Nature – the deepening ground

Wood: Wisdom from My Eldest Son #Poem #Poetry #Wood #Identity #Son #Wisdom #Nature

20 Mar 2023

Back in 2015, I taught a one-week summer poetry workshop. For one of their assignments, I challenged my students to compare themselves to one of the core elements or something from nature. My poem, “Elementary Matters”, based on this concept, can be found by clicking on the poem title. The poem below comes from the … More Wood: Wisdom from My Eldest Son #Poem #Poetry #Wood #Identity #Son #Wisdom #Nature

Magenta Flames: A Reflection #Poetry #Poem #Thistle #Nature #HolyGround

28 Aug 2022

“[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 way, burning on the spiny base of … More Magenta Flames: A Reflection #Poetry #Poem #Thistle #Nature #HolyGround

An Invitation to Reflect #Poetry #Heron #Nature

21 Jul 2022

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

The Communion of Quiet #Poetry #Communion #Quiet #Nature

9 Jul 2022

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

Above All, Remember to Live #Poetry #MaryOliver #Live

5 May 2022

As I sat in bed last night, debating between Marilynne Robinson’s Home, Andrew Klavan’s The Truth and Beauty, or Mary Oliver’s Devotions, I eventually settled on Oliver’s collection of poems. Sleep would be coming quick, so a poem or two felt like a safe bet, especially when Robinson’s novel doesn’t include any chapter breaks (sheer … More Above All, Remember to Live #Poetry #MaryOliver #Live

The Bonsai & Family Tree

29 Nov 2021

At the end of the summer, I bought a bonsai tree. I planned to bring it to school to enrich the ambiance of my classroom (so much wall-to-wall gray!). For a few weeks, it served as the unique centerpiece of our kitchen table. With all of the light in the observatory (our dining/living room area), … More The Bonsai & Family Tree

Longing for Innisfree

9 Nov 2021

For weeks now, there has been silence – the stationary pen that only marks the page of my journal when I nod off in bed. Some call it writer’s block; I call it “the dehydrated soul groping about in desert landscapes.” I feel like one of T. S. Eliot’s hollow men. I am a dried … More Longing for Innisfree

Nature’s Invitation to Pause

3 Oct 2021

Autumn has burst on the scene with its varied invitations to deepen. In the midst of the full swing of a challenging school year, my son’s busy soccer schedule, and the general maintenance of cars, toilets, and lawns, I’ve still managed to stop to ponder the nuthatches feeding in the neighbor’s pine trees by the … More Nature’s Invitation to Pause

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the deepening ground

reflections in word and song

Tag: Nature