Thresholds and Posts: Ezekiel 43

Jul15

Afterward he brought me to the gate,
even the gate that looketh toward the east:
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel
came from the way of the east:
and his voice was like a noise of many waters:
and the earth shined with his glory.

And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw,
even according to the vision that I saw
when I came to destroy the city:
and the visions were like the vision
that I saw by the river Chebar;
and I fell upon my face.

And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.

Ezekiel 43:1-8 [KJV]

At the Brink of the Threshold: Ezekiel 47

Jul11

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house;
and, behold, waters issued out
from under the threshold of the house eastward:
for the forefront of the house stood toward the east,
and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house,
at the south side of the altar.

Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward,
and led me about the way without unto the utter gate
by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold,
there ran out waters on the right side.

And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward,
he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the ankles.

Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand,
and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in,
a river that could not be passed over.

And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this?
Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.

Ezekiel 47:1-6 [KJV]

IMAGE CREDIT: Yannick Khong, Soul Travel Multimedia

Jungle Smile

Jun11

I wrote the following poem before the events recounted below had occurred.
Last Christmas my mother gave me a book: River of Darkness by Buddy Levy (available at Amazon.com ha ha ha) which I ignored for about 4 months. I almost sold it, but filial guilt constrained me. Then, God be praised, I discovered Juaneco y su combo on YouTube and promptly became addicted to Amazonian Cumbia music. I got the book off my shelf and read it in about 3 days, learning about the Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon as well as her headwaters both mythical and actual.
But it gets weirder: I went to ‘Peru Culture Night’ at my local fine arts museum where they were showing a movie (Perro Hortelano) about the Peruvian Amazon. The film started late, I decided I did not want to stay. As I was leaving the event, I noticed a giveaway drawing being offered near the door. I entered the raffle (something I rarely do – and I have never won anything significant in my life). The prize was 4 days in the Amazon jungle. I scribbled my email and name on the ticket and threw it in. My last thought was: “if I were to win this it would prove that God knows all about my obsessions and also has a sense of humor.” I paid it no further mind.
The next day I was told I had won 4 days at Tahuayo Lodge in Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo conservation area near Iquitos.
I have a year to decide when to go. So you see, she fell right into my undeserving arms . . . great is the Lord of the Jungle. My poem:

Jungle Smile

Your beaded snakeskin loincloth

strung beneath humid palms

cool rippling breeze that calms

our hammock hung under thatch

what a catch . . .

your Amazons

running into my Congo

lost track of my bongo

back about one mile

from the sources of the Nile:

your jungle smile

restoring all celestial things

deep within your tropical clearings . . .

flowing slowly, going loco

at the mythic mouth of the Orinico . . .

shake your nut-brown biospheres

and banish all my worldly fears.

Dusk is nearing—clearing the hill

insects trilling a sinuous thrill;

the yuca half-mashed in the clay pot

the witch doctor hungover in his hut

while our little fire smolders

near the mountains of the moon

—or are they only boulders?

Come soon

Jesus, Lord of the Jungle . . .

linked version

Your beaded snakeskin loincloth
strung beneath humid palms
cool rippling breeze that calms
our hammock hung under thatch
what a catch…
your Amazons
running into my Congo
lost track of my bongo
back about one mile
from the sources of the Nile:
your jungle smile...
restoring all celestial things
deep within your tropical clearings…
flowing slowly, going loco
at the mythic mouth of the Orinico…
shake your nut-brown biospheres
and banish all my worldly fears.
Dusk is nearing – clearing the hill
insects trilling a sinuous thrill;
the yuca half-mashed in the clay pot
the witch doctor hungover in his hut
while our little fire smolders
near the mountains of the moon
– or are they only boulders?
Come soon
Jesus, Lord of the Jungle…

Courting the Ice Maiden

May23

She was an Andean maiden, a sacrificial victim, an embodiment of unspoken longings, sealed in a frozen tomb at the peak of a Bolivian mountain. I heard Inca music leading me on for years before I ever met her, walked up glaciers to find her, searched the headwaters of the Amazon for her essence, bathed my soul in forbidden tears, Inca on heights brought her treasures and tribute, laid my offerings at the foot of her mountain heights . . . but she was not there. Her tomb was empty. She was living in a mining town in Arizona with hair died Gothic black. I tried in vain to win her, I wrote her poems, prayed for her, but communication was impossible.
She wouldn’t splash around in the wading pool—
and I wanted to plunge below the Atlantean depths with her.
She figured I was a misfit outsider—I thought she was the fate of the Americas.
I offered her the treasures of darkness—she wanted someone to pay her light bill.
I would have borne her burdens—she gave me the cold shoulder.
I moved out of that town about nine months after she got knocked-up (not by me), and I lost touch, forever.

The unanswered question:
why did this person make such an indelible impression on me?

Princesa 2

CONNECT/HOOK

POETIC FLUX

Tag Archives: poetry

Thresholds and Posts: Ezekiel 43

Afterward he brought me to the gate,
even the gate that looketh toward the east:
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel
came from the way of the east:
and his voice was like a noise of many waters:
and the earth shined with his glory.

And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw,
even according to the vision that I saw
when I came to destroy the city:
and the visions were like the vision
that I saw by the river Chebar;
and I fell upon my face.

Ezekiel 43:1-8 [KJV]

At the Brink of the Threshold: Ezekiel 47

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house;
and, behold, waters issued out
from under the threshold of the house eastward:
for the forefront of the house stood toward the east,
and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house,
at the south side of the altar.

Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward,
and led me about the way without unto the utter gate
by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold,
there ran out waters on the right side.

And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward,
he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the ankles.

Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand,
and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in,
a river that could not be passed over.

And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this?
Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.

Ezekiel 47:1-6 [KJV]

IMAGE CREDIT: Yannick Khong, Soul Travel Multimedia

Jungle Smile

Jungle Smile

linked version

Courting the Ice Maiden

The unanswered question:
why did this person make such an indelible impression on me?

IMAGE CREDITS: incaprincess.org
landesfes.deviantart.com

Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

Ezekiel 43:1-8 [KJV]

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.

Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.

And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.

Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.

And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.

Ezekiel 47:1-6 [KJV]

IMAGE CREDIT: Yannick Khong, Soul Travel Multimedia

Jungle Smile

linked version

The unanswered question: why did this person make such an indelible impression on me?

IMAGE CREDITS: incaprincess.org landesfes.deviantart.com

Afterward he brought me to the gate,
even the gate that looketh toward the east:
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel
came from the way of the east:
and his voice was like a noise of many waters:
and the earth shined with his glory.

And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw,
even according to the vision that I saw
when I came to destroy the city:
and the visions were like the vision
that I saw by the river Chebar;
and I fell upon my face.

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house;
and, behold, waters issued out
from under the threshold of the house eastward:
for the forefront of the house stood toward the east,
and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house,
at the south side of the altar.

Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward,
and led me about the way without unto the utter gate
by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold,
there ran out waters on the right side.

And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward,
he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the ankles.

Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters;
the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand,
and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.

Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in,
a river that could not be passed over.

And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this?
Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.

The unanswered question:
why did this person make such an indelible impression on me?

IMAGE CREDITS: incaprincess.org
landesfes.deviantart.com