FANTASY

"Fantasy" - digital image by S. Auberle

FANTASY

On a stormy night in March

you first came to my door

offering a split of pink champagne.

Your hope, you told me thirty years later,

was that I might distract you

from a life too early filled with duty.

To you I was moonlight,

wings, a tall aphrodisiac

with hair near to my waist.

I didn't know who you were,

didn't even know me,

but we drank from crystal glasses

and wrapped ourselves

in the silk of my hair

which took years

for Reality to untangle.

I think I am still

a figment of your imagination.

- mimi

FOG

"GAIA" - digital collage by S. Auberle

Among these shrouded trees

in the hush of mountain air

I see gods beckoning,

their long, wispy fingers pointing,

then disappearing in clouds.

Sharp edges retreat before me,

black and white soften to silver,

tendrils of mist brush my face

like the untamed hair

of angels and crones...

- mimi 1996

BLOOM

Christmas Cactus - S. Auberle

"I was a late bloomer. But anyone

who blooms at all, ever,

is very lucky...

many lives don't allow that,

the good fortune of being able

to work at it and try,

and keep trying."

- Sharon Olds

GUMBO YA-YA

On the day after Thanksgiving I am thankful for the afternoon spent cooking up gen-u-wine File Gumbo with YoungerSon/#1 Chef. (We did live in Cajun country for one year.) Though, truth be told, he did the hard part--the roux--to perfection, while I mostly chopped vegetables--green pepper, celery and onions. Chef Emeril calls this combination the "holy trinity," and considers it essential to most Cajun recipes. My other important part of this undertaking was stirring said roux, while #1 Chef ran around the house flinging open windows to prevent the smoke alarm from going off and waking napping children.

For those of you who wish to try it, ingredients consist of: freshly made stock from yesterday's turkey carcass; the fragrant, chocolate brown roux; file spice; grilled andouille sausages; mucho garlic; jalapeno peppers; couple of bay leaves; unfortunately no okra--both our mates were unenthused about that ingredient; served over rice with garlic bread and India Pale Ale. Pinot Noir for the Chef's Assistant (that would be me); left over pumpkin pie; leftover apple pie with cheddar wedge; a full moon rising over the desert saguaro, and it just doesn't get any better than this!

- mimi

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Encaustic wax print by S. Auberle - 1997

Warmest holiday wishes from the mountains. We're not going over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house. Heading south with the birds, instead, for a desert Thanksgiving.

Wherever you are, may your holidays be filled with family, warmth and many blessings...

- mimi

TTBTF (Things to be thankful for)

Seattle Fish Market Wall - S. Auberle

As Thanksgiving approaches, besides the most important things for which I'm thankful--loved ones, friends, home, health--I'm keeping a list of smaller things, just because I think it's important. Here are a few, in no particular order:

peanut butter

wine

my friend who sends me butterflies

music by Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai

goose down comforters

poetry of geese in the air

hiking Fat Man's Loop

magical photo software

Handel's Messiah

- many thanks, mimi

LAST SPLENDOR

Photo by S. Auberle

"Art is a collaboration

between God and the artist.

And the less the artist does,

the better."

- Andre Gide

ARE YOU HAPPY?

Photo by S. Auberle

At the opening of an art exhibit last night, a woman I hardly know walked up to me and, after the requisite amount of small talk, asked are you happy? There was so much noise I wasn't sure I'd heard her, and she said again, are you happy? I was stunned. How often does anyone ask you that, let alone someone you barely know?

At the guitar concert afterward, as I drifted with the music, the words kept swirling through my mind.

And then I knew--yes I was happy--to be hearing the notes of this haunting song, composed in 1509, and for the way it connected me to the man who had written it so long ago. I was happy for Tom Sheely--the guitarist, in his tux and tails and his neat, snowy beard and mustache. I was thrilled to watch him on stage--in front of 200 people, yet alone--making love to his guitar and I was happy for being allowed to feel that love.

I was happy, later, to walk out into a cold night, under the great lion constellation, and look for shooting stars of the Leonid meteor shower. There were none visible, but it didn't matter--all the other stars and a quarter moon in the satin sky were more than enough.

And most of all, I was happy that there are still people in the world who care enough, even when they hardly know you, to ask are you happy?

If there's no one around to ask, ask yourself...the answer might surprise you...

- mimi

ONE

Photo by S. Auberle

You could not

separate the sun that day

from the bent old woman

from the trees, the wind, the clouds

from me, from the grass.

You could not disjoin

any of these things

from the other.

There was no other.

- mimi

DAWN

Photo by S. Auberle

coyote chorus

calling up the sun

brittle air shatters

no need for alarm

clocks

- mimi

PEACE

Photo/painting by S. Auberle

the butterfly

resting upon the temple bell,

asleep

- Buson

THE JOURNEY

Photo by S. Auberle

"It is good to have

an end to journey toward;

but it is the journey that matters,

in the end."

-Ursula K. Le Guin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" One's destination is never a place,

but rather

a new way of looking at things."

- Henry Miller

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of journeys, I'm off to the Midwest for a few days...football games, birthday parties, etc. Back next week...

- mimi

THERE ARE DAYS

Photo by S. Auberle

one of those days

I don't know

which end's

up

- mimi

SHAKESPEARE

Photo by S. Auberle

"How with this rage

shall beauty hold a plea;

whose action is no stronger

than a flower?"

- Shakespeare

UNTITLED

Photo by S. Auberle

untitled

no words

just a feeling...

love

TRUE LOVE

Digitally altered photo by S. Auberle

"Cinderella's Castle" - Disney World

So tell me, Cindy,

are you and oh-so-charming

still living happily ever after?

Does he still bring you wonderful shoes

and slip your dainty feet into them?

Does he still open carriage doors,

rave over your pumpkin soup

and clean, cinder-free hearth?

Or (say it isn't so)

has he turned back into a frog...

If so, have you developed

a new passion for amphibians?

- mimi

WHAT LIES BENEATH

Photo by S. Auberle

autumn's

bright blouse

dark threads

beneath

FOR A WHILE

Digitally altered photo by S. Auberle

With the approach of the chaotic (both good and bad) holiday season, I am more and more feeling the need to retreat into myself. Am also feeling that this blog has been too wordy lately, so am taking it in a new direction for awhile. Each day or so, I'm just going to go through my picture files and take one that speaks to me, for whatever reason, and meditate on it. If a word or two, or a poem comes, fine, I'll post it. If not, there will just be the picture. We'll see how long my muse will be content with this...

- mimi

SILENCE

Artist unknown - photo by S. Auberle

"To a poet, silence is an acceptable response,

even a flattering one."

- Colette