Mythos & Marginalia

life notes; flaws and all

j.g. lewis

original content and images ©j.g. lewis

a daily breath...

A thought du jour, my daily breath includes collected and conceived observations, questions of life, fortune cookie philosophies, reminders, messages of peace and simplicity, unsolicited advice, inspirations, quotes and words that got me thinking. They may get you thinking too . . .

this season

A little cold, little wet,

a little tired and yet

I am here. Still,

full of wonder.

The morning chill leaves

little to the imagination

and much less

to hope for.

Expected, perhaps, as it

always is, this time, this

season is only what

we ask of it.

11/21/2024                                                                                                                    j.g.l.

Mondays are just young Fridays

The answers are far less certain

than even last week, to all those

perennial questions or solutions

you might seek.

 

What do you believe, or 

what do you believe in?

 

Come Monday, you have fewer 

questions than you had last week.

For a while there are less doubts

in what you believe. 

 

Whom do you believe in,

and who believes in you?

 

11/18/2024                                                                                                          j.g.l.

deception

We want to know what
we don’t know, or hadn’t thought of,
or forgot.

What mattered then,
or what mattered when, shifts over time.
We notice.

Perception is what you don’t see.
Deception is what know.
You see it differently through your aloneness.

The truth behind a lie,
you question how and why.
It made sense.

Anticipation keeps us waiting
for only so long. Will it matter
if you felt it never did?

 

© 2021 j.g. lewis

cloud songs

   Consider each moment

   leading up to now. 

           Cause and effect 

        affects where you are, 

   whom you have been, and all 

         you are now.

Any possibility sustains every reality.

     To doubt is to question;

          to ask is to reply.

 

11/22/2024                                                                                                        j.g.l.

 

write on

As of late, for reasons as varied as they are non-existent, I have not been writing in the manner of which I have come to expect of myself. I am neither as prolific nor as detailed as, I feel, I usually am.

     My poetry, while still insightful, does not command the length or breadth I feel I am capable of. Revisions to a manuscript I have toiled away on for some time have become painful (perhaps a sign that the work is closer to completion than I care to acknowledge), and my mind wanders to another project that requires the same diligence.

   My daily writing is less than it once was (I feel guilty about that), and even the scant sentences I jot down in my journal seem to only document my time here on earth. Nothing extravagant, nothing more than a slight glimpse of where I am. Nothing that memorable, sadly.

   I’ve been feeling for months that I am ready to embark on another kind of writing but have yet to determine exactly what that might be. I am full or ideas, characters, dialogue and circumstance, but it doesn’t quite feel like it has the backbone it needs to pull me in a certain direction. I even, a few weeks back, bought a fresh new notebook to keep these thoughts separate from all the others. The notes I have included in this book are random, undeveloped, at times personal, and (as of yet) make little sense. I reread these notes, almost daily, and I am inspired enough to clarify or expand on certain streams of thought, but it needs a more definite direction.

   Perhaps I do as well?

 

11/17/2024                                                                                                                          j.g.l.

I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.

j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.

follow on social media

keep in touch

Enter your email to receive notification of significant posts. Don't worry, I won't clog up your inbox or sell your data

nature’s solace

Posted on May 22, 2024 Leave a comment

Conscious clarity defines interpretation, enthusiastic 

engagement with your surroundings modifies the obvious.

 

Reflections of prior knowledge clutter immediate impression 

of the world surrounding you now. Look deeper.

 

Place yourself beyond all that appears to be, physically

even philosophically. Overlook the momentary minutiae.

 

Greater meaning manifests itself within nature’s solace.

Consolation is subtly internal in the infinite external.

 

© 2024 j.g. lewis

concrete in her ways

Posted on May 16, 2024 Leave a comment

Windswept soil and worry 
damper weathered wings. Decades of dust weigh heavily 
upon her shoulders, Angel watching over dandelions and 
discarded needles on the church lawn. Too early for
spring cleaning, as if nobody cares to notice.
 
She has seen better days, 
long-time caretaker of a street corner where the discarded 
and deviant line up weekdays for nutrition, attention 
or companionship; someone who will listen
when words are hard to come by.
 
Without a prayer, or hope, 
faith eludes the less fortunate, even under watchful eyes. 
It became worse during pandemic days where souls lay about
our streets like Styrofoam and cardboard containers that
once contained lunch. Now litter, useless to anyone. 
 
Heartache by the day, a dose 
of prevention one trick away. Beggars and choosers, mothers 
and losers. No one sets the table when there is nothing left to eat.
Sole angel, concrete in her ways, is always there,
for those who choose to notice.

 
© 2024 j.g.lewis

implicitly evident

Posted on May 8, 2024 Leave a comment

Was it a month ago we all seemed to take the time to notice a temporary change in our environment?
   A mystery to many, a greater spectacle to some — depending on where in the world you were situated — most of us went out to watch the total eclipse, as daylight faded to night in the middle of the afternoon.
   It was simply stunning.
   We felt it, almost more than we saw it
   A once-in-a-lifetime experience I have, so far, managed to take in twice; decades apart.
   The wonder of it all still sits with me. Will I feel it again in my tenure on this earth?
   I didn’t bother making the trip to nearby Niagara Falls, considered to be the ultimate spot to spend the much-heralded three minutes or so. Thousands of sky-watchers from all over the globe made the journey to the city on Canada’s border with the United States to take in the magical occurrence, just as they did in 1979 when I had my first total eclipse experience in my hometown of Brandon Manitoba.
   This time I chose to stay near my current home in Toronto. It was close enough for me. While the effect was not full, it was intensely satisfying.
   What became implicitly evident to me in the hours and days afterward is that people noticed, for a short time, the natural wonder occurring right above them. Many of us took out our cameras; even more purchased those special protective eye shields that allowed them to safely see what was going on; it was that important to them.
   I am still wondering why we don’t do it more often.
   Yes, an actual total eclipse is rare and bewildering, but why don’t we look up more often?
   Why does it take a “special event”?
   Why can’t we just be aware more often of what is above us?
   Really. Each night, stars or not, there is something up there to capture the imagination. It might be one of the glimmering constellations you discovered as a child. Sometimes it is a full moon (the next one happens in 15 days) but even in the few nights that follow we are allowed an extravagant glimpse of Luna; a delight in any phase.
   Earlier in the days there are clouds, gentle wisps of inspiration, incandescent at sunrise and sunset, or brooding with turmoil as coming rains manifest right before our eyes.
   I always take time to notice the clouds, always in awe of the songs they sing and the shadows they cast. I have to, they are right above me, day and night.
   Some days are more colourful or spectacular than others, but that’s life. Isn’t it?
   Instead, all too often, we are all caught up in earthly concerns: troubles at the office, the rising costs of gas and grub, the politics of it all and the protests of many.
   Can’t we give our eyes and minds a break from it all and look up in mindful meditation even for a moment or two, relieving our soul of the inconveniences we might be experiencing or drama we are currently ensconced in?
   Look up, look ahead, and look around.
   See what is there and, if you can, feel what it means to you.
   It is usually quite humbling.
   For your own good, take the time to notice.

© 2024 j.g. lewis

misplaced memories

Posted on May 1, 2024 Leave a comment

What becomes of days past, the ones that remind you of people or places; even those you have long forgotten?
    April now a slight shadow, I can look back and wonder what really happened in the external world as I put aside the time to concentrate solely on my own concerns.       Perhaps it was selfish, or self-absorbed, but there had to be something inside the time within the lines that further defines who, or what, I am.
    It must be more than a guessing game.
    Through the years, it has become far too easy to dwell on reflections of days, weeks or months left behind. Or is it avoidance?
    Internal thought often neglects external stimulation. Often it holds me back.
    May now, June definitely on the horizon, and there will be vistas beyond.
    It is the way it happens and has always been.
    Remember?
    Even those places and people you avoided thinking about, or didn’t admit to considering, remain more than misplaced memories. Everything has an impact.
    I can only step ahead mindful that there was something that influenced my behaviour(s) as I endeavored to move forward. My direction dictates next steps, yet I do so knowing I am stronger because of what was experienced.

© 2024 j.g. lewis

what once was

Posted on April 24, 2024 Leave a comment

How often can you document the sun as it sets
repeating, many times over, the glorious feeling
it evokes. Now or when.
Are you not observant of the decay and dissolution
of our world, as it is now, or was then?
Reminders play tricks when you ignore
unmistakable sight.

I have read poets whom write of rust and common
deterioration, oxidation, degradation,
felt day by day. Poems of love, what once was,
left now to suffer the elements.
Can you not feel what they believe?
Has the façade been contaminated by life itself,
or is the sun too bright for you to notice.

© 2024 j.g. lewis

April is Poetry Month
feel what is there

1 4 5 6 7 8 134