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Summer draws to a close, a new week begins, and I return to the deepening ground of Mary Oliver’s poetry. Hear the invitation to spend our lives “on some / unstinting happiness,” but not according to the world’s definition. Rather, the simple overlooked gifts that poets like Mary…
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We’ve all played the fool at some point in our lives, especially in the name of love. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers sang of it long before I sat down with my guitar and composed the following song. Sometimes we’ve played the fool for power, fame, or glory,…
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At the end of long weekend, I returned to the wisdom of Wendell Berry. Oh, for the peace of simple things and the dumb life of roots! (If you haven’t read The Peace of Wild Things, then you MUST follow this link to hear Wendell Berry read the…
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“[A body] belongs to the world of love, which is a world of living creatures, natural orders and cycles, many small, fragile lights in the dark.” Wendell Berry – from “Health is Membership” Reflection: The Bull Thistle By Vincent H. Anastasi 2022 Magenta flames stopped me on my…
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August and July brim over with wedding celebrations. My son’s marriage earlier this month brought the total number of wedding anniversaries from the last week of July through today, August 22nd, to FOUR just on my side of the family. In the coming two months, I believe we…
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We have returned, having shrunk and grown, having lost and gained, having witnessed death and birth. In my father-of-the-groom speech, I ruminated on each of these thoughts as we celebrated the union of my son and his bride. The day was perfect, despite the downpour just before the…
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Reading Andrew Klavan’s The Truth and Beauty stirred up the embers of my Romantic poetry fires. Most importantly, it led to a deeper appreciation for the poetry of John Keats. I have loved his most famous works for years including “Bright Star” and “La Belle Dame Sans Merci,”…
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July draws to a close, a month bookended by two key celebrations: the birth of America and the birth of my marriage! Between those two memorial stones falls a variety of family trips, community gatherings, and musical gigs that encompass a typical summer with August’s shadow looming. School…
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Monday morning, as I looked out the windows of The Observatory (our family room), I saw a grey heron down in the creek. At first, I was content to simply admire him from afar. Besides, if I went outside and down to the water’s edge, I’d surely scare…
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A quiet evening by the open window reading Andrew Klavan’s The Truth and Beauty. The neighbor’s window air conditioner humming incessantly in the background. William Wordsworth’s timely sonnet about the pervasive nature of our modern world. A train whistle in the distance. The bread and the wine. What…
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the deepening ground 