Tenacity
I am so honored to have the writing of Shadow Dancer as a collaboration in lieu of this writing. Her work below was inspired by this piece, thank you so much!!
The Redwood and the Rain Goddess
*By: Shadow Dancer
You think you are a rock
cemented in your own happiness.
But why are you so steadfast?
Why are you so afraid
to move with the earth,
to change as life changes?
Your need to keep
what you believe in
often calls to me
when I am trying to
find my way home.
You are the Redwood Tree,
your roots anchor to the core
of your own being.
You are glorious
in your existence,
bigger than life.
Your fingers reach
to the sun itself.
But, my glorious Redwood,
don’t you know that
I am water,
given to you from
Mother Earth herself?
You feel I am transparent
as you look down on me,
judging through your leafy eyes
and pointing branches.
But look closer,
what you see is not me,
but a reflection of life.
Look even closer,
bend your grandiose trunk…
look into my clear waters.
That is you
that you are seeing.
You are so bold and tall,
so beautiful,
the majestic King of Trees.
but you forget,
that even you are needy.
Even you cannot survive
by yourself
alone.
Do you not see that I am
your life sustainer,
your refresher and cleanser?
You have forgotten,
Grand Protector of
all that you believe in,
that Gaia, our life giver,
painted my world
to be ever changing.
She spreads me across
the Earth, giving my gift,
providing my essence,
getting blown by the wind,
heated by the sun,
and frozen in the air.
I am a transformer,
a changeling.
I am the rain that drops
onto your dry bark,
the elixir that your
thirsting roots cry out for.
But when will you understand,
my Forest Sovereign,
that they are crying because
you drink me in
but then send me on my way?
Why can’t you see,
as you sit in your place,
the same place
you have always been,
that your roots are stuck
in the muddy remnants
of what has not been?
Just once, reach your fingers
to the sky and call
my white cotton chariots
to carry me to you and storm
down upon your grandness
a deluge that washes away
your hard, gritty persistence.
Let go of yourself,
let go of your perseverance,
let go of all that you have
been standing for,
This time let it be me
that is your constant,
and get washed away
in the cycle
that is this life.
(Your roots are thirsting,
don’t you feel it?)
Tenacity belongs to the following groups:
Complex Simplicity of Art, ABSTRACT DIGITAL ART AND WRITING, Core [C.O.R.E], Feminine Intent (LIMIT TWO IMAGES PER DAY), Nirvana (Only 1 photographic art and 1 written work will be accepted per day ), The Art of Intrigue 2/24, The Healing Journey, THE SISTERHOOD and Up & Coming WritersThere is a certain muscle in his heart,
Tenacious as hell,
Resolve with a heady mix of
Obligation and duty
Spilling over
To a dance of postponement and restraint.
Yet a melding of dire consequences
That broke the camels back
Does not phase him
Situations that kill others hopes and dreams
Pass over him like duck water down his back
He may swim in murky waters and smell the fires
Burning
But he does not flee
No, he feathers his nest even more now,
He goes about the duty of deliverance.
He has responsibility to thank for his persistence
Continuity a road well worn by his journey
And,
Agreements
Within
His only truth sometimes
Sustaining a position he burrows into
Roots growing fast and strong
Even if everything around him begins to rearrange themselves to a different set of beliefs
Revealing a different future
He remains a constant unto himself
And sometimes I think this will actually work
Due to unbending intent
The broken pieces will just be ground
Down to dust particles
And change winds will blow them away
What remains by his side is of his own doing
Scattered remnants of pain and pleasure
Leading the charge with flags flying
‘We bring you liberation and freedom’
However, in the charge there are many deaths and wounded inflicted by this Badge of honor
Worn with a mighty cause
His happiness or so it would seem.
That is the beauty however of this beating heart
This righteous army
Swelling round the wounded and the lost
As the dust settles and the ‘liberators’ are reaching out
With grace
Smiling
Picking up the pieces with tenderness and tears
We are convinced sometimes perhaps it is best
To remain here
In the place where one was born
Where one was once happy and playing as a child
Remembering only the sweetness of growing up
In a neighbor hood that had many stories of joy and
Pleasure.
So we take the liberators hand with a smile
Because now he has given us a piece of chocolate
With almonds
Something we have not had for a very long time.
Linaji 2009
eon .
Terrific and interesting Peice indeed lina Ciao Steve Xx
linaji replied
Did I hook the Hook??? thanks so much for being here today .. You too are a man of your word.. and of life pulling sometimes at your heartstrings.. you manage so well .. thorough it all, I so respect you Steve.
billyboy
Yeah, maybe it is better to remain where we were born.
But where`s the adventure in that Ms. Ji?
Maybe deep inside we all strive to reach the point where we see the prize as greater than the honor?
Got chocolate??
xo
linaji replied
funny how you see this one BBji.. this is interesting and it is almost you see the entire piece as one person as the subdue er.. and the liberator till the very end.. when chocolate and almonds were offered.. you felt it was then someone else had come round to lend a hand.. xox
billyboy
Btw, that picture is cool.
You know what complimentary colors do to me….
linaji replied
I have always liked this piece very much.. I just did not think about uploading till I wrote this.. spikey.. with contrast.. hummmm I think it is a most perfect match!! lolol xo
Isa Rodriguez
there are days so tiring…. I feel overwhelmed knowing so many thing that I dont need to know.. what is intelligence except for knowing to do good .. knowing to work hard.. why do I complicate my life so much..
thanks, needed to ramble..
linaji replied
dear one.. take the time to allow for your own thoughts to give you some relief. Find now a thought that feels a bit better than the ones you are embracing.. you do good by feeling good.. when you feel good everything and everyone around you will benefit.. I hear your heart.. it is big and good and so very very full of intelligence!!!
billyboy
Spikey & Curly… you just SO blew my mind with this pic!!!
xo
linaji replied
hi Spike.. wow.. I got another name.. ! 2 gym classes later and a great great friend.. said some things to me about some stuff on my brain and I feel so much better.. Oh.. the reply was just to call you Spike.. tee hee..xox
valzart
Excellent writning sweetheART wonderful depiction of a warrior angel ;}x happy hippy hugglez
linaji replied
Well yes my sweet Valzart… Hugglez are so good too!!
Susan Trigg
Beautiful piece!!
linaji replied
Seeker!!! you are so kind!
C J Lewis
Like a description of life on the path at it’s upmost journey … good writing Linaji :)xoxox
linaji replied
Oh CJ.. means the world to me.. your comment.. much much thanks.
JamieGreen
When you swim in murky waters , you have to use other senses. Your sight may not be so clear , so you have to feel , taste and listen. Wonderful thoughts written so well by one who has all those attributes.
Linda Ridpath
you have a great style, and this is a great piece…. xx
linaji replied
Coming from a wonderful and perceptive artist like you Linda really..feels good.. thanks so much.
clarkey
Again, I love the way your abiguity speaks . . . of someone’s yearning for a heart’s desire, yet he is restrained by his acceptance of responsibility, and, perhaps, the security of childhood happiness. You speak of his strength and determination, his ability to remain true to himself in the face of adversity and longing. You speak of a man who offers freedom, release. A wonderful man to meet, and cherish, forever . . . and one who, when he comes, comes with a forgotten treat to add to the freedom he gives.. Very well written, Lina.
linaji replied
wow clarkey.. this is such an amazing compliment..and I am taken back by it.. thanks so much:=}
ShadowDancer
oh wow lina.. this is packed full of mental goodies… what a man, headstrong and firm, constant unto himself i love that.. i’ve known this kind.. he is who he is nomatter what. it’s so appealing, so strong and grounded, but life is about a cycle, it’s about being able to change and move with the aura of itself… sometimes those so thoroughly grounded get a little left behind, like a tree determined to stay where there is now a lake. alone, digging deep into muddy remnants of what was. and then the end, oh the ending! it reminds me of people in a holocaust, having not eating for so long, hungry beyond what we can understand, and to give them chocolate, such a delicious handout… so yearned for in long times of isolation and starvation. unfortunately when you are so starved, chocolate isn’t exactly what you need, despite it’s goodness… i hope for wholesome goodness to be given in the end. something to make you thrive, something nourishing and life-giving.
(um.. i think i might have over-analyzed this, but it really made my mind go into overdrive!)
LOVE IT
ShadowDancer
p.s. i think you’re going to break my favorite button….
linaji replied
Good God.. will you write a piece.. ??? the above comment is so very profound and poetic.. I would love for you to take what you just wrote and write one.. we can collab it really…your a remarkable woman to see the depth of this piece it is everything you have stated and I tell you I am crying.. xox
JennyMac
This is truly beautiful… I thank shadowdancer for bringing it to my attention. Thank you both!!!
linaji replied
Jenny.. thank you so much.. such kindness you bring here .. I have added you too to my watchlist and appreciate your fav.. Shadow Dancer is a very special woman.. indeed.
RosaCobos
Dear one…..
or may I say ones?
I am little lost… visual as I am…. first I went to read The Redwood….dont’ tell me why… and then yours..and my visions danced from a big and thirsty giant of Viriditas, to a stark and tenacious self hearted man…. and looked for the two images be blended… quite exhausted. The experience has been like a brain-storm… but I cannot say if I was the lighting, the rain or the thunder… ending my soul misty and strange, for the outlines of the thoughts were like abstract picture.
And then…. I read ShadowDancer comment to your poem… and thought.. well how poetical and clear is this woman!!!!! perfect counterpart of your somehow “radical and anarchist” (obviously this is a metaphor). This is what I call… Souls Resonance. The resonance does it sounds differently depending the environ, the background andt in some way it is linked with the nickname… “ShadowDancer”....which I find precious..At the end I cannot say to whom my soul is resounding.. if with Lina-ji or ShadowDancer-ji.
To both of you… in any case my congratulations.
Something has been dancing in my brain now…. both poems… seem to be directed to some posible male soul…and for me they reveal a conversation with each and both “animus” figure….it is fantastic.. yes. Have you ever “stretched your ear”...because you want to hear a conversation that is a little out of reaching… and yet you manage to pick some expressions there and words here…. ?
Rosa
linaji replied
Oh Rosa.. you are so kind and clear.. and your participation today has given my heart a reward of faith.. today is grim.. it is a shadow day and a shadow came to play.. then the strong voice of reason from you my lovely friend.. How lucky I am.. I go not to the gym to get rid of these demons somehow.. Much Much Love to you .. I will accept a Rosa Hug as they are like water in my wounds.. xoxo
Keith Reesor
Extraordinary!! :)
linaji replied
big hugs..xoxoxox
Vasile Stan
This writing is so amazing, that it almost got me going on planet Mars… until I read the shadowdancer’s writing… and then the coin dropped in a most unlikely position: vertical. So I can see the two writings are the depicting the two facets of One coin: when part of that One coin, they can never see each other, only when separated. Twin souls attached back to back and looking at the world in opposite direction, none being able to see the “other side” through direct experience. Wow Linaji, luckily it is not me the one the fingers are pointed to… my joe just dropped, dead from asphyxiation by the implied silence of a parabola. An eye opener, and this is not the 3rd one.
In the end is ufoslee. Boy, that was a jolt! Now the light is on… and the dark has retired inside.
What amazing poetry you can carry in your soul Lina!!!
eon .
” – ))) X
ArcadiaTempest
I know so much about this person….your writing exposed and took back layers to reveal what drives and beats…..and also what tempo the beat is….....It as the title suggest sure there was a glue in the undercurrent adhering the greater vision. XXXX
linaji replied
Layers my friend.. so many.. thank you for your vision and feel for this piece.. I am amazed at people who can plow though.. even when they see it all falling down around them.. xoxoxo
BiographyofRed8
This is amazing writing, I can’t believe I almost missed it!!! This portrait you have created stands a real person, especially that we have not had chocolate with almonds from a liberator’s hand, just brilliant writing!!!!!!!