I am a lover of words - the way they sing together in neat or sprawling lines upon the page, conducted by the great wordsmiths of all time. The way a sudden turn of phrase or surprising combination of sounds resonates with the deep within me, causing pause: moments of reflection and appreciation that transcend the superficial babblings and paltry visions of the infantile. Here at the deepening ground, it is my intent to make time and space for the reflection, appreciation, and creative imaginings that sustain the human soul.
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,” but I came upon these two wonderful … More Two Gems from John Keats #Poetry #Keats #Insects #Seasons #Life
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 is just around the corner. Time to … More On Marriage, Patriotism, and Life: Book Dart Quotes from Wendell Berry’s “Fidelity” – #BookDarts #Marriage #Patriotism #Life #WendellBerry #Quotes
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 him off. But the lure was just … More An Invitation to Reflect #Poetry #Heron #Nature
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 follows is the synergy of those experiences … More The Communion of Quiet #Poetry #Communion #Quiet #Nature
Rather than post yesterday, we chose to celebrate the Fourth of July with disc golf in the morning, then some quiet time to do crossword puzzles and cryptic quotes from The Epoch Times in the afternoon, followed by time to explore Wolf Creek looking for antique bottles, hot dogs on the grill with chips, baked … More A Belated Celebration of Independence Day #Poetry #Longfellow #America #FourthofJuly
My daughter brought home a container of Magnetic Poetry, the Receivables Custom Edition, from work last week (she works at our local library). Since then, the refrigerator has become the deepening ground of our home with everyone chipping in to various poetic “masterpieces,” including the eight and ten-year-olds (grandma has not felt poetically inspired as … More The Addictive Nature of Refrigerator Poetry #Poetry #MagneticPoetry
True love is the deepening ground of life. Unfortunately, so few are willing to labor together in the field, transforming the hard soils of life into the oasis offered to us in true love, especially in the midst of trying times. Most so-called “love” peters out just inches into the earth. So few are willing … More Are You Digging a Well or Just Making Holes? #Love #SoulMate #BlackoutPoetry #Poem
My daughter has turned eighteen. As John Lennon once wrote, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” (“Beautiful Boy”). He understood, as a father, how quickly time escapes us. For all of us who have become parents, this truth is painfully real. It drives me more into the present, trying … More A Letter to My Daughter: Richard Wilbur’s “The Writer” #Poetry #RichardWilbur #Daughter #Writer
In general, I hate greeting card holidays. However, making a regular habit of honoring our fathers and mothers finds its roots in something far deeper and comes with the promise of a long and full life. I don’t celebrate Mother’s Day or Father’s Day because it’s printed on my calendar. I celebrate those days because … More A Song for Father’s Day #Song #Father’sDay
It’s not Wolf Creek, but it will have to do. If I could have had a decent camera with me a few Sundays ago as I floated down the creek that borders our property, staring up into the cerulean sky with only a few cumulus clouds floating by, then I could have captured the exact … More Surrendered: Another Lesson from Wolf Creek #Poetry #Peace #Hope #Rest #Sonnet
the deepening ground 