what once was

April 24

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.

April is Poetry Month
feel what is there

cloud songs

         What lies in wait
   behind the dubious distractions?
       Eventualities are as endless as
   intentions.      Brighter days ahead
   if you allow yourself to believe in
                what is not always there.
   It can be.
       Every day is a possibility.


12/27/2024                                                           j.g.l.

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December 23

Mondays are just young Fridays
```
I’m like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times 
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
```
For almost ten years I’ve been hosting Mythos & Marginalia and, for the most part, I’ve been writing every damn day.

Over the past month, I’ve been working on a redesign of this site, adapting the style for easier access and a more complete viewing experience. There are still tweaks required (I discover more each day) and slight alterations to text and format but, for the most part, the back-end work is nearly complete.

In the process, I’ve had the opportunity to review a decade’s worth of my poetry, photography, essays, and fortune cookie philosophies that have appeared on this page over the months and years gone by. It has inspired me to alter my plans for 2025 and present a new “project” beginning January 1^st. More details soon.

In the meantime, please have a look around. Click on the reformatted archives section near the bottom of the screen or try the ‘search’ selection right below that. The “About” section explains a little more about me and where or what I am (or have been). Feel free to comment as you go, I enjoy keeping in touch.

There is a ‘subscribe’ button down there as well. Many of you have subscribed in the past, but the feature has had issues over the years and the notices simply stopped. Even if your name and email is still on some long-lost mailing list, I’d encourage you to, again, sign up. There will be a newsletter soon; all part of my 2025 project.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find the new format easier to navigate and understand.

11/23/2024. j.g. lewis
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December 29

starting over

As we prepare to greet another year, looking ahead with both enthusiasm and uncertainty, it is an opportune time to reflect on what got us where we are.

Do not do so with regret.

What has happened has passed; the apprehension and anxieties that have dogged us in the past are better left unsaid. There is so much value in starting over.

In the process of rediscovering (even reinventing) who you are, find clarity in both your actions and intent. Disappointments and delusions will certainly have a say (they often do) but continue stepping forward anyway.

2025 is a fresh start.

May this coming year give you even more to think about. Enjoy each day.

12/29/2024 j.g.l.

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December 26

my wish for peace

How can we speak of peace when war rages in parts of this world, even on Christmas Day?

As unequivocally unjust is the appalling, mean-spirited political propaganda on this side of the ocean; it never ends.

Yesterday, as I did the days before, I repeated, again, my wish for peace.

Today I am left humbled and humiliated.

How can we dream of a world not polarized by hate?

We can only try.

One by one, we can only dream.

Has there ever been a time, in our lifetimes, where peace is more important than it is now?

12/26/2024 j.g.l.

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December 22

Solstice Blessings

In North America, we have come out of the longest and darkness night of the year.

From here on in it only gets brighter.

Deify the light; acknowledge the dim.

Christmas is but a few days away, the high holidays close, and the spirit of the season is building. In all our cultures, there are so many good and wonderful days ahead.

I wish you and your families and friends — those who are close and them far away — everlasting love and community in the days and years to follow.

deep peace

j.g. lewis

12/22/2024

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