Monday Morning Musings:
The Blue Between
The Oracle whispers watch
for the blue that comes
a taste, a tease
of cerulean between storms
Rainy Day Walk in Old City Philadelphia:
that arrive with thunder of boots,
the hard rain of lies, and
lightning bolts of hate.
And I am tired–
so tired–of the would-be despots
who dupe the gullible,
and the culture that declares
black and brown bodies are not
as beautiful as white, and who proclaim all women
must be controlled.
I cannot believe in their petty, jealous gods—
narrow-minded, power-hungry deities created in our image,
not the other way around. I am still waiting for the Star Trek world,
where people fight for goodness, timelines can be rewritten, and Q
is a super-being, not a spreader of wacko conspiracy theories.
But—
again, the Oracle reminds me to breathe
to listen to the pre-dawn birdsong, the excited chatter of crows,
the sparkle on the river, the scent of petrichor, of honeysuckle, of bread baking
in the oven–
to notice the humming moon and the singing stars,
and that patch of blue
that comes like love—a surprise, a mystery.
We had some blue skies last week, but lots of cloudy days, and we walked around Philadelphia in the rain on Saturday before seeing a play. This afternoon, we may get violent thunderstorms with hail and the possibility of tornados.
We saw School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh at the Arden Theatre. It’s a play about—well, mean girls in a boarding school in Ghana in the 1980s. It covers issues of body image and colorism, in a timely, but also funny play. We streamed a very strange movie that we both liked Black Bear with Aubrey Plaza.
And we watched the first two episodes of the British series Ridley Road. It’s on Masterpiece now. It’s about a Jewish woman from Manchester who infiltrates a neo-Nazi group in the 1960s. It explores history that is not very well-known, but it is also timely (and scary to me) that people are so easily duped that they believe the anti-Semitic and racist lies and think the fascism will actually improve their lives. It sounds too much like what it is happening right now. Oh yeah, there was another mass shooting. A young white man with a hate manifesto shot people of color in and around a supermarket in Buffalo, NY.
We had a virtual Shabbat with our children and their spouses (and pets) on Friday night.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
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Thanks.
I always love your Meanderings on Mondays. Love that wet Pine Street made of bricks – made me smile.
The world is such a mess and thank goodness the Oracle reminds you to stop, breathe and look for the beauty and the good. We all need to.
Happy Monday, Merril!
Thank you, Dale. It was hard to take photos in the rain! My hands were wet, the phone was getting wet–but I loved how the brick pavement looked, too.
Yes, it’s too bad we can’t get everyone to listen.
But the photos turned out great!
Yeah, I hear you on that one…
Thank you!
I guess the rain kept me from bombarding everyone with more. 😀
Hah! Bombard away! Your images are all so very lovely!
😊
I, too, loved the wet bricks photo.
We are of like minds 🙂
Of course! 😊
🙂
🙂
Thank you. I was quite pleased with it, too.
You’re welcome. The herringbone pattern of the bricks made the photo.
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Gorgeous photos Merril. Glad the Oracle guided you to see the beauty that is around us in amongst the darkness. Not only see, but hear and smell and touch –
Thank you so much, Susan! 😊
Just what I needed today, Merril. Your photos are stunning! I love the Tzu quote too…it’s perfect.
Thank you so much, Jill! 😊
wonderful monday musings Merril with great pictures! 💖
Thanks so much, Cindy!❤️
Always a pleasure Merril!💕
I hear you and your said it so well. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Ali. I truly appreciate that.
Well, wish I would have proofread that sentence before sending it but the message is sincere.
I understood the thought. 😊
I love your rainy day walk photos. I find such days a comfort.
Thank you so much. I recently bought a new raincoat with an Amazon gift card, so I was fine–though my hands and phone were getting too wet to take more photos. 😀
You’re welcome, Merril!
Of course the Oracle reminds you to look for the blue (that smell of petrichor and honeysuckle, just like here), there is so much ugliness going on at the moment.
The rain washes some things clean, like those beautiful bricks 🙂
Yes, you are so right. And sometimes one needs to be reminded. 😊
It’s so hard not to be weary. But there is the blue, and family, and if not us, who? (K)
Thank you. Yes, exactly.
Wonderful photos, Merril. You have a beautiful way with words. The message from the Oracle is a good one, and it’s one I try to practice but some days… it’s hard. We’ve been watching Ridley Road, too. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the attraction to fascism, racism, all the -isms.
Thank you for your kind words, Robin.
We finished the show. Let me know what you think when you do. I suppose intellectually I understand why some are attracted, but I don’t really understand (if that makes sense). And it is scary what is being spread by extreme right-wing sources now.
A very powerful post – yet once more looking towards the blue
Thank you so much, Derrick.
I especially love the ‘mysteries’ photo as it is somewhat otherworldly…
Thank you very much, Ingrid! 😊
The title of your poem is lovely…. Reminds me of “Silver Lining” but has more of your flair. Crazy world, indeed, Merril, and we do need to seek a reprieve in this storm. Cobblestones are even more striking in the rain… nice capture!
Thank you so much, Rose. Yes, we do! Hope you’ve been well.
I’m always the last to a fab party, especially when there’s amazing bread.
Many of your words echo my thoughts… despots, controllers of women, white is right, religions made of sin.
Still, the bread looks tasty, and I am happy for your blue sky! Thank you, Merril!
Thank you, Resa! 😊
So beautiful! The words and the photos 😊
Thank you! 😊