world.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may we dwell in nature</div><div style="text-align: center;">know we are nature</div><div style="text-align: center;">and may our hearts delight </div><div style="text-align: center;">in the beauty of the world.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbDvnoYWvlRWJ_t43DMvv08V2mk80aVJ1UPH4Ja84hN81611KIeVvavnNg6PLuE2yWxZ93EQIy3rnDCNpwFZapEaIiBj-a_PEVCmuDQReh_jeqlCLCjjX35W9g3n263VBRnMCkpniWFLM/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbDvnoYWvlRWJ_t43DMvv08V2mk80aVJ1UPH4Ja84hN81611KIeVvavnNg6PLuE2yWxZ93EQIy3rnDCNpwFZapEaIiBj-a_PEVCmuDQReh_jeqlCLCjjX35W9g3n263VBRnMCkpniWFLM/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-65136038827350112272010-05-04T07:25:00.000-07:002010-05-04T07:25:12.630-07:00goddess #36<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHtP-Pxdii726LpgccX_g3GdYlO6hwFmA8hbHSQfzkRJiG0MroEPAV0NjP-yHkI6L8qeZoBAkHXdTW8YMn7gtoy3Y-tVUc0kJo9cu-F5diEyt-5kZK70K-DOHIqA97SSB9FtAaoH1fKbm/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHtP-Pxdii726LpgccX_g3GdYlO6hwFmA8hbHSQfzkRJiG0MroEPAV0NjP-yHkI6L8qeZoBAkHXdTW8YMn7gtoy3Y-tVUc0kJo9cu-F5diEyt-5kZK70K-DOHIqA97SSB9FtAaoH1fKbm/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">tall pine</div><div style="text-align: center;">mossy outcrop</div><div style="text-align: center;">sky bright to dark, just like that . . . </div><div style="text-align: center;">and now the eerie light</div><div style="text-align: center;">that signals the end of rain</div><div style="text-align: center;">or an immanent downpour.</div><div style="text-align: center;">what lies ahead?</div><div style="text-align: center;">impossible to say</div><div style="text-align: center;">just this perfect moment</div><div style="text-align: center;">teetering on the edge.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may we enjoy each moment giving way</div><div style="text-align: center;">to the uncertainty of the next.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww0W9kBaKHbfxqwRfW6XKfD82dZOZ45OGG2zVAdDraUi8IyiWTNLgY6dtmd-UITYS5fy0OUQAeTxHsWUkWJtTj_i-w0d7dEUcq6pqCmCZdwOYNkIVImgLqj__ZptiuscpVVsmOXmxCyUW/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww0W9kBaKHbfxqwRfW6XKfD82dZOZ45OGG2zVAdDraUi8IyiWTNLgY6dtmd-UITYS5fy0OUQAeTxHsWUkWJtTj_i-w0d7dEUcq6pqCmCZdwOYNkIVImgLqj__ZptiuscpVVsmOXmxCyUW/s320/wide.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRr376AszCsusFfKlo_yTVOa9UCpA1atO3YaWgMBv68ag0VX0ooOOheGEaznGuLTODXwL_ePwoFzwoaHvIc5wBol6J5g_tKmP43rjtt6iDiJbiFHC1uvioEzxA7BX0JkoPMObkY9RXzCCl/s1600/moss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRr376AszCsusFfKlo_yTVOa9UCpA1atO3YaWgMBv68ag0VX0ooOOheGEaznGuLTODXwL_ePwoFzwoaHvIc5wBol6J5g_tKmP43rjtt6iDiJbiFHC1uvioEzxA7BX0JkoPMObkY9RXzCCl/s320/moss.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-83391588019589261482010-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:002010-04-26T19:06:56.864-07:00goddess #35<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTy72HqabDAABM8syD1JH5Vop1qR8fn_EC-UpZF2O5FpupRXHSI8qSSL5kMqUce9F9BGIBI5WJUWw0ZQSWz8lPtVWLrYiPd4CFC4HkZY8PzafdrmTZnWkWk5XBYZ8b2XcB_l-HZGJiZpq/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTy72HqabDAABM8syD1JH5Vop1qR8fn_EC-UpZF2O5FpupRXHSI8qSSL5kMqUce9F9BGIBI5WJUWw0ZQSWz8lPtVWLrYiPd4CFC4HkZY8PzafdrmTZnWkWk5XBYZ8b2XcB_l-HZGJiZpq/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">here, amongst puddingstone boulders</div><div style="text-align: center;">bordering VFW parkway</div><div style="text-align: center;">i think of ben, soon off to afghanistan.</div><div style="text-align: center;">and tack, a man with twinkling eyes</div><div style="text-align: center;">and a smile that lit up the world</div><div style="text-align: center;">haunted 40 years later</div><div style="text-align: center;">by the things he saw in the jungles of vietnam.</div><div style="text-align: center;">and another</div><div style="text-align: center;">who i shared my life with for a few short weeks so many years ago,</div><div style="text-align: center;">who woke shaking in the night</div><div style="text-align: center;">from dreams of war.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">to all who go to war, willing or unwilling</div><div style="text-align: center;">may you be safe in body and mind.</div><div style="text-align: center;">may you neither kill nor be killed.</div><div style="text-align: center;">may you neither maim nor be maimed.</div><div style="text-align: center;">may you remember that those you fight are no different than you</div><div style="text-align: center;">that they, like you, want only for themselves and their loved ones</div><div style="text-align: center;">be safe, happy, and to be able to live peacefully on this earth.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y-lSFt9KVOJut4cbaS6I_3xkGyoiRy-wqjYd9wYZnS_lpFYiTR3nOEDSVKrOOvrnFFoCviHOI_T9jS3-_sPX5SeFKJ4JgNsvR4EAig4-jgWrX-TtbLkBIVXEaclX5wLuD5oDNLFx28yc/s1600/wider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y-lSFt9KVOJut4cbaS6I_3xkGyoiRy-wqjYd9wYZnS_lpFYiTR3nOEDSVKrOOvrnFFoCviHOI_T9jS3-_sPX5SeFKJ4JgNsvR4EAig4-jgWrX-TtbLkBIVXEaclX5wLuD5oDNLFx28yc/s320/wider.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-64281803005681600582010-04-20T06:08:00.000-07:002010-04-20T06:11:02.604-07:00goddess #34<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eVT2EukjiDBvJatsFi12TLsbsCrPlNQIZp5UO_itqMQZMQMcq5PXi8oTT3VhM9F37aoMWoIx69aehf29dZnhwoYlQpPqxrelTJW8lT7mzd3E7Ge9tH34WnOaaKINupYbmgilJ6u6UkW6/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eVT2EukjiDBvJatsFi12TLsbsCrPlNQIZp5UO_itqMQZMQMcq5PXi8oTT3VhM9F37aoMWoIx69aehf29dZnhwoYlQpPqxrelTJW8lT7mzd3E7Ge9tH34WnOaaKINupYbmgilJ6u6UkW6/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">jagged rocks,</div><div style="text-align: center;">barely worn over eons of time.</div><div style="text-align: center;">water moving past mossy bank,</div><div style="text-align: center;">swift, then slow, then swift again.</div><div style="text-align: center;">everything growing, falling, decaying, growing again.</div><div style="text-align: center;">everything noting the passage of time on its own scale.</div><div style="text-align: center;">rock, tree, human, mosquito -</div><div style="text-align: center;">life measured in an instant or an eon,</div><div style="text-align: center;">all precious, all impossibly brief,</div><div style="text-align: center;">all just enough.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGA3skc91-F0O27Qk8IOIKsYmdlGSAeH0uFYfFoxa4sdlNiltDe38FChU7bkzjmk7UwHCQ4d1mOTzt4_8eVpx3K7JgPiy4XopcqnuJJgZNmCq0lealFa8_lmsMrGcmOVmnJ-t4FeZcB8l/s1600/rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGA3skc91-F0O27Qk8IOIKsYmdlGSAeH0uFYfFoxa4sdlNiltDe38FChU7bkzjmk7UwHCQ4d1mOTzt4_8eVpx3K7JgPiy4XopcqnuJJgZNmCq0lealFa8_lmsMrGcmOVmnJ-t4FeZcB8l/s320/rocks.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H3hqQab93E2dJZjWe8oA50qhAqoYslK-AIeF2akfM2gtaMulfdPlAF2hu7t2dz6uExfynkDxOGoi4IwIQ36Y1WRP3zHE14wMBgo3EbvbU242NDVr_r42SN2k9heoK3tidIVP3J9aHZRo/s1600/water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7H3hqQab93E2dJZjWe8oA50qhAqoYslK-AIeF2akfM2gtaMulfdPlAF2hu7t2dz6uExfynkDxOGoi4IwIQ36Y1WRP3zHE14wMBgo3EbvbU242NDVr_r42SN2k9heoK3tidIVP3J9aHZRo/s320/water.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA-N1QT6I7HmPMWRq9jmY5OC4PmGS0ZvuFk8JEsG5sjdGHy2kZi3v8-WDIgcYyvp__IbcamR70ZpCgDLow6t50jsNpmX5IjVk9UDLLTCJILtbtfMlB1q-0zyCKuI3emuzuzCqvEb5eYER/s1600/flow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA-N1QT6I7HmPMWRq9jmY5OC4PmGS0ZvuFk8JEsG5sjdGHy2kZi3v8-WDIgcYyvp__IbcamR70ZpCgDLow6t50jsNpmX5IjVk9UDLLTCJILtbtfMlB1q-0zyCKuI3emuzuzCqvEb5eYER/s320/flow.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-59930180962594913152010-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:002010-04-12T19:38:01.579-07:00goddess #33<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZy0QF-tg32t3CaNjfr4Zj9VVfwPUhqJcncNMNejSKMiBe3KAtXgdIVDYi5R3kYlczqlnX4HrY7WJ89XWpUsKcz_lrwtqRkYd4zQ7j0fVAJPbd94RkY3-93EnjpuqrPdQUWc1VQ6wcBcHk/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZy0QF-tg32t3CaNjfr4Zj9VVfwPUhqJcncNMNejSKMiBe3KAtXgdIVDYi5R3kYlczqlnX4HrY7WJ89XWpUsKcz_lrwtqRkYd4zQ7j0fVAJPbd94RkY3-93EnjpuqrPdQUWc1VQ6wcBcHk/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">i've been dreaming</div><div style="text-align: center;">of things taken away</div><div style="text-align: center;">and been surprised at the </div><div style="text-align: center;">anger that has arisen </div><div style="text-align: center;">in this dreaming self.</div><div style="text-align: center;">this morning i seem to understand better</div><div style="text-align: center;">this Kwan Yin behind barbed wire.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Pouring compassion for all of us humans</div><div style="text-align: center;">who want to let go</div><div style="text-align: center;">and yet build fences.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"may all being be free of craving and the roots of craving"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GTSJHPviaIndeT2ujLJvAgogobQ-GAtGLXEcwXUghS9_ipMndWJbvMKSWDm9XufenggG1xwG0MiCvxRo43cshnfRkSyY9p98TkZwbZHIjJRgCPaqcSwEeVnjTlYWv73wWjxyPIFr37xV/s1600/kwanyin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GTSJHPviaIndeT2ujLJvAgogobQ-GAtGLXEcwXUghS9_ipMndWJbvMKSWDm9XufenggG1xwG0MiCvxRo43cshnfRkSyY9p98TkZwbZHIjJRgCPaqcSwEeVnjTlYWv73wWjxyPIFr37xV/s320/kwanyin.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-38497014422868940762010-04-05T19:30:00.000-07:002010-04-05T19:30:02.742-07:00goddess #32<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IWCe3bdOKBhjocHCkKujqX5Ht28nmwcrCg1Y7RvYCpAbeG9GYwK3yc0NTw2ReQqyReArkhM-aDtlEJVpEc1wgw6e03icvguCg3DmlDiMTGW03H9DBdjle3qgaMZBv4HGRsL7saBWm8fL/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IWCe3bdOKBhjocHCkKujqX5Ht28nmwcrCg1Y7RvYCpAbeG9GYwK3yc0NTw2ReQqyReArkhM-aDtlEJVpEc1wgw6e03icvguCg3DmlDiMTGW03H9DBdjle3qgaMZBv4HGRsL7saBWm8fL/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I walk the Fens</div><div style="text-align: center;">this gentle spring morning</div><div style="text-align: center;">pondering questions of art and power</div><div style="text-align: center;">. . . then sitting on the bank</div><div style="text-align: center;">trees greening and blooming</div><div style="text-align: center;">listening to a symphony of birds</div><div style="text-align: center;">questions dissolve . . .</div><div style="text-align: center;">and all that remains </div><div style="text-align: center;">are sunshine, song, and the touch of the breeze.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHT0A3_pGydf0mXMmqZu83QJE7wVbtcQl1nGgl8ExuGOqkG25g0RikRpzsVZZul8KzVwPjsnc-8XnbJCTOxnJTMG4U7yEaH3rLvpR6sMSrRYq_bP2J-M7N5EaseUPXK6AZz38uDHMTZ3T/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHT0A3_pGydf0mXMmqZu83QJE7wVbtcQl1nGgl8ExuGOqkG25g0RikRpzsVZZul8KzVwPjsnc-8XnbJCTOxnJTMG4U7yEaH3rLvpR6sMSrRYq_bP2J-M7N5EaseUPXK6AZz38uDHMTZ3T/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may all beings arrive in the present moment . . . </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-63284825330548644222010-03-30T07:49:00.000-07:002010-04-05T19:34:23.037-07:00goddess #31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsXOb2rkScBDudjH-l1X6yBHymV-5wyuoyEx1V-L6eP9E23kKTgqvRBNWBieYKXa0YOazr-Q5Bh1dYcZMfl90y2Vws7ckT3WQBPAtm88Um8HiAm7d7h8uPVWucivd32XEHKFKekIrO0qt/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsXOb2rkScBDudjH-l1X6yBHymV-5wyuoyEx1V-L6eP9E23kKTgqvRBNWBieYKXa0YOazr-Q5Bh1dYcZMfl90y2Vws7ckT3WQBPAtm88Um8HiAm7d7h8uPVWucivd32XEHKFKekIrO0qt/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">along alewife brook</div><div style="text-align: center;">water pours from sodden earth</div><div style="text-align: center;">at the pond </div><div style="text-align: center;">trees that normally edge the shore</div><div style="text-align: center;">stand two feet deep in water</div><div style="text-align: center;">. . . and still it rains.</div><div style="text-align: center;">climate change</div><div style="text-align: center;">fact not fiction</div><div style="text-align: center;">the question</div><div style="text-align: center;">not can we stop or reverse it</div><div style="text-align: center;">but can we slow it and adapt</div><div style="text-align: center;">and avoid arriving on our own endangered species list?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLY2gR5wJoIUJJdUVQpCJtf8eux716jo4OKTm2yC6nUuDJKaGzKiI4BaiSVF5NicCMz6EqCzqPDFSQd9jsNRejUwVgL7OVdueAPOIyNQssCnhPGLk7CfTumno_YvKL09Z1ytBQIqoO9OhW/s1600/wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLY2gR5wJoIUJJdUVQpCJtf8eux716jo4OKTm2yC6nUuDJKaGzKiI4BaiSVF5NicCMz6EqCzqPDFSQd9jsNRejUwVgL7OVdueAPOIyNQssCnhPGLk7CfTumno_YvKL09Z1ytBQIqoO9OhW/s320/wide.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KNP0vMlsxCDa_H8OD_oXLkvo09iHJxJaBlaLmoSKjL27GEeJBQQxYB_EjafP71-8DnXH7TmpOHBGx-d95Wy2F6Bz3W-PRflkAlyzauDwtN8VtdtAWaeDGbGcDaIsELTB54TfQsl5MGZQ/s1600/pond1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KNP0vMlsxCDa_H8OD_oXLkvo09iHJxJaBlaLmoSKjL27GEeJBQQxYB_EjafP71-8DnXH7TmpOHBGx-d95Wy2F6Bz3W-PRflkAlyzauDwtN8VtdtAWaeDGbGcDaIsELTB54TfQsl5MGZQ/s320/pond1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTKTjfcro7Ev2FRzl2AnqbWk_QmHrxaJfj3Kv8_mCR0LcFm5_BP7JEoeCdZTg3ru70XP_39Q9oKn1M5gU7KMLW6u60WvmnZZkiGwuyN_s-Q9VpGO0QMZO3oQ43G7pbqTQpd3DztLlsCLb/s1600/pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTKTjfcro7Ev2FRzl2AnqbWk_QmHrxaJfj3Kv8_mCR0LcFm5_BP7JEoeCdZTg3ru70XP_39Q9oKn1M5gU7KMLW6u60WvmnZZkiGwuyN_s-Q9VpGO0QMZO3oQ43G7pbqTQpd3DztLlsCLb/s320/pond.jpg" /></a></div><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-86237332037107086202010-03-22T19:54:00.000-07:002010-03-22T19:54:37.615-07:00goddess #30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj967RubNmodS8iMJE7id0v79iFpwgaNQRmxl2DTZPV-KEOYLo0ImR4ZsOymgz6IPWW4WJW1jgYK1weVE9UeLeKM2lQxa5lXfEMRxmKbu1HUW3lMvLKPdJEgf7IEMeGRHLOyJi5U6aUBvCi/s1600-h/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj967RubNmodS8iMJE7id0v79iFpwgaNQRmxl2DTZPV-KEOYLo0ImR4ZsOymgz6IPWW4WJW1jgYK1weVE9UeLeKM2lQxa5lXfEMRxmKbu1HUW3lMvLKPdJEgf7IEMeGRHLOyJi5U6aUBvCi/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">leaden skies</div><div style="text-align: center;">cold rain</div><div style="text-align: center;">sheltering under the bridge</div><div style="text-align: center;"> i remember Jim</div><div style="text-align: center;">awakening in his nest of blankets</div><div style="text-align: center;">as i pedaled past</div><div style="text-align: center;">sharing a wave and a smile</div><div style="text-align: center;">tentatively at first, later with ease.</div><div style="text-align: center;">until one day he was gone,</div><div style="text-align: center;">blankets, smiles, and all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5XIh3EwjhiTcFN4if9vMG2Uftx50wVXFckqKvpnqVNwG2J-2iKlDuhBmNtrhhTWQtI27hTf7XItqxQbnyEazopaLhAcBw0rakreMXtIsuprpuh7d9NqMDG2PHmKuIoRwUzJGam-w6tyo/s1600-h/overview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5XIh3EwjhiTcFN4if9vMG2Uftx50wVXFckqKvpnqVNwG2J-2iKlDuhBmNtrhhTWQtI27hTf7XItqxQbnyEazopaLhAcBw0rakreMXtIsuprpuh7d9NqMDG2PHmKuIoRwUzJGam-w6tyo/s320/overview.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">My bike path to work used to take me under a bridge across the muddy river. Most mornings Jim was there, just waking up as I passed. On fine days it seemed like the most beautiful place to live in Boston, but of course that was just me romanticizing -- i know that the reality of living without a home is harsher than I can even imagine. Jim and I slowly developed a routine of greeting over the course of a year or two, and then he was just gone. I think of him often and am grateful for our fleeting connection. Today I found this small tree, clinging to the stonework of the bridge -- another example of the tenacity of life.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszVD0IBeMrmJHUzegd_6psh3uPzZteXOHdwWJn795vXO5vpP-EQfLpLe1I2qcxNrZbjMPzSminS_BBmt6-x-5VYd-sRcasDAhCqUtUD13lFewMxJnC16jdWe9jDqiuUlZOk4e75AyGRFK/s1600-h/walltree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszVD0IBeMrmJHUzegd_6psh3uPzZteXOHdwWJn795vXO5vpP-EQfLpLe1I2qcxNrZbjMPzSminS_BBmt6-x-5VYd-sRcasDAhCqUtUD13lFewMxJnC16jdWe9jDqiuUlZOk4e75AyGRFK/s320/walltree.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-14752287200223771182010-03-16T04:35:00.000-07:002010-03-16T04:35:43.180-07:00goddess #29<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeANri3b8e-jO6WlbbbJFCYnuv6ECh-Q1tBLpRVC2qQqcQxLU41enxmnKpNFdAsTQcSP8lHF3kI4GU-d8RBkv5OgBKZf4GytZdBRaGQaSQwK3j5BB4FvnCu73d3klM2TKPGIEUtgnKWDqn/s1600-h/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeANri3b8e-jO6WlbbbJFCYnuv6ECh-Q1tBLpRVC2qQqcQxLU41enxmnKpNFdAsTQcSP8lHF3kI4GU-d8RBkv5OgBKZf4GytZdBRaGQaSQwK3j5BB4FvnCu73d3klM2TKPGIEUtgnKWDqn/s320/close.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">abandoned husks of war remain</div><div style="text-align: center;">on this point of land jutting into chesapeake bay</div><div style="text-align: center;">now a refuge for birds and butterflies</div><div style="text-align: center;">in need of rest on their journey</div><div style="text-align: center;">from north to south</div><div style="text-align: center;">and back again.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">may all beings find refuge.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHIEZui2AGMmOTbynSIERP7_2Yn-djP741JwacuOucLpGeIA_u2EDWi3rRaIasM4Hsr1efD9GnFaqKp9KoFSyVYpZh-VHh7h_fwCY0fLK4m2PTnwX7JQfOZJ4G1K18RLFfbxtMBqCpxQG/s1600-h/bunker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHIEZui2AGMmOTbynSIERP7_2Yn-djP741JwacuOucLpGeIA_u2EDWi3rRaIasM4Hsr1efD9GnFaqKp9KoFSyVYpZh-VHh7h_fwCY0fLK4m2PTnwX7JQfOZJ4G1K18RLFfbxtMBqCpxQG/s320/bunker.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Goddess #29 sits quite close to this bunker, built during WWII it housed 16-inch guns, then was turned over to the air force and served as a radar installation until 1981. It is now a wildlife refuge, that according to the National Wildlife Service, "is considered one of the most important migratory bird concentration points along the East Coast." It seems that millions of migratory birds travel down along the East Coast and then stop here before they find favorable winds so that they can safely cross Chesapeake Bay. In September, I am told, Monarch butterflies pass through in such numbers that the trees appear to be blooming with orange flowers. Goddess #29 overlooks this marsh. Although it was raining when I was there, and few creatures were in view, it was wonderful to feel the peace of the marsh, and to see the crumbling cement bunkers in the process of transforming back into the natural landscape.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjXC2EnrXmgj9N8ewdCR9tTEBV8EN_CJQthfOkIu6HpwkUiB2ORbGP5VtEgYbOQT3FYmHh32VPnaThgKf4-kMFXzhHv9lkYg7CNQskw__npR6vIMCg1F7BxIzh3mDrdjIyv8KntmnrJFR/s1600-h/marsh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjXC2EnrXmgj9N8ewdCR9tTEBV8EN_CJQthfOkIu6HpwkUiB2ORbGP5VtEgYbOQT3FYmHh32VPnaThgKf4-kMFXzhHv9lkYg7CNQskw__npR6vIMCg1F7BxIzh3mDrdjIyv8KntmnrJFR/s320/marsh.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1935232232308503086.post-32996400924541463942010-03-08T18:45:00.000-08:002010-03-08T18:45:35.674-08:00goddess #28<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzppIln1aME7BNwlFvhSX0uDtwYL0yhCth9PjIltM9qA6jlWFhsztf_15KMPQ-ZIFFgwAWZv1__E5MEmoGwUkdeT-3UpDR4UfokpZK4S8VwQ9pJa0mMw8II1jYEb8Y33XQPB0V_H-WMkSc/s1600-h/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzppIln1aME7BNwlFvhSX0uDtwYL0yhCth9PjIltM9qA6jlWFhsztf_15KMPQ-ZIFFgwAWZv1__E5MEmoGwUkdeT-3UpDR4UfokpZK4S8VwQ9pJa0mMw8II1jYEb8Y33XQPB0V_H-WMkSc/s320/close.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">there's sacred beauty in the cypress grove . . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">raptors gliding through brilliant blue</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">their strident cries shattering the hush below.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">thin shaggy trunks reach skyward with graceful limbs festooned in a rag-tag of gray-green wisps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and a sudden surprise of red maple wings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">below a multitude of greens and myriad textures -- now wet, now dry -- underfoot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and cypress knees, evoking ancient forms and spirits</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">that words cannot begin to describe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9DJAr9adFl8S8KU93YeCAOFF9jVQ7Kxnrg-ztxl1HoALoPmgtUajtCSd_vg-gUKEvpXwYDOY8MA4Xhqppz3bTSkgfOHhU17QXOiNi9VA3p2cnBh9UHcgcLfRoqYvmpXx6ZkLB8ebWRP0/s1600-h/knees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9DJAr9adFl8S8KU93YeCAOFF9jVQ7Kxnrg-ztxl1HoALoPmgtUajtCSd_vg-gUKEvpXwYDOY8MA4Xhqppz3bTSkgfOHhU17QXOiNi9VA3p2cnBh9UHcgcLfRoqYvmpXx6ZkLB8ebWRP0/s320/knees.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wWRSrXS9ijtkqI0mRWNnuGYGyvIJkCAAZo7wfTANCFq2_9q7sDucfs4gTq9Ad5BtyLkLovD7J8y_uHmGkTiXH80689d90P4zljEZJCyAWF9ZpSINO4rNeFLMn6WuPgkF_aCNmRiybKM6/s1600-h/wings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wWRSrXS9ijtkqI0mRWNnuGYGyvIJkCAAZo7wfTANCFq2_9q7sDucfs4gTq9Ad5BtyLkLovD7J8y_uHmGkTiXH80689d90P4zljEZJCyAWF9ZpSINO4rNeFLMn6WuPgkF_aCNmRiybKM6/s320/wings.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Joan Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712708490108403223noreply@blogger.com0