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March 21, 2006

If you love Sufjan's music...

I have this crazy feeling that our greatest suffering will be in our separation.

Sometimes I wait for the bus without knowing it will come.

For now, I play guitar to ease my mind, not other people's.

I am proud of paint spattered on my clothes and body.

There's a time for tea and a time for coffee.

Loving people is not easy.

Two chairs side by side with red velvet coverings, there legs nearly touch.

Iceland in my thoughts, NY on my mind, Ireland in my head.

I am often hungry, I need food for my soul.

If you love Sufjan's music, pray for him.

I think I know what its all about but have no idea whats going on.

My family makes me laugh and cry... on the good days.

My potential always seems to be greater than my person.

Sometimes I am wrapped and held like a baby.

We made a joke and rolled around on the floor hugging our stomachs in laughter.

red, indigo, yellow, pearl, violet, deep earth brown are the colors in my eyes.


Posted by lukedavidh at 7:21 PM | TrackBack

March 13, 2006

Vincent and Paul

It was a cold night. I had waited 20 minutes for the dart, wandering in awe as I noticed the patterns made by nearly frozen water on the white concrete. As I entered the car I was trying to warm my hands with my breath. I sat diagonally across from a hip young Chinese. An Irish lad was asking me if I had come from a gig his friend had been playing at. He was telling me about his friend when he suddenly realized we were at his stop. In mid-sentence, he sprung from his seat and was gone. I began warming my hands again. The chinese man gave me an odd look, and I said something about how its cold out there. He then reached out his hand in a guesture of curiousity and cultural ignorance. I extended my arm towards him and he held my fingers for a few seconds, sensing their temperature. We talked for a bit and exited the dart at the same time, chatted while we walked and then parted ways. He told me about his work at a pub in Dublin, and how he was trying to get to America. His name is Paul.

Vincent, my roommate, is sick this week. But he will not relent. He is still going to school and going out and waking up between 6 and 7am. He is a good roommate. Much cleaner than I. Thankfully. And thankfully I can sleep through nearly anything because he likes to wake up early on Saturday morning to clean. I try to keep my mess in my little niche of the room. He is ok with it. He has several harmonicas and sometimes we try to play some blues together. Its fun but not really successful.

Internet access has been down at the church annex. Thats why I haven't been able to update or respond to emails. I am trying to catch up though. Right now I am in a pub that offers wifi, drinking some tea, trying to avoid the proprietor's menacing eyes. He seems to eye many people this way. Not my favorite place but has internet.

Posted by lukedavidh at 4:46 PM | TrackBack

March 3, 2006

Cash is money

The snow slowly finds its resting place on the sidewalk. Before it touches the concrete and melts into nothing it dances in the air around me. Flake by flake the persistent visual rhythm connects everything I see as my feet pound out my own internal cadence. In a thick sorrowed tone Johnny Cash blesses my ears with a soundtrack for my current life. For those ten minutes between the Dart and the Y, all my senses seemed to melt into that one beautiful experience. So right now, I thank God for snow, for walking, for Johnny Cash.

And I admit, Brigit Bell Ritchie... Cash is money.

Posted by lukedavidh at 8:04 PM | TrackBack

March 1, 2006

Riot in the streets

This past weekend there was a riot in the streets of Dublin. On Saturday city center (downtown) was filled with Republicans protesting the "Love Ulster" parade comprised mainly of Unionists. See http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/7487801?view=Eircomnet for more info on the riots. Kait was amidst them when they started but she got out of there fast. I was painting the whole day and almost went to take some pictures when I heard but decided to just keep painting. If Arod were here, we would have gone together.

lent begins today. Making a forty day forfeiture is a good reminder of what sacrifices have been made for us, methinks. I have decided after having one cup of sweetened coffee this morning, to give up adding sugar to beverages. Its something. Of course if I was ambitious i would give up coffee or solid food or oxygen. However, I can see the way excess sugars are physically unhealthy (teeth, braces) yet I cannot see any health issues in drinking coffee... I guess thats not really the point though.

A week ago we traveled in a rent-a-car to coastal Wexford and Bantry, on opposite sides of the island. It was wonderful. The countryside was so life-giving. I felt such a sense of history in these hills. It took me back to several novels I had read about Celtic folklore, by Stephen R. Lawhead and Morgan Lewellyn (spelling?). The descriptions of the landscape, I remember were just like what I saw. Though I heard in a history lesson last night that the main reason celtic folklore is attributed to Ireland is because the Roman empire never reached the 'barbaric island.' Supposedly other parts of Europe had been much more entrenched in celtic culture which was completely eradicated by the romans. Failing to reach the Irish land, allowed what subtle celtic influences they had to remain intact for centuries.

I must mention the sheep... the way they pepper a green hill with their nearly-white fluffy bodies, brilliant. God is so good at art, dang.

By the way, thanks for the comments. They are encouraging to read. Sorry for not responding to all of them.

Posted by lukedavidh at 12:48 PM | TrackBack