Category: Art

Aug 22 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

For as long as space endures,

for as long as living beings remain,

until then may I too remain,

to dispel the misery of the world.

–Shantideva, The Bodhicaryavatara

(The Way of the Bodhisattva)

Phenomena XXVII: living

Spark

Short Circuit

Sapient spark

arc of life

light and heat

radiant energy

signifying something

So much potential

so often diminished

grounded through

selfishness and greed

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–February 4, 2008

Aug 21 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

All that we are is the result

of what we have thought:

it is founded on our thoughts,

it is made up of our thoughts.

If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought,

pain follows him, as the wheel follows

the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.

–Dhammapada, verse 1

Phenomena XXVI: transgressing

Bruise

Torture

How much

information

did you get

from the fly

after you picked off

its wings?

What intelligence

did you gain

from the butterfly

when you

crushed it

with water?

Did the squirrel

divulge secrets

concerning

a ticking bomb

as you

dissected it

Did you

move on

to people?

Knocking

the corners off

those

with too many

sandblasting

the surface

of those

too different

forcing into focus

the fuzzy people

is how some people

spend too much time

It’s a short step

from here to torture

Is it forward or back?

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–April 18, 2008

Aug 20 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Words have the power

to both destroy and heal.

When words are both true and kind,

they can change our world

–Siddhārtha Gautama

Phenomena XXV: words

Warp

The Cost of Speaking

So many

imagine they celebrate

the right to speak freely

while choosing

on the one hand

not to exercise

their ability to listen

closely and intently enough

to actually hear

and on the other hand

to avoid the responsibility

to respond

which ensures

that freedom

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–April 2, 2008

Aug 19 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Resist the pleasures of life

And the desire to hurt

Till sorrows vanish.

–the Dhammapada

Phenomena XXIV: resisting

Game Pieces

Entropy

Born into a game

I never wished to play

Predestined to lose

while someone else

controls the dice

Not born a winner

Whole industries created

to enticed me into not

breaking even

Escape from the game

impossible

I seek (in vain?)

to avoid becoming a pawn

on someone else’s board

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–June 27, 2008

Aug 18 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Let no man ever take into consideration

whether a thing is pleasant or unpleasant.

The love of pleasure begets grief

and the dread of pain causes fear;

he who is free from the love of pleasure

and the dread of pain knows neither grief nor fear.

—Paul Carus, Chapter XLVIII: The Dhammapda, verse 29

The Gospel of Buddha: Complied from Ancient Records

Phenomena XXIII: dreading

Sky Ensnared

Beaten Down

The world so heavy

he can’t look up

shoulders sag

under the weight

of too many last straws

back bent

from too much sorrow

leaden legs drag bloody feet

painfully forward

until collapse is imminent

Rise up? How?

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–July 11, 2008

Aug 17 2008

Art For, By And About Veterans Begins Sunday

By jimstaro in Art, Iraq

Ilona Meagher has just posted on her blog site, PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within, an outstanding collection of links and a few video’s on what the subject title describes “Art For, By And About Veterans Begins Sunday” and the link just above will take you to it.

Afghanistan, combat, Combat Soldiers, events, Films, plays, tribute, Video, wars

Aug 15 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Those for whom there is no more acquisition,

who are fully aware of the nature of food,

whose dwelling place is an empty and imageless release

the way of such people is hard to follow,

like the path of birds through the sky.

— The Dhammapada, 92.

Phenomena XXII: perceiving

Window

Reflection and Refraction

I see the past

in the mirror

of tarnished memories

and often misaligned

contemplation

The future

on the other hand

is best seen

through the window

of imagination

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–June 1, 2008

Aug 14 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Better than a thousand utterances,

comprising useless words,

is one single beneficial word,

by hearing which one attains peace.

Better than a thousand verses,

comprising useless words,

is one beneficial single line,

by hearing which one is pacified.

—Sahassavagga, The Dhammapada, 100-101

Phenomena XXI: hearing

A Thread

Tintinnabulation

Can you hear

the beating of the universe?

Have you experienced

the pulse, pulse, pulse of the world?

When was the last time

you put your ear to the planet?

Listen closely now

The hour is getting late

Can you hear

your thoughts

before they become words?

The bell of Truth rings

too thin a tinkle

to be called a peal

Can you hear

how it extols us

to move forward

not back

Can you hear

the vibrating strands

of the Tapestry?

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–May 23, 2008

Aug 13 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Do not follow the ideas of others,

but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

Your body and mind will become clear

and you will realize the unity of all things.

—Dōgen Zenji

Phenomena XX: Belief

Etching

A Question of Relevance

I don’t worry about

whether or not

there exists

some omniscient

omnipresent

omnipotent being

who may or may not

be a creator

It’s a deal I made

back in the day

when I discovered folks

parsing people’s lives

as worthy

or not

If a god exists

why would it need

Tinkerbellian

belief from me?

How arrogant

would I have to be

to assume

some god

cares about my life

enough to keep a ledger?

So I don’t.

That deal that I made

is that I will live my life

doing as much

as I can

that is right, fair and just

as far as I can tell

If a god exists

that is enough

If no god exists

it is still enough

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–February 20, 2008

Aug 12 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Who offends the inoffensive,

the innocent and blameless one,

upon that fool does evil fall

as fine dust flung against the wind.

–The Dhammapada, 125

Phenomena XIX: comparing

Groove Thing

Are we there yet?

We can spend our time

counting the days

living metronomes

beating out the hours

minutes or seconds

but in the end

the important question

is whether or not

tomorrow will be

a better day

than today

and perhaps

we could wonder

for whom

that may be

and for whom

it will not

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–April 2, 2008

Aug 11 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

Look upon the world as a bubble,

look upon it as a mirage:

the king of death does not see him

who thus looks down upon the world.

–The Dhammapada, 170

Phenomena XVIII: altering

Half Twist

Mental Gymnastics

Steps forward

do not automatically

come with steps back

Expecting them

is the road

to pessimism

Better is to follow

the steps forward

with two and a half somersaults

with a half twist

to the left

in pike position

and see what

can be seen

from this new perspective

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–Febraury 18, 2008

Aug 09 2008

Muse in the Morning

By Robyn in Art, Community, Poetry

Muse in the Morning

One should first establish

oneself in what is proper.

One may then teach others,

and wise, one is not blamed.

–The Dhammapada, 158

Phenomena XVII: wondering

Special Saturday Edition

(it being the 14th anniversary of my rebirth and all)

Looking Back

Lacking Options

Meaningful discussion

about what it means

for me to be

differently gendered

must clearly begin

by exploring

why you are not

I shall wait

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–May 30, 2008