Spring 2017
Hallo
have you ever heard that beautiful zen poem:
Hallo
have you ever heard that beautiful zen poem:
“underneath the cherry blossom trees
there are no strangers…”
well… today is a cherry blossom day…
My name is karen and I am a
mother, a grandmother, a friend and a poet.
I write from small moments,
sharing into journeys of soul, sometimes erotic, sometimes plain,
sometimes mysterious. I also explore the emergence of the feminine
and masculine, free from patriarchal and empirical ownership.
Wittgenstein said: “the rules at
the beginning of language, determine all outcomes…”
…for me, the ‘living rules’
at the beginning are ‘the smallest reasons to believe in life,’
to be ‘alive’… even though living is so fragile and so
impermanent.
Many scientists, philosophers,
meditators, artists and poets ‘share’ experience of the
smallness… and then ‘describe’ depending upon their training
and their belief system.
As a poet, for the soul of our
earth, of our life… I just share as I share…
If you feel moved by my poetry,
please print it out and craft a book… take it into woods or
valleys, by rivers, oceans or on mountains… and read it out to the
nature.
Please note that ‘gaia’s
breath, love song’ and ‘magdalen’s garden’ are much earlier works.
‘within a circle of trees’ is more recent, and more
abstract, but there is still a ‘journeying…’
…its all of us together, right
now, on our earth…
My new work will be called: 'within a circle of trees
beautiful reason...
... the song of the little breeze....'
and in time, when it is finished, I will include it on this site.
beautiful reason...
... the song of the little breeze....'
and in time, when it is finished, I will include it on this site.
I feel I should also share that my
meditation practice is the korean zen hwadu.
what is it? (arising in dependence
on the senses) and, what is it that asks what is it? (also arising in
dependence on the senses).
where is the question coming from?
… thus, even the most subtle
sensitivities are also to be questioned. Its all a beautiful
mystery… and for me, the greatest beauty is that we share this
mystery together.
But please note… I am not a very
good meditator. I’m much better as a poet. I hope you enjoy, and
thank you so much for coming to my site.
thank you
...... writing from small moments.........
Following my 'enlivenment' course at schumacher in april, 2016.......where I was so, so encouraged to share my poetry more.......I have devoted this last year to gathering, editing and refining my poetry works...and now they are shared into our world and on a blogsite to be read for free........
.......and wondering how those words share......"to write from small moments..." so I am going to offer 3 stories, true stories, in order, I hope, to explain more....
Many years ago I attended a schumacher open evening......expecting a talk on 'gaia and the sacred' or 'the soul and ecology'......but instead, a kind and wise man named John Todd......gave a presentation with slides......of the system he had designed, to help clean up and purify the poisoned and polluted waters of a lake in north america. With the help of small snails........his design system had brought life back to those dying waters. He was a design biologist and although a lot of the science went over my head......yet I understood enough to think, "this is such good work."
At the end of the talk we all clapped, and began to make our way to the dining room for Julia's lovely homemade cookies and chai.........but from my heart...I felt...'no, I need to be alone......' and so I followed.....out into the quietest of nights....and stepped with endless stars.....and began to walk home, through the valley and the gardens, to totnes.
Gently, gently...an exquisite understanding unfolded......all the world, the trees, the stars, the valley, the gardens...me....everything was made up of smallest love........of smallest lovesong......."why is this happening now........" and then I understood that ...this love was the love of our earth sharing for this man's work. Arriving home, I wrote this poem....
. who will sing for you then.........
when all the summer song birds are flown.....
I will sing,
all with love for thee.....
Another time....I was sitting with the nature, and just gently, gently.....all the namings, the notings, the knowings...just shared as an exquisite ground of such tenderness and equanimity and smallness........
".....this waiting lovesong nature....of all the names of our beloved earth
.....come small, come perfect......."
........and if a beloved, a deity, a god or goddess had been named........then that name also......would just have rested, just one small name among the many........waiting there......for the beloved to come.........
Returning to the circle at schumacher......each day, on our course...we shared poetry and writings....that moved and touched our hearts. In those moments, it felt to me.....that the belief systems that shared those offerings...were secondary to the offerings themselves, made up of smallest love, and all side by side, in our mutual appreciation for their love and beauty. And this 'sharing' of poetry, and the 'smallness' within the poetry........loosened and relaxed the hold of patriarchal and matriarchal ownership..........encouraging us to 'move beyond..' and share with each other....creative and moving conversations, alive with the mystery and beauty of our life together.
How wonderful it would be if our schools could offer our children such circles at the beginning of their classes.........
And now, my third story.....another day, last year, sitting in spring, in dartington gardens.....waiting for some writing to come...and just gently asking the korean zen hwadu...'what is it, arising in dependence on the senses'......and a small robin flying close, and a blackbird pecking at the grass.......'what is it that asks, what is it...also arising, in dependence on the senses' .......and the bamboo swaying softly in the breeze, and the gentle clap of a wood pigeon on the wing......'and where is the question coming from......'
...and then gently, gently...the question....coming in softly....flowing in softly......from everything......the small birds, the flowers, the trees, the blue sky, the white clouds.......the garden was dancing, all my sweet world was dancing, and all, in equal smallness, including me......was asking the question, 'what is it, what is it that asks what is it....' That day, even with my arthritic knee, I felt I was dancing.....so light, so alive with others,and yet so grounded.....as I walked to catch my country bus home to totnes.
.......and also, from these grounds of smallest equanimity, and tenderness for life and for impermanence....a surrender can be shared....that is the whole ground surrendering.......but that is another story...........
how quiet the forest is today,
how quiet the yearning......
how quiet the shyest breath of the trees.......
and the turning.....
were you waiting, beloved,
did the forest fill with your waiting......
touching the earth, were you surprised to feel her sweetest response,
'you are not alone, my love
thankyou,
karen king my poetry works can be accessed via google
gaiabreathlovesong@blogspot.com
