Real presence. Eye to eye. It was a cool December day in southeast Texas, and I could feel his warmth. But more. Indeed, I was not surprised when I got this photo on my computer and recognized my bright blue shirt, gray vest, arm holding my camera to my face… all reflected in his eye. In this case, “presence” is two creatures recognizing each others’ creatureliness across boundaries of size, shape, family, species. But not kingdom. We are of the same kingdom, the same Creation.
July 1, 2023 was a hot, hot day in Louisiana. I and a number of like-minded folks had been out in the sun counting butterflies at Black Bayou Lake NWR for much of the day. Now we were headed back toward air-conditioned vehicles to take us back to the air-conditioned headquarters to tally our count and refresh ourselves. Perhaps that is why I almost walked past this amazing work of art, architecture, and life without seeing it, even though it hung at eye-level in a small shrub. Of course, it was also well-shrouded by the leaves of the shrub, but…
Wind Breathe of life Fury of storm Scatterer of seedDowner of treesCooler of earthFanner of flamesYou take no orders from me.How do you know what to be today?bjk, 2023
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. –the prophet Isaiah
So much life going on in such a small space! Don’t let photography fool you. What you see is maybe 4 to 6 inches of plant materiel floating on the water of Black Bayou Lake. And if you know how to count them, you see 4 damselflies, each in a different moment of the process of becoming a damselfly. Allow me to enumerate. Beginning at the top right, a newly emerged damselfly, called a “teneral,” is still very wet. It can’t fly. It will sit there for hours–up to a day–for its wings to dry enough to fly. It is…
Edge & Essence 