Who’s Your Imbongi?
I have long been interested in the South African tradition of the imbongi. The figure of this classic Xhosa “praise singer” accompanied my thoughts as Nelson Mandela returned to his …
A Tale of Two Capes
Last week Sylvia and I visited North Carolina’s Cape Fear region, the southern tip of the series of islands, shoals, and lagoons that form an elbow into the Atlantic, nudging …
Fourth Calling
For many years I have been been intrigued by the ancient Hindu teaching that we have four stages or disciplines (ashramas) of life. As a young person we pursue the …
Faith and Poetry
Poetry arises where language meets mystery. With that beginning, my poet-friend Michael Beadle and I presented two evenings at our Methodist church on “Faith and Poetry.” In doing so, we …
In Pluribus Nihil
Like so many of you, I am confounded and angered by the government shutdown brought on by irresponsible Congressional Republicans. While the principal players try to resolve this calamity (and …
Abiding in Hope
For some years I have been involved in circle conversations in my Methodist church about ways we as a congregation and as a global church might welcome ALL people and …
The Learning Curve
You’re never too old to learn something. In the midst of more sober reflections (meaning of life, planetary destruction, state of American politics…), it’s good to focus on the simpler …
Wounded Whole
We live in the presence of one of the largest Tulip Poplar trees in the state of North Carolina. Almost twenty feet around at its base, reaching up over a …
The Winding Cloth
The electronic revolution increasingly knits us all on planet Earth into a common consciousness, a common memory. It also makes possible an increasing degree of empathy across the barriers of …
Precious Cargo: Creation Flower
When Sylvia and I were planning our recent visit to South Africa, a garden committee at nearby Lake Junaluska Retreat and Conference Center asked if we might select, purchase, and …
Singing the Words
For many of us, the source and power of poetry lies in its oral performance. It is first of all an oral and auditory medium. Indeed, this power of the …
Protected: TURNINGS: POEMS OF TRANSFORMATION
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Mountains, Men, Mines and Minerals
We have just returned from six weeks in the Western Cape of South Africa and ten days exploring central Namibia, its neighbor to the north. While it is the people …