Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

building cathedrals March 16, 2012

Filed under: Pondering — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:03 am
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Over the last few years, we’ve had the opportunity to visit several basilica and cathedrals in Italy and France.  These huge edifices dedicated to the glory of God, all share one commonality: the architects and builders who began the project did not get to see it completed.  Building a cathedral is a gift to the future that you will never see.  This thought first occurred to me when I read Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth, but it has been reinforced by recent experience.

Take La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, for example.  The project was begun in 1882.  The initial architect retired in 1883 and Antoni Gaudi took over.  He was so dedicated to the project that he moved in, and had a bedroom in the church.  He died in 1826.  In the book, The Gaudi Key, I read that he was hit by a tram, and he was dressed so poorly that he was presumed to be homeless, and taken to a pauper’s hospital.  When he was found, he refused to move, and he died there.  He had spent over 40 years building the church at that point, and he remains there, buried in a crypt under the high altar.

In keeping with Gaudi’s style, La Sagrada Familia is a very organic building.  Animals and nature abound.  Some of the spires seem to have been inspired by termite nests.  Trees sprout from others.  The columns supporting the roof are like primeval trees.  The ceiling has parabolic circles Gaudi intended to improve the acoustics of the choir loft, which was built for 1000 choristers.

It takes a special kind of vision to look into the future and begin building a cathedral.  La Sagrada Familia is scheduled for completion in 2026, in time for the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death.  The project is completely financed with donations and entry fees to the church.  We bought our tickets and climbed the stairs of those spires.  We contributed a little bit to the building of a cathedral, a little nod to the future whether we are part of it or not.

Great projects are begun by simple men.  When others assume the vision and accept the challenge, the baton is passed, and great accomplishments can be achieved.

 

star dust March 11, 2012

Filed under: Commentary,Pondering,Reading — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:13 am
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“The secret has been within you since the day you were born.  We are all children of the stars–everything is.”

Martin and Carranza in The Gaudi Key

Where did I read that this is literally true?  Our nature as “carbon based life forms” shows that genetically we are full of star dust.  Crazy, isn’t it?  What secret is within us when we emerge bloody from the womb, open to the infinite possibility that is life itself?  What secret waits to tell us our purpose or destiny?  What is yours?

 

One day March 8, 2012

Filed under: Friendship,Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 4:00 pm

A few posts ago I mentioned the talented Catherine Novak and how she’d adapted my poem, “My Tribute,”  into a song back in high school.  I sang in a gospel musical group called Koinonia with Catherine , and she composed a song that we loved to perform.  It was bouncy and rocking and our audiences always loved it as well.  It’s another one that only exists in our memories, but this is what I recall of Cathy’s Song.  The lyrics are great, too.

One day a long time ago

When I had lost my soul

I knew I needed someone who would come and make me whole.

I looked around me and I saw Him standing there

He said that He would help me

my burdens He would bear;

and He said, I’ve got the time

If you will only follow me.

Come to my house, I will teach you to be free.

And you’ll become a part of one great family

and I said, “Lord, have mercy on me.”

We talked a long, long while, I told him of my fears

He comforted my soul, He wiped away my tears.

He said that he love me and save me from my sin

and if we just knock but once, you know He’ll let us in.

and He said,

I’ve got the time

If you will only follow me.

Come to my house, I will teach you to be free.

And you’ll become a part of one great family

and I said, “Lord, have mercy on me.”

And now I live my life in  h a r m o n y with G o d ….

and He said,

I’ve got the time

If you will only follow me.

Come to my house, I will teach you to be free.

And you’ll become a part of one great family

and I said, “Lord, have mercy on me.”

I wish there was a recording for you to hear this, because it is really quite a wonderful song.  It’s good as a poem, too, though.  ;-P

Thanks Cath, for some great musical memories!

 

Seven Deadly Sins March 5, 2012

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:30 pm
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I am the best man you will ever find
Give me everything you have
I’ll wait here on this couch
hating that idiot who is the reason I’m not rich
Come here, baby. You know you want me.
I’m the sexiest man you know.
despite my size 60 jogging pants

—————————————

In case you’ve forgotten, they are Pride, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Lust, Vanity, Gluttony

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As shared with the Poetry Garden http://gooseberrygoespoetic.blogspot.com/  If you’re here from the Gooseberry Garden, please leave a link to your own poem in the comments below.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

standing up to bullies February 28, 2012

Filed under: Pondering,Teaching — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:57 am
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All around my school are posters advertising February 29th as the day students are to wear Pink Shirts as a way to take a stand against bullying.

We teach our kids that they need to stand up for themselves and for their friends when they are under attack.  We teach our kids that it is wrong to try to force ideas and opinions without reasoned discourse.  We teach our kids to show respect to those who are different from themselves, whether they agree with them or not.  We teach our kids how to negotiate a fair solution when they have a disagreement with their peers.

In light of this week’s anti-bullying message, watching the BC Provinicial government’s bullying tactics toward teachers is rather ironic.  This week they are trying to force teachers to accept an imposed contract, refusing to either negotiate or to have neutral mediator negotiate on their behalf.

It’s a  lesson in irony.

Teachers believe in equity.  We stand up to bullies.  We have to, in order to be role models for our students.  When we stand with our friends against bullying behavior, bullies back down.  Right?

My pink shirt this Wednesday, February 29th is going to have several layers of meaning, as I do what I can to stand up for those who are bullying me and my colleagues.

 

consideration vs acceptance February 24, 2012

Filed under: Pondering — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:46 pm
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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

~Aristotle

.

I fully agree with this statement.  The ‘what if’ that allows a person to look at the unknown, the different or the strange is a powerful tool for knowledge.  Seeking to understand another perspective only strengthens your own wisdom.  Your own perspective may be different, but by understanding the cultural, historical, or experiential background behind the point of view of someone else, you grow.   You don’t have to believe the same thing.  You don’t have to accept the conclusions made by others.  However, considering other perspectives helps you to understand your own beliefs and values.  Learning about yourself is valuable.  Learning is a good thing.

 

sonnet 61 shoes February 17, 2012

Filed under: Poetry,projects — Shawn L. Bird @ 5:54 pm
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When we were in Paris last March, I found a shoe sale. I ended up buying a pair of black leather wedge shoes (for just 12 Euros!  John said, “How much?  Why don’t you buy the brown pair, too?” lol) Now, I don’t really believe in plain black anything, and those wedges seemed to me to be a black board just waiting for something to be written upon them.

So I looked for some fine tipped, permanent opaque pens.  I couldn’t find them anywhere within 100 km, so bought the Sakura pens on eBay direct from Japan, and waited for the day when inspiration would strike.

The day has arrived!

My plain black wedges are plain no longer! They sport the complete Petrarchan sonnet Canzoniere 61, in Petrarca’s original Italian. You might remember that this is the poem I translated for Grace Awakening.

Where there are inadvertent spaces (like where I needed to even up a line, and where the next word didn’t fit) I added roses. For each line of the sonnet I switched colours.  I completely free-handed these, and I was quite delighted that the entire poem fit EXACTLY between the 2 shoes!  Lucky fluke, eh?

I am quite contented with the result, and even more content that I did manage to get the project done before a year was up!

 

not quite spring February 16, 2012

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:48 am
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Spring’s promise whispered,
a twilight song warming me.
Buds broke joyfully
from bare, dead, winter branches;
Now they wear a snow blanket.

 

Warrior February 13, 2012

Filed under: Alpha-biography,Pondering — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:37 am

Warrior

There are a lot of warriors who fight in all sorts of wars. Sure, there are the traditional kinds of warriors: soldiers battling with guns and tanks, or arrow, swords and shields. There are also those who battle injustice using words: reporters, essayists, comedians, Amnesty International. There are those who fight disease: research scientists, doctors, nurses, labratory technologists, among them. There are those who battle ignorance, like teachers, scientists, philosophers, professors, students. There are those who battle poverty, like Rotary and other philanthropic groups. There are those individuals who battle addictions, loneliness, or mental illness.

Wars are fought on many fronts, and those who fight are warriors and worthy of respect for their efforts to conquer the evil that they have been called upon to fight.

 

My tribute February 9, 2012

Filed under: Friendship,Poetry,Pondering — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:30 am

I wrote a lot of poetry as a teen, to sort out my feelings about a variety of things, but usually about a boy (the particular musical boy, my obsession toward whom was the beginnings of Grace Awakening, in fact).  For his 20th birthday I gave him a book of my poetry (about him) all done in calligraphy.  At the end there was extra space, and so I created a rambling poem to fill 3 or 4 pages.

To celebrate his 21st birthday, I had another musical friend compose the music and adapt that rambly poem into a song.  During graduation weekend, on one rather emotional Saturday afternoon, after a swim in her pool, we performed for him (I had the descant part which I’ve essentially forgotten), she sang the melody and played the piano).

I find myself singing this song now and then, and it is strange to think that there are only three people on the planet who’ve ever heard this song, and I suspect of the three of us, I’m the only one who still knows any of  the words and the music, since that performance is now  far away in the murky mists of the past.

I could sing this for you, but you’d probably prefer it if I didn’t.  I assure you that it’s quite lovely though, and I’m thankful to the talented Catherine Novak Schulmann for her efforts to take my poetry and turn it into a very meaningful moment of music, lo those many years ago.

Over the years, I’m sure I’ve mis-remembered bits and re-constructed others.  Somewhere there might be a single cassette tape recording of it, but I doubt it.  That means there’s no way to check if I’m wrong, but this is the way I remember it:

In my small way, I have tried to capture
The many facets that I know are you
And in doing so, to discover myself
And the boy with whom I grew.

Beyond the images, we conceived of each other
Honestly, fictiously, subconsciously
What me mean to each other
Beyond our concept of love (whatever it may be)
`til we accept the facets ingrained in you and me.

When I say I love you I say it with my heart
`cause this feeling is not fleeting, untried, or new
And even when I’m angry
Or when I’m crying and lonely
That doesn’t weaken my trust or my belief in you.

For you have always made me feel important enough
To care for, to share with and be there for
When times got tough
And I thank you for your friendship
I’ll thank you `til the end
It’s a joy and a blessing, that you should be my friend.

You have given me many gifts
Your friendship, music,  and love
And these are gifts I’ll cherish for all time.
I thank you for giving me the greatest gift I’ve ever known
And this is my tribute.

♥

♥

Submitted for Poetry picnic on the theme of song, poetry, and art.   http://gooseberrygoespoetic.blogspot.ca/2012/04/poetry-picnic-week-29-art-music-and.html   If you’re here from the Gooseberry Garden, please leave a link to your poem in any comment you leave!