The Offspring of Light (All This)

The Duwamish River in the mid-1800s vs today

The Offspring of Light (All This)

At the transient edge of water, lies 
the bands of evolution—life’s phased crawling from the thick
cerulean mirth. 
                Sea bloom 
                              lichen
                                        madrone. 

All this— 
the way the banks of the Duwamish  
were straightened like a paperclip, used to pick the lock 
to burgle the land.

All this— 
the way a book from Hafiz, Hegel and Hirshfield sit
side-by-side-by-side, spine-deep in dust. Exchanging such words
over such centuries.

All this—
the way the Eagle's adolescent grey sings stark before becoming
worthy of a flag or remembering.

All this—
the way a young daughter holds a photo of 
her mother at her age.

All this time
collapsing.

---

Last night we got the chance to hear Merlin Sheldrake talk about fungi at Seattle Arts and Lectures., the audience proudly sporting an abundance of mushroom socks, hats, shirts, etc… I guess it’s like wearing a band-tee to a concert. (It reminded me of the time I accidentally wore an Olympic National Park shirt into Olympic National Park… I could practically see the eye of Mt. Olympus roll.)

Sheldrake’s eye-opening 2020 book Entangled Life remains one of the most accessible and mind-expanding books that I’ve read about living side-by-side with mystery. From the vastness of the underground mycelial world to the way that fungi were only designated a ‘kingdom’ in the 1960’s, we have much to learn from and about. At one point, the audience asked about psychedelics (naturally) and Sheldrake reflected upon the way that psychedelic trials often result in a deficit of language. The scientists try to extract the experience from the patient through questionnaires, inquiry, etc. (basically, tools of this world.) The patient, however, has been equipped with a fundamentally different set of tools through the experience. As a result, they are often unable to bridge the research gap. Earlier this week the new book Is a River Alive by Robert Macfarlane came out. In conversation about the book, Macfarlane said the profound phrase “If you’re going to ask questions of mystery, don’t expect answers in a language you understand.” I also got the chance to hear Ada Límon read this weekend at a Seattle Reads event and many of her poems are exhalations of awe and mystery.

All that to say, time, transformation, mystery, the inadequacy and treasure of language, etc. are themes swimming around in my brain this week (and most weeks, tbh.)

Bonus: Loved this conversation with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. It’s definitely rattling around in the poem somewhere, as well.

With gratitude,

Mason