Vanishing 6-8-2018

I thought the earth

 remembered me, she

 took me back so tenderly, arranging

 her dark skirts, her pockets

 full of lichens and seeds. I slept

 as never before, a stone

on the riverbed, nothing

between me and the white fire of the stars

 but my thoughts, and they floated

 light as moths among the branches

of the perfect trees. All night

I heard the small kingdoms breathing

 around me, the insects, and the birds

who do their work in the darkness. All night

I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling

 with a luminous doom. By morning

 I had vanished at least a dozen times

 into something better.

Poem, Sleeping in the Forest -By Mary Oliver

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel 
Watercolor by ~liz

9 responses to “Days 162-163 Vanishing”

  1. Terry Chapman Avatar
    Terry Chapman

    “a stone on the riverbed” puts me under water where trout swim, feed, and are comfortable in their nature! Sometimes, when fishing, I will try in my human manner, to think like my prey: the Brown Trout.
    I envision a succession of different colored, different sized rocks just below me, as I make my way upstream; sensing; living; and being a significant part of a grand scheme. My home is clean water; my food swims down to me; sometimes I see dark unknown shapes in my pathway; but they do not trouble me for I deserve to be one with nature!
    Oh, if we could only perceive our earthly reality this clearly and with this acceptance of all that is and will be: one Earth, one life for all creatures, and one loving God!

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  2. Anne Milligan Avatar
    Anne Milligan

    AMAZINGLY powerful connection through your painting, Liz… Thank you for sharing this… I find myself not look “at”, but “into” your painting. I vanish again and again. Wow…

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  3. Maureen McDermott Avatar
    Maureen McDermott

    “Vanished into something better”. May those ‘better’ moments energize us afresh so that we can be present to the wonder and beauty of the now. Thank you Liz.

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  4. Jolyon Avatar
    Jolyon

    The rainbow of the sky has radiated to the land and become grounded. That is what the Liz’s illustration and Mary Oliver’s poem says to me. It may be sleeping in the forest, but it looks like a perfect sunrise today.
    Thank you…

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  5. ~liz Wessel Avatar

    I love how we each see the world through our unique lens. Thank you for your wonderful images and connectedness with all this is Terry!

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  6. ~liz Wessel Avatar

    Thank you, Anne for receiving this in this way and for the gift of your friendship.

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  7. ~liz Wessel Avatar

    I appreciate the prayer you offer in response to these reflections to bless us. Thank you, Maureen!

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  8. ~liz Wessel Avatar

    Such a lovely lens through which you see. Thanks you for the blessing, Jolyon!

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  9. Terry Chapman Avatar
    Terry Chapman

    My distinct pleasure! Terry

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