Between Here and Eternity

Between Here and Eternity

Living life,
life's living
Eyes a looking
On and on
Some see backwards
Into a PAST
Moving through life
In shadows
Creeping,
Crawling,
Growling,
Screaming,
Struggling

Swim!
Sink or Swim!
They say to you
It's all in
Your perceptions
Life is ...
As LOVE is ...
What you make it
Step one,
Step two,
and three steps later
Moving forward,
Slowly but surely

Learn from,
But not live by,
Your PAST
As mistakes are made
For Growth,
Through Sorrow,
And Tears,
In Fears,
For LIFE
Now you stand TALL
Between Here
And Eternity
So, LIVE!

I say again!
LIVE life
Life is ALIVE
Then Smile,
Next Laugh,
Be Well,
And True
To Thy Self
Life is short
So why CURSE?
Or Cry?
Instead, just LIVE,
And LOVE well!

(written, April 22, 2008)

I credit my new friend Michael Brown for inspiring me to return to my poetry writing after reading his. I generally post on this blog, ad libbing as I post. When in the right mindset, magic can happen, and my writing flows out of me, my mind, my soul - naturally, wonderfully and unabashedly. It is *I*, ME in the words, as you read and feel the words, but who am *I* really? Really? (wink)

I think with his influence, I may even start drawing again, if I can find more time in a day. That's usually the limit, which stops me from doing more that I want - but can't (OH I DISLIKE the word "can't", since I am a doer.) - due to the limits of time. Yes, I DO sleep - just a little - sometimes. (smile) But in between my sleep and dreams, I DO "draw", until the day I can lay these images down with pencil in hand and paper before me.

I was fortunate to be born, practically with a pencil in my hand, so drawing is a natural "gift from the gods" and an extension of my artistic expression. Overtime, I hope when I have some drawings done, I will share them here. Then, only then will you see and sense whence I came to be partly the artist who *I* am today but NOT tomorrow, as I grow and learn in this life. I am still exploring the many facets of my artistic expression and being, living life to the fullest capacity I know "between here and eternity", all the while loving every moment.

Thank you Michael for opening the door to some of my past JOYS. Guardian angel, thank you too, for watching over me and sending me these new friends. Keep 'em coming.

Until next time,
Cherish your friendships,
New or old

Be at Peace
Lisa

The Thursday Tease

An early Thursday Tease for everyone as I am off to Miami with NO Internet access while there. I always feel so out of touch when I can't get on the computer. We're somewhat "slaves" to the super highway, this Internet. Without it we feel so disconnected. I don't have that attachment to my cell phone like others. It's strange but wonderful to be connected to the world through this medium - and here I am writing to all of you from my blog - whoever is reading.

And, perhaps I am hungry for exquisitely delicious mochi at this late hour of my post. If you've never had this dessert, you're missing out on some gummy yummy stickyness. It's a Japanese rice cake desert made with glutinous rice (sweet rice) filled with lots of wonderful sweets (generally red bean paste, sometimes green tea flavored) which I can't have much of due to being diabetic! Ouch, life's not fair but I can sneak a small bite when I go to Little Tokyo. The Chinese have a similar version and we eat it during the New Year festivities. It's definitely an acquired taste. To read more about mochi, just visit Wikipedia!

I think I thought of mochi for this week's Thursday Tease because of this fascinating new friend I met recently, whom I hope to collaborate in some future projects with. I've been fortunate, of late, to come across some amazing artists. But "hush" is the word for now but you will know more later this year what I am cooking up. If he reads this, he'll know I'm talking about him. He was emailing me this weekend about drinking kukicha tea and having a Japanese pancake (okonomiyaki) for breakfast - making me thirsty for matcha and hungry for okonomiyaki (Chinese folks have a similar pancake too!)

And as luck would have it, I later found this wonderfully colorful photo of beautifully decorated mochi in my archives. It was a photo I found on Flickr sometime ago.

Can you see an inspired beaded bead amongst the mochi with Miyuki or Toho size 15/o seed beads? Perhaps a sculptural glass bead emulating this scrumptious dessert, using Opalino or Alabaster Italian Moretti glass? Or maybe a hand-felted woolly version of these with Cascade 220 yarn to tempt your fiber desires? Maybe another variety of mochi with punched out shapes from exquisite origami papers? Or even a polymer clay alternative with Sculpey, Premo, Fimo, Kato or your favorite clay. My imagination is running wild and rampant here.

Goodness gracious food can be inspiring to our art as well, no? The Japanese are experts in creating artfully decorated foods that are a feast to our eyes and to our tummies. Let's feed our "color" hunger and creativity with some MOCHI! Yum!