The Call of the Crow

Dreaming Crow

14 x 11

acrylic on frosted mylar

Crows

From a single grain they have multiplied.

When you look in the eyes of one

you have seen them all. 

At the endges of highways

they pick at limp things.

They are anything but refined.

Or they fly out over the corn

like pellets of black fire,

like overlords.

Crow is crow, you say.

What else is there to say?

Drive down any road,

take a train or an airplane

across the world, leave

your old life behind,

die and be born again - 

wherever you arrive

they'll be there first,

glossy and rowdy

and indistinguishable.

The deep muscle of the world. 

                                           by Mary Oliver

Who else could so eloquently see crows in their majestic mystery? Their fire,their color, buried within. They seem to be a metaphor for life. They have been designed to barely be looked at. For most they are a noisy nuisance. And yet, Mary Oliver chose to immortalize them in a poem.  Makes me wonder, what else are we missing?

Where are you?

Quiet Attitude

36 x 12 inches

acrylic on canvas

I was watching an interview; subject, mindfulness. The author explained how simple being mindful can be. Simply, be here.

He asked the interviewer; when you're in the shower, are you in the shower or are you at work, planning your day? When you first wake in the morning, do you take a moment to enjoy the sensation, or do your thoughts take you someplace else?

 Here is the dichotomy; simplicity is difficult. 

For instance, during my short morning meditation, I noticed how often, even though my body was still, my mind was traveling, emotional and physically, to other places. It amused and frustrated me, not exactly what you're supposed to be experiencing during meditation. 

Free range thinking, that's what goes on during my attempts to reach the oasis of silence. 

Creativity comes through free range thinking. Allowing the mind to meander opens the portal to our creative side.

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of creating, looked up at the time and were astonished at how much of it had passed, seemingly without your notice? If you had been aware of every moment, would you have been as creative?

I think being mindful is an important activity, but not every moment of your day.