do the right thing!

November 6, 2012November 6, 2012 ~ jama ~ 8 Comments

corn — Mr. Cornelius stumps for Bearack the incumbent.

————————————————–

sunday bear: georgia douglas johnson

June 24, 2012October 2, 2017 ~ jama ~ 8 Comments

*“Colette” by Muriel Townsend (Yes-No bear, tan merino wool, antique baby dress, velvet necklace, brooch, 1990. One of a kind.)*

The Heart of a Woman
by Georgia Douglas Johnson

The heart of a woman goes forth with the dawn,

As a lone bird, soft winging, so restlessly on,

Afar o’er life’s turrets and vales does it roam

In the wake of those echoes the heart calls home.

The heart of a woman falls back with the night,

And enters some alien cage in its plight,

And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars

While it breaks, breaks, breaks on the sheltering bars.

Source: The Heart of a Woman and Other Poems (The Cornhill Company, 1918)

***

♥ Today’s Sunday Bear Hug is brought to you, as ever, by your loyal friend Mr. Cornelius. His heart soars whenever he thinks of you. ☺

(((((((((((((((((((((BIG HUG))))))))))))))))))

————————————–

sunday bear: li-young lee

June 17, 2012October 2, 2017 ~ jama ~ 5 Comments

The Gift
by Li-Young Lee

To pull the metal splinter from my palm

my father recited a story in a low voice.

I watched his lovely face and not the blade.

Before the story ended, he’d removed

the iron sliver I thought I’d die from.

I can’t remember the tale,

but hear his voice still, a well

of dark water, a prayer.

And I recall his hands,

two measures of tenderness

he laid against my face,

the flames of discipline

he raised above my head.

Had you entered that afternoon

you would have thought you saw a man

planting something in a boy’s palm,

a silver tear, a tiny flame.

Had you followed that boy

you would have arrived here,

where I bend over my wife’s right hand.

Look how I shave her thumbnail down

so carefully she feels no pain.

Watch as I lift the splinter out.

I was seven when my father

took my hand like this,

and I did not hold that shard

between my fingers and think,

Metal that will bury me,

christen it Little Assassin,

Ore Going Deep for My Heart.

And I did not lift up my wound and cry,

Death visited here!

I did what a child does

when he’s given something to keep.

I kissed my father.

***

♥ Today’s Sunday Bear Hug is brought to you by Mr. Cornelius, who wishes everyone a Happy Father’s Day. He would also like you to have a piece of lemon meringue pie, favorite of Jama’s father James. ☺

((((((HUGS))))))((((((FATHERS)))))))((((((((HUGS)))))

———————————————-

sunday bear: deng ming-dao

June 10, 2012October 2, 2017 ~ jama ~ 8 Comments

*“Little Bear Blue” by Donna Hodges (champagne mohair, velveteen jacket and beret, antique lace collar, 1986)*

Hilly village lanes,
Whitewashed sunlit walls.
Cerulean sea.
The laughter of children.

No matter where in the world you go, no matter how many languages are spoken, and no matter how many times cultures and governments clash, the laughter of children is universally uplifting. The mirth of adults can be variously jealous, insecure, sadistic, cruel, or absurd, but the sound of playing children evokes the ideal of a simple and pure act. There are no concepts, no ideologies — only the innocent pleasure of life.

We as adults dwell upon our grizzled complexities, our existential anxieties, and our preoccupations with responsibilities. We hear the merriment of children and may sigh over our lost childhoods. Although we can no longer fit into our old clothes and become young again, we can take comfort in the optimism of children. Their rejoicing can gladden us all.

We are too often in a rush for our children to grow up. It is far better for them to fully live each year of their lives. Let them learn what is appropriate to their time, let them play. And when their childhood is spent at adolescence, help them in a gentle transition. Then their laughter will continue to resonate with cheer and hope for us all.

~ from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao (Harper, 1992).

♥ Today’s Sunday Bear Hug is brought to you, as ever, by your handsome friend Cornelius. Well-practiced at play and laughter, he wishes you small moments of joy to lighten your busy day. The only thing he doesn’t laugh at is a broken cookie; he is too busy eating every crumb.

Feel free to wear blue today. You can be the sky.

((((((((HUG))))))))(((HEE HEE))))(((HA HA)))))(((((HO HO))))))(((((HUG))))))

———————————-

sunday bear: rainer maria rilke

June 3, 2012October 2, 2017 ~ jama ~ 6 Comments

*K.C. Beariphone II by Teleconcepts (Speaker phone; caller’s voice activates eyes and mouth, 1989)*

A New Morning

And today, once again, a new morning: bright, with close, rounded clouds that frame expanses of the immeasurably deep sky. Agitation in the treetops. In everything else, restfulness. Windfall of apples. The grass softly invites you to walk out of the house. The dimness inside is alive with lights on antique silver, and their reflections in the looking glass confuse the eye as to what is enclosed within the mirror’s frame.

There are so many days here, none like the other. And beneath all their differences is this great similarity: the gratitude in which they are received.

~ from Early Journals (A Year with Rilke: Daily Readings from the Best of Rainer Maria Rilke (Harper One, 2005)

***

♥ Today’s Sunday Bear Hug is brought to you by Mr. Cornelius, who is thankful for today and for you. He would also be grateful for any strawberry tarts you might like to send his way.

(((((HUGS)))))((((((((((TODAY))))))))(((((((((HUGS)))))))

——————————————–