Elements of Elegance.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

The Well

A went to a panel on wellness
and they didn't mention God
How did they define what's well and good?
What did they applaud?

Apparently
activity
achievement by humanity
productivity
profitability
propensity to defy gravity

Bombarded with tasks
Emptied with baths
Pushed to not stop
Pulled to not fraught

Filled with questions:
What do I want?
To meal prep?
To treat mah self?
To eat out with friends?
To netflix & binge?

Their answers to self care
made me fully aware
that Solomon was right
in Ecclessiastes he did write
"I applied my heart
to know wisdom and
to know madness and folly.
I perceived that this also is but
a striving after wind."

And I?
I want only to be
Stilled

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"Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind."
-Ecclesiastes 4:6

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Another Haiku

Feelings harbored here
Have been realized and returned
Ready to be reeled

A Conversation with Myself

Leave this cit/adel
     where relying on circumstances
     is like a massive wall
     guarding a fortress of fear

Run away from this hom/icide
     murdered is my good intention,
     slain is someone's trust,
     dead are dreams and amendments

Go back to famil/iarizing myself
     with Wisdom's face,
     with God's grace,
     with Kingdom vision on which my worldview I base

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Let It Be

Let out
     like streams that flow
     like gates that have flown
               wide open
     like children on a snow
               day
     like childlike faith full grown

Let down
     as unfulfilled expectation
     as repeated rejection
     as increased introspection
               given the greatest glimmers go
               out

Let go
     of my shiny dreams
     of my shaky foundation
     of my short sight
     of my small faith

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Haiku, Part Three

I jumped to the end
A story not yet written
Love is letting go

Saturday, March 5, 2016

The Haiku, Part Two

Your beautiful eyes
Give sight to my greatest goals
Future together?

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The Haiku

Say, what's in a name?
Identifying as mine
My mind is on you

Updates

I think there is a general misconception that you write poems because you ‘have something to say.’ I think, actually, that you write poems because you have something echoing around in the bone-dome of your skull that you cannot say. Poetry allows us to hold many related tangential notions in very close orbit around each other at the same time. The ‘unsayable’ thing at the center of the poem becomes visible to the poet and reader in the same way that dark matter becomes visible to the astrophysicist. You can’t see it, but by measure of its effect on the visible, it can become so precise a silhouette you can almost know it.

-Rebecca Lindenberg

The Elements

Language - Words are the essence of life. Sure, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a string of words added together can convey so much meaning and emotion. I think poetry is fantastic, because it's so free and improvisational, yet it can give off so much life and reason. The simplicity and brevity of a poem makes it so much more enjoyable. Ever since I read House on Mango Street, vignettes have kind of been my favorite. It's simply beautiful.
Imagery - It always amazes me how much beauty there is in the world, and how our eyes can perceive it so easily. A picture captures this splendor in one second of time. There's so much that can happen in a photo - lighting, angle, color, timing, depth. It's pretty darn cool.
Movement - Film is like photography to the next level. It's not just a moment, but a coupla' moments altogether. And there's even more stuff you can do with video. The sequence of scenes, the timing, the zoom, angle, lighting, whatever. Film can contain so many implications that it's hard to keep track of all the feelings, but that's what's amazing about it.
Sound - Without the infinite different noises that we hear day to day and in music, life would be boring. And movies would lack all excitement and enjoyability. Somehow, sounds are able to convey meaning and feelings, and elevate them. It's kind of necessary to life.

It is these elements together that create the facets of the art that I so value. Even so, this is just a small piece of the lemon cake. There is so much more I can't contain in a small blog and so much more yet to discover.

The Purpose

Do I appreciate art? Absolutely.
Do I make my own? No doubt.
Am I skilled at it? I'm not at justice to say.
But I hope you can get a taste of my art and what I consider good art, righthere.
Art isn't just visual. It is linguistic, vocally and hearingly (?). It is still and moving. It is full of emotion and life.

Poetry and Photography are two of the biggest things I admire.
The way that poetry can capture strong feelings and a few words is so amazing. And photography is just so wide-ranging, I love it.

This is just a blog to show my artsy side and appreciation for the simple beauties in the world.
I would love to get all the feedback I can get. Constructive criticism is completely welcome, the best thing you can do for me is help me improve, by telling me what you like and what you don't.
I truly believe that anyone who takes the time to read these things I write and view the pictures I take has the great talent inside of them, or else you wouldn't be looking into what I make. It's an interest in these things that makes them look better in you. Sometimes, you are what you love.

I also have a more diary-like blog. Just ask if you want to read it (:

The Inspiration

The inspiration for the website name: modpodge hedgehog came from a book I read for English Class.
It's called Elegance of the Hedgehog and it's by Muriel Barbury. It's definitely an interesting read. It's fiction, but it involves travel, culture, philosophy, big words, and a cool title. Definitely recommend it, even though there are parts in it that I don't completely agree with. Though the ending may not feel satisfying for some, the parts that lead up to it are wonderfully written and elaborated on.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this as it easily invokes deeper thought and may help you realize how precious life is - and how you make it a life worth lived.