"I knowww no-thing"

"I knowww no-thing!"                 timothy r gates, 4/23/2012
Jesus looked back
why didn't he turn into a pillar of salt?
Ex nihilo - Eis nihilo
Rarely does an Artist know
"So, what was your original intent," asked often:
No idea,
save for when I think you'll be impressed with some
bullshit.
Don't trust omniscience,
save for the one who breathed out,
"...Why have you forsaken me?"
Those telling the way -
only topped by my silliness,
"i know the way."
Ha! Hogan's Heroes aphorism:
"I knowww no-thing!"

'Known'

'Known' timothy r gates, 4/20/2012
Second grade, first memory
she didn't touch me,
didn't know about me,
never saw her before then.
I knew.
Others touched, touch,
know details of me,
yet, never have known me.
I know.
Another painted, a decade ago,
listened to my reading,
didn't know a thing other than - this poet's reading,
never saw her before.
She knew.
In the cool of the Garden,
we've strolled,
leaves swirling up around our frames,
wordless words heard, unspoken.
Known.

'Dragonfly!'

'Dragonfly!' timothy r gates, 4/16/2012

so i saw my first Dragonfly today.
Not really, it was a Damselfly.
but, wow! Yes me.
i was exited.
i do wonder if they were in awe,
a species like myself carefully mowing around their foliage.
did they think of the words:
Grateful
Beauty
or, Wow?
maybe, unlike myself,
they don't think of these words.
maybe they just are them.
Damselfly or Dragonfly, matters not,
all i know is that we saw each other today.
In my romanticism,
the beauty of faith, i'm fond of saying,
i like to think that they were waiting for me today,
to say, “Hello there.”
I did say hi to them.

'Fertilizer for blessed killings' (a different sort of Paschal reflection)

'Fertilizer for blessed killings' timothy r gates, 4/13/2012

Blessings given
water sprayed over the soldiers
"IN THE NAME OF G-D, GOD, ALLAH --
WHOEVER, WHATEVER!"
or, in the claimed better way,
"SECULAR HUMANISM, ATHEISM, AGNOSTICISM!"
yes, a cursory look at these in our species-story will show what?
or, better yet,
those claiming not to be part of such passions --
they merely snub you to death if you don't lock step to their call.
i do love the silliness of those saying,
"well, our group has never fought in war,"
equivocation of their blessings as something else.
i'm sorry, there's no way,
when sports' teams huddle and pray,
that they are wanting anything other than a
WIN...
"Oh Lord, please help us do our best
(and bless the other team to do their best too),
and cause us to be an instrument of your peace....."
-- whoops, fell prey to an actual prayer of deference.
At least the sociopath simply quips,
“Get your ass outta of my way. It's mine now.”
Governments and blessings to them offer
our young as
heroes, martyrs, the brave (all true for the heroes, martyrs and the brave),
all the while only wanting what they call
“OURS.”
and what is done to those heroes, martyrs, the brave?
Fertilizer for more of the blessed killing.
Memory Eternal! Namaste! It is enough - Ich habe genug*!

*J.S. Bach, op. 82
I reflect upon the passion of our Lord, all claiming not to have killed him, many blaming this or that group, yet forgetting that the primary infraction, no matter what you may or may not believe about this crucified person, is the cowardly indifference towards the murder of an innocent person, and that the masses of that day from all sides cried out loudly or by their chosen silence added to the state's justification to nail him to the tree. Today? I would only pray that I would not be part of the loud or deaf cries against his innocence, and then for his murder. Our salvation, as it is called, is not only a story in time whereby our sins are somehow forgiven, and we are made new. If this is all it is it is no more than another's sociopath self-justification of one's own place in this and the next world. If we are redeemed, then we stand with this innocent savior and with those yet today being slain simply because they do not fit the prerogatives of this or that group, nation, family or.... “No greater love has a person than to lay down their life for their friend. You are my friends if you do what I've said to you.” (do the same as he, lay down your lives in behalf of others.) Mercy.

'Lazarus' in 2pts and another one...

‘Lazarus’ (11/02/04, timothy r. gates)



Lazarus was raised from the dead.

dead for four days, he stunk.

Back again into this world,

welcomed by his friend, he wept for him.

I wonder if Lazarus was just a tad pissed:

He wasn’t asked if he wanted to be resurrected,

He probably didn’t realize that it was only a reprieve.



'Lazarus' timothy r gates, 4/7/2012



all had wept, grieved, shared their meals together

wife and children knew they'd need to get used to it

the Kaddish had been chanted.

'together again,' so goes the Country tune,

wonder if he wept, too?

when he died, again, who remained to sing his dirge?

wonder if burial clothes are reused when not used long?

four days dead,

the first day is always the day you rise again.

from the beginning

seed yields seed,

blessing the repose of the buried.

one, two , three - ready go!



'chant our grief with our Mother' timothy r gates, 4/07/2012



we sing our hymns of remorse,

a funeral dirge like none other

we chant our grief with our Mother

we find our resurrection present,

after first beating our chests,

'it isn't fair! he-she was too young! why?'

as our Mother's son yelled,

'My God, my God - why have you left me alone!?'

our tears join hers,

only when our pierced hearts do too -

together the Psalmist's bottle overflows,

the Psalty might say,

'Enough already!'

On the next day, today, we

sing another song.

As to you Art, Poetry, Science: Two Stories from others....

It matters not whether it's your art in poetry, stories, painting, sculpturing, photography, dance, or in science or anything, it is yours to do, yours to give and yours to live. These two stories are offered only as encouragement: Write. Paint. Sculpt. Open your lenses to light. Dance. Discover. Observe. .......Be.....

Mercy - XB - Timothy 4/5/2012



Abba Macarius 4th century Egypt



A brother came to see Abba Macarius the Egyptian and said to him, "Abba, give me a word, that I may be saved." So the old man said, "Go to the cemetery and insult the dead." The brother went there, hurled insults and stones at them; then he returned and told the old man about it. The latter said to him, "Didn’t they say anything to you? He replied, "No." The old man said, "Go back tomorrow and praise them." So the brother went away and praised them, calling them Apostles, saints and blessed people. He returned to the old man and said to him, "I have complimented them." And the old man said to him, "Did they not answer you?" the brother said no. the old man said to him, "You know ho you insulted them and they did not reply, and how you praised them and they did not speak; so you too if you wish to be saved must do the same and become a dead man. Like the dead, take no account of either the scorn of others or their praises, and you can be saved."



'Holy Man, The' by Susan Trott



One story, as I recall, maybe reimagined:

A man saved up his money to take a pilgrimage up the Himalayans to visit an Ancient, an Elder for insight into his life. His journey took some time, with many obstacles, often just other pilgrims in his way. Finally, after weeks he arrived to the Monk's hut. Having been invited in by the Ancient's helper, he stood before the desired teacher for a minute or so, and then was shown the back door. August, he protested, 'After all this time and work I am given a mere minute of his time, and then with no word - no-thing, then pushed on aside?' The Elder simply responded, 'It's your journey.'

'Hoodies'

'Hoodies' timothy r gates--4/2/2012

hoodies
NFL and NBA tees
burqas and veils
or hats worn by all before the 60's
-cassocks still worn
with or without pectoral religious jew-elry.
Pause.
wwjd and wwj's mother do?
robes with hoodies, heat and sand,
added were well placed phylacteries.
(well meaning folks still blame
the way a young woman dresses for the lust,
or jealousy, in their hearts)
....... “I think you need to dress in a way that supports my illusion of safety.”

TRUTH?