Beth Patterson

Douglas Firs were our sanctuary

Beth Patterson — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:04:00 GMT

Last year on solstice I posted about the life and death in 2003 of my dear friend Katrina . Her death somehow allowed me to move from my 20 year stint in hospice work. This year on summer solstice, I am again posting about the death of a dear friend,...(read more)

assimilate this

Beth Patterson — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:09:00 GMT

Don't live that way. ...dress like me ...talk like me ...think like me ...learn like me ...worship like me. In short, see the world as I do. Assimilation photo from wikipedia The study of evolution has opened our eyes to the astounding diversity of ways...(read more)

How long does it take to grow a feather?

Beth Patterson — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:52:00 GMT

They hatched, those chickadee babies, last Saturday, or at least that was the first time I could hear them as I sit on my back porch. By Monday, their requests for ' I need that bug much more than my brother does, Mother' were clearer and more insistent....(read more)

the *dialectic of ever-bigger circles

Beth Patterson — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:59:00 GMT

Outwitted He drew a circle that shut me out - Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout But love and I had the will to win We drew a circle and drew him in. -- Edwin Markham The walls of human understanding have various purposes, textures, designs. But their intent...(read more)

that graffiti is my heart song

Beth Patterson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:09:00 GMT

"I do not see this heart thing as abstract or esoteric. Getting to, living in, healing from, being guided through the heart is an actual state that can be achieved. But it is not a state of mind. It is not an attitude, or an affirmation. Rather it is...(read more)

blueberries and grief

Beth Patterson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:34:00 GMT

Here's my collage for today. It comes from a space of feeling the wind of the spirit of change and new directions moving through my life. Would love to know any reactions, responses you might have. Technorati Tags: grief , collage...(read more)

something to do, someplace to go, mid-summer

Beth Patterson — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:07:00 GMT

Just when you were worried about running out of stuff to do this summer... my friend Buffy from Seattle asked me to post this! It looks like a wonderful event. Anyone who has enjoyed R. Carlos Nakai through recordings, or better yet, live, will enjoy...(read more)

inter-dependent intersections

Beth Patterson — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:05:00 GMT

Collage I made in mid May. It is one of a series of 7 that has to do with my friend A's life and death. This is about the crossing of the River Styx, Charon the ferryman, and also, on this side of the river, about her love of canoeing. A masthead of a...(read more)

sojourn: taking only what we need

Beth Patterson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:15:00 GMT

This poem was just published in qarrtsiluni ,on online literary journal. It is an experiment in online literary and artistic collaboration. The title comes from an Iñupiaq word that means "sitting together in the darkness, waiting for something to burst."...(read more)

Longing for light

Beth Patterson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:47:00 GMT

We want to go out and play. Why does the crabapple get to have all the fun? Here in the spring, the half-light, the half-heat, We know we could adjust Even though sheltered pets for now. Invitation to the Poetry Party on Ab bey of the Arts. Prompt is...(read more)

Wabi-Sabi: weathering with the storm

Beth Patterson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:13:00 GMT

My heartfelt desire is to be a wabibito. Thank you to Mo for sending this excellent piece our way. --Beth Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. WHAT IS WABI-SABI? -by architect...(read more)

denouement denounced as dastardly

Beth Patterson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:08:00 GMT

Is there ever any? Do we need it like rain on seeds? Circles of sparring, rapprochement, tension, resolution. Deja vu all over again. Much like dirty dishes. Don't know where this wonderful photo came from, except from a friend on email. ...(read more)

dirty feet as prayer

Beth Patterson — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:49:00 GMT

I can get meta-physical with the best of them. This week's poem could be called 'let's get un-meta-physical and roll around in the dirt'. Big bow of thanks to Gautami Tripathy of Rooted for this week's One Single Impression prompt, dropped. I bought a...(read more)

Bet their hair smelled a bit ripe...

Beth Patterson — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:37:00 GMT

The year is 1909. What a difference one 'short' century makes! These statistics have not been fact-checked, at least by me! The average life expectancy was 47 years. Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone....(read more)

What it's like...rather than what it is

Beth Patterson — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Anthropomorphizing God and God's kingdom is the best most of us, maybe any of us, can do. Similes, metaphors and other analogies are thus the honest homily. This post is part of a synchroblog of other bloggers writing on 'the kingdom of God'. Check out...(read more)