January 13, 2008
Stillness
…listen
…about the musicStill reflecting.
The scene here an hour ago at sunset.
My brain and spirit are infused with the positive sonic chaos of a new piece nearing the double bar (another single malt, puhleeze?). How good to be able to sit quietly at this place and collect… no, herd, actually… my thoughts.
The new year begins. Again.
Glenn Buttkus said,
January 14, 2008 @ 6:19 am
Still Reflecting, Still Inherent, Still Ready
In the stillness,
arms folded
midst the silence,
yet never quiet,
the wind has lips
and it whispers
my name,
and yours;
can you hear it?
The brave sun appeared
midday
to eradicate
the mist rolling in
off the restless sea,
and hung out
for me,
bright yet cold,
on this fruitful
winter’s day.
I stood transfixed
and bundled,
taking in
salt air and wet wood,
and breathing out
doubt;
feeling that calm
that always comes
from watching
the pale radiance
of a January day
dip below the edge
of my island.
Yes, now
I can smile
into the pastels
of twilight
because I feel
movement
within my core,
within my chest,
wanting recognition,
music
whose notes demand
birth, demand
respect, and
identity;
but never fear
natal notes
for I am
your mother.
Glance at the photo
now, and gather to you
the scene here
an hour ago
at sunset.
My brain and spirit
are infused
with the positive sonic
chaos
of a new piece
nearing
the double bar;
(another double malt,
puhleeze?).
How good
to be able to sit
quietly
at this place
and collect…
no, herd, actually
my thoughts.
Glenn Buttkus for and by Alex Shapiro
A new day.
A new week.
Creativity is loose, and the music is afoot.
Glenn Buttkus said,
January 14, 2008 @ 6:23 am
I was going to post this rather nice poem inspired by you to my blog site, and make a copy for my files, but I reconsidered for a moment. This poem is yours. It belongs to you. Only you can share it, or decide its fate. So I leave it here, at your door step, and I hope it adds to the joy of your day.
Glenn
Glenn Buttkus said,
January 16, 2008 @ 7:33 am
You know, dummy that I am, I left out your finishing lines:
The new year begins;
again.
And that was a great thought, great summation. Thank you for your gratious comment on my blog site regarding SHAPIRO’S CHILD. You have opened up huge new vistas in the cobwebs of my cortex. Making your axquaintance ala the net has been, and continues to be a fun-filled challenging experience. I feel certain that at least part of your success comes from your openness, your people skills, your smile, and your fantastic blogs. You are so bang on when you have asserted that the internet has widen our worlds, stretched our opportunities, expanded our consciousness.
Looking again at many of your fantastic photos of the San Juans, I have had a bit of an epiphany this morning. Melva and I always take a two week road trip the day after her school year completes. She is an ittinerant special Ed teacher for a school district near Tacoma (Franklin Pierce). Usuallly late in June, we hit the road, and return some time after July 4th. We have covered all of the Southwest in spades over the last 10 years, digging about in Indian lore and ruins, checking out canyons and mountains and pueblos. Melva is from Texas, so sometimes, if we drive like hell, we can make it clear to Texas and back during the two weeks.
Anyway, more to the point, this year I am going to suggest (can’t make the decision without some accommodation and negotiation of course) that we go island hopping. A few years ago when my three daughters were still at home, we spent a week end on Orcas Island, climbing Mt. Constitution on a clear day. My idea is to check out one of the sea plane airlines, probably Kenmore Air, and come up to Friday Harbor on a week end, and just hang out for part of the weekend, and figure out where we want to stay when we return in our Camry Hybrid later in the summer. I thought we might spend two days on San Juan Island, or three, and then spend one day on Orcas, and then take a ferry to Sydney, Canada, and spend 8 days or so driving all over Vancouver Island. We did some of that several years ago too, but I think it would be a supreme treat to make a whole summer vacation out of it.
Glenn
Alex Shapiro said,
January 16, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
To all readers of this blog: come up and see these islands for yourself! They smell even better than the photos 🙂
Glenn, it would be great to meet you and Melva. For the full U.S./B.C. experience, know that the ferry between Friday Harbor and Sidney doesn’t run again until March 30, so your thoughts about summer travels are good. There are two alternative ways to get to Vancouver Island over the winter (well, three: fly there in a puddle jumper), but they require multiple ferries and driving. Scenic, but time consuming.
Not a day has gone by since I’ve lived in Malibu, Santa Barbara, or Friday Harbor, that I haven’t been keenly aware of my great fortune to live in a place that many strive to vacation in. No accident, there, of course.
Along the lines of using the “good” china every day and not saving it for special occasions (this is only theoretical, since we only own one set of plates), I decided years ago that I could manage, within a very modest budget, to create my own personal “artist colony.” Rather than apply to established places and have the luxury of a month or so of peace and nature, I realized just how ecstatic I was when I was in that kind of environment, and set out to live, full time, like that. The bliss– and muse attraction– is truly incredible.
So I started this blog a couple of years ago, in order to share this beauty and peace with everyone else. And, just maybe, inspire fellow creatives to consider thinking outside the box, and encourage them to think about how they, too, might most wish to live. There’s often (not always) more possibility than we might imagine to make our vision a reality.