Wooden Woman wonders about dust. Mountains crumble into
rocks; water tears rock into gravel; gravel’s washed and worn down to dirt;
dirt’s pulverized to powdery dust, fine enough to be flour.
rocks; water tears rock into gravel; gravel’s washed and worn down to dirt;
dirt’s pulverized to powdery dust, fine enough to be flour.
The ground. Aptly named.
Detritus of stars…
…shavings of sweaters and skin.
Everything is dust.
Life depends on dust.
Raindrops form around lofted particles
of dust. Snow too.
of dust. Snow too.
Dust rain, Dust snow, Dust bunny.
One time Wooden Woman lived in the country down a good mile
of dirt road. Not many washboards or ruts, she could blitz down that dirt road at
a pretty good pace. One morning she thought to put on lip-gloss while glancing in the rear view mirror. A glimpse of Beauty and without warning cataclysmic careening off the road, hucking through a barbed
wire fence, the astounded children pleading from the back seat, why
did you do that?!?! Wooden Woman couldn’t wait for the dust to settle to answer;
she lurched back home as best she could before the tire went flat…
of dirt road. Not many washboards or ruts, she could blitz down that dirt road at
a pretty good pace. One morning she thought to put on lip-gloss while glancing in the rear view mirror. A glimpse of Beauty and without warning cataclysmic careening off the road, hucking through a barbed
wire fence, the astounded children pleading from the back seat, why
did you do that?!?! Wooden Woman couldn’t wait for the dust to settle to answer;
she lurched back home as best she could before the tire went flat…
sssSsSSSsssssSsSSSS
Her neighbor on that road more than once stormed out of his
house red faced and hollering, gesturing wildly to flag her down. Blue eyes
raging he’d leaned in the car window, enunciating each syllable as if she was both
deaf and……well……slow…….. LADY. YOU. HAVE. TO. SLOW. DOWN. LOOK.
AT. THE. DUST. (More gesturing) DUUUSSST.
house red faced and hollering, gesturing wildly to flag her down. Blue eyes
raging he’d leaned in the car window, enunciating each syllable as if she was both
deaf and……well……slow…….. LADY. YOU. HAVE. TO. SLOW. DOWN. LOOK.
AT. THE. DUST. (More gesturing) DUUUSSST.
Static electricity builds up between airborne dust and the
ground during a dust storm. It can cause blue flames to leap from barbed wire
fences. Well-wishers shaking hands might generate a spark that could knock them
both to the ground. Really.
ground during a dust storm. It can cause blue flames to leap from barbed wire
fences. Well-wishers shaking hands might generate a spark that could knock them
both to the ground. Really.
Dust can be dangerous.
Mostly Wooden Woman thinks anything to do with dust chaps
her hands.
her hands.
The hand is a symbol for the whole self. With hands we give
and take; repel and grab hold. Fold your
hands and pray; raise them high in the surrendered pose of worship; and on the
way home shake your fist (or worse) at another driver.
and take; repel and grab hold. Fold your
hands and pray; raise them high in the surrendered pose of worship; and on the
way home shake your fist (or worse) at another driver.
Chapped hands: just a little
reminder of the dangers of our dusty origin.
reminder of the dangers of our dusty origin.
The Lord God formed man out of the dust and breathed life
into him.
into him.
So much is unexplained.
There in the bottom of every puzzle box lays that ubiquitous grey
dust.
dust.
So if tears are the prayers of the saints then dust is perhaps
the heart.
the heart.
Black blizzards to crystalline snowflakes
the heart of man is dust.
*
“God instituted prayer to communicate to creatures the
dignity of causality.”
dignity of causality.”
—Blaise Pascal
Oh, and love. The. Photos.
"…the heart of man is dust."
Take my breath away. Lofty nucleus, crumbled essence — both extremes, the very spectrum itself — this very interesting. And we are literally made of it, and we will return to it. I'm coming to think it's the one ingredient that's in everything.
I love the way Wooden Woman evokes both detached observations and pathos. Observant and unflappable, I'm so drawn to her.
Ahh, everlasting car, keyboard, and household nemesis. In praise of dust then, rather than my usual approach: alternately white-gloving it, or failing to eradicate it (even as this message dinged in), or trying to bypass its wordless taunt from the surfaces of everyday.
I still way atoms from Eden are mote-ing around us . . .
Once again, Goat and Wooden Woman leap cognitive crags, camera in hand, my imagination in tow. tilt my view toward praise. Back to the dust rag, renewed. Thank you.
Black blizzards to crystalline snowflakes the heart of man is dust.
I wonder how the dust God used to create Adam was different from our dust. Was it….. unadulterated dust to begin with?
I love how your humor always comes through in your writing. Delightful.
really cool progression in this…the detrius of stars was cool…how the mountains ground to dust…how we were formed of dust…the heart of man being dust…