“As long as we are able to be extravagant we will be
Hugely and damply extravagant. Then we will drop
Foil by foil to the ground. This is our unalterable task,
And we do it joyfully.”
And they went on. “Listen,
The heart-shackles are not, as you think,
Death, illness, pain,
Unrequited hope, not loneliness, but
Lassitude, rue, vainglory, fear, anxiety, selfishness.”
Their fragrance all the while rising from their blind bodies, making me
Spin with joy.
Today is 9/11. It is not a day of lassitude. There is too much death and pain associated with this date, though last year the date seemed to slip by noiselessly. Not so this year, for we have in our own town the threat of a small congregation burning a Koran. The media response is spinning out of control, and the whole circus gives rise to more violence, hatred, and fear. In the crowds that may gather if this church goes through with it, I heard of a stealth plan. A group of people trained in non-violent communication hope to infiltrate the gathered and offer empathy where they may.
They, roses in the garden.
If ever there was a day to do so, let us breathe in the fragrance of beauty, so that we may breathe out joy.
There was a Koran burned outside the Islamic Center in our small university town. I'm glad Rev. Jones didn't go through with his.
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