This evening, before diving back into my student papers, I'd like to post some poems from Scott Thomas Outlar, a poet from Atlanta. These spiritual poems really fit the transition between summer and fall that we are experiencing, at least in the Washington, DC area.
A Forest of One
I walk to the local park,
make my way into the woods,
and sit on this same bench
nearly every day of late,
where I look to my left
and see the heart
that was carved into the trunk of a tree
at some point in the past.
I think about the happy couple
that branded their initials
into the bark,
wondering if they still feel the same
about each other today
as they did back then,
or if, like most love,
the passion faded
as their time together passed.
Chemical lust is a pulsing fire
of white hot light
that rages without reason
through the heart and mind
of those who fall under its spell,
but the staying power of true love
requires a steadfast will
that only a rare breed
are able to manage and maintain.
I’ve felt such flames
a time or two myself
while making my way
through this strange journey called life,
but in the end it always seems
that my fiery blood
fizzles out after being doused
by the water from a heavy storm.
Feeling lonely in a world
that is populated
by over seven billion other people
is a bizarre sensation, no doubt,
but at least I have the comfort
of these trees to keep me company,
along with a bit of shade
from the sweltering Summer sun
that is always trying to burn
the truth into my eyes.
Nothing Else
I sat on the front porch
in the midnight hour
and listened to two owls
hoot at each other
from a distance,
slowly moving closer together,
until they came to be as one
and shrieked their primal urges
out into the night air.
I thought about you
for the first time
in a long time
and suddenly realized
that nothing else
has ever been as good
as we were.
Revelations in the Marrow
The vastness of your scope
as I stare into the sky
reveals itself here and there
with glimpses into the absolute glimmer,
yet the mystery remains ineffable
in a context beyond that which
my primitive consciousness can grasp,
and I’m beginning to understand
that the seduction of your existential aloofness
is part and parcel
to the inherent romance in this experience of life.
I cannot come to know you fully
in the spaces of my mind,
but I can feel you in my guts,
in my heart, in my veins,
through my blood, in my bones,
down to the marrow.
These two open eyes
cannot gleam your greatness,
but when they are closed
I can see dimensions
beyond this physical plane of existence,
and I can sense the raw power
which pulses from your source
as it radiates outward
to be divined by those who truly seek.
The names which you have been called by
throughout the ages
mean nothing to me at this point –
simple words babbled from broken tongues
cannot capture the purity of your meaning;
it is your essence
to which I am addicted,
and I will never cease
reaching toward your unconditional love
until every urgent craving in my soul
has been satiated by your presence.
Lung Capacity
Electricity is the Source
in the blood
that brings shivers
across my spine
in the midnight hour
as I silently devour
each laugh that tries to rise
but there is no stopping God-head
Logos fever dreams
bring lucid sleep
where I awaken
on the River Tao
This life is but one breath
make sure to take a big one
Hype
The ground
was wet.
The sky
was empty.
The flood
did not live up to its hype.
Though waters raged,
life survived.
Flash Point
Spinning around the dance floor
without a care in the world…
nothing exists but this moment,
no one else matters but us,
because we all need somebody to lean on…
even if just for the night.
Scott's river poems made me want to post Herbie Hancock's version of Joni Mitchell's "River": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezkP00qywk
He also included "Nefertiti" on his album River: The Joni Letters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZUhW5z-JO4
This version of "Tea Leaf Prophecy" is also from River: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy5jp5gGtSs
Joni also worked with Jaco Pastorius, so I am going to include one of his performances as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOqR84PtctA
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