Something to Anticipate.

I'm currently performing a balancing act (or is it juggling?) between my painting, photography, and writing. However, today I want to mention how I'm progressing with my forthcoming 2nd book collection of poetry that I hope to launch next spring titled - A Hermit in Paradise'.

It has been two years in the writing and is, foremost, a collection of austere Nature poetry in the Ancient Chinese Ch'an buddhism 'Rivers and Mountains' (or Shan-Shui) tradition that reached its high point in the Tang dynasty.

I have all the poems written and redrafted - and redrafted, and redrafted (I draft a poem a minimum of 3 times, and often up to 7) and am making good progress with the editing (see sample below). I shall fine-tune everything over the winter months and look forward to getting out and doing readings and meeting people around my home county of Mayo here in Ireland next April/May.

I don’t have much, I don’t want much
My practice is non-attachment

Enjoying things as they pass
Letting the swallow fly free

Not wanting to capture and dissect him
Like the scientists

Searching for minds and souls in corpses
In order to do what? Clone one? put it on a stand in a museum?

See how it might win the next war?
Or make some company filthy rich?

Better to come sit with me
Beside the river counting breaths

And watch the golden sunrise on the mountain

I am also pleased to mention that I am presently involved in two thrilling book-projects with other artists; one here in Ireland, and the other in Vienna. With one, a painter, I am a collaborator. And with the other, an editor and contributor. I cannot say more at present because they are not my projects, but I am very excited about both of them as they are for very worthy causes. In due course I shall make them known to you.

Just now, with the shortening days of October, the light is beautiful. But, regrettably, I have not managed to indulge one of my other amin passions - Landscape Photography. Nevertheless, I intend to remedy that sometime soon. But for now, here is an image I made a few weeks ago of the Great Western Greenway (with a few lines of prose I composed).

Until the next blog,

Happy creating,
Mark