it was a monastic retreat of sorts: we were silent all day Saturday.
not gonna lie - it was excruciatingly difficult for me to abstain from speaking for an entire day while intermingling with others in the community. (no one else seemed to have had that hard of a time but whatever). it was a great exercise in discipline and the experience has made me think more about using my words wisely and just guarding my tongue in general. We started off the day watching the documentary, Into Great Silence, about life at the Grand Chartreuse Monastery (considered the most ascetic in the world) nestled in the French-Alps - very long and fascinating.
here is a poem i wrote at some point during the day:
Butterscotch Shade
sunshine swing-set in the
butterscotch shade
i lean my head back on your windy lap
rope fraying from the weather tight between my fingers
sunlight in my squinty eyes
i think of my blind friend from the movie
- his thankfulness, his white robe and bald head
his smile.
I'd rather be blind in your presence
and holding your hand...
your sweet butterscotch kisses and your breezes
on my toes - intimacy i can touch and feel
as i lean back my shoulders and unwind at your side
sunshine swing-set in the
butterscotch shade
i lean my head back on your windy lap
rope fraying from the weather tight between my fingers
sunlight in my squinty eyes
i think of my blind friend from the movie
- his thankfulness, his white robe and bald head
his smile.
I'd rather be blind in your presence
and holding your hand...
your sweet butterscotch kisses and your breezes
on my toes - intimacy i can touch and feel
as i lean back my shoulders and unwind at your side
oh yeah, can anyone name the type of tree whose bark smells of butterscotch??
3 comments:
Molls, I did a silent retreat last Spring, and it was so hard for me to be silent all day as well.
~angelic
wow, Lic, i had no idea and i'm glad i'm not alone.
It's the ponderosa pine tree that whaifs of butterscotch :) And oh how I love that smell. There were many days at camp when standing next to a ponderosa pine was the one thing that would calm my heart :)
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