Oil Painting: the fruit of Genesis

This oil painting on canvas imbues the Genesis account:

in principio deus alongside the fruit of possibility

and was painted at home; it is part of a series of 5 which are inspired by the mimetic Hand of God and the agitation of the human condition to explore, to expect, to transgress. I hope you enjoy the image.

Five Spirits: Gawain's Pentangle

I. In

The brevity of the tree is the root
Where God made and the deep faced;
Where division from itself imploded,
And ex nihilo means something,
Or does it?

II. The

The circus of event is tangible, wobbly.
The firmament for fancy, and heaven’s
Sake—I’ll drink to that!
Let the things develop into more things,
And man create taxonomy.

III. Beginning

One by one they marched until disobedience,
Wrought with a rather painful knowing, conjugated
Into Edenic simulacra, repeat?
Yes, into the image;
They tilled and became mortal and boring.

IV. Was

Who was Enoch’s knocking?
At least I knew my Eve, my leafy slut.
The shame that darkened my hammish hue;
Of giants I shall tame with pen and ink;
Perhaps even let my semen spill.

V. …

In genesis I finished in apocalypse;
When can I get that promised rest?
Where can I look for the mist to spring up,
Out, out and into? Ha! Ha!
The worms are tickling.

Learning to Follow Through

Someone once asked me: "What is the most important thing to remember in graduate school"? I responded with a slew of text-book responses, but as I think of it--my new response lends itself to simplicity.

The most important concept, or thing NOT just in graduate school, but in life is: one should be able to follow through.

That is, if you begin at anything, make sure your genesis is progressive and that it terminates, it plateaus at an eschaton. I utilize the indefinite article, because we do begin many projects and desires. Unfortunately, they remain empty, unfulfilled.

For instance, there are those of us who begin projects, but place them on the back end of our minds. We do not follow through on them because of time, cost. Our level of investment is weak, and our desires for flippancy strong.

These areas of follow through are beyond academic life, and enter into the arena, the rim of the social, the political, the communal. That "thing" that you have been putting off--do it, but do it to completion. That person you have been meaning to contact and "keep in touch with"--do it, but do it to completion.

Moreover, as we get closer to choosing a new president for these here United States of America (insert your accent of choice here) observe rather closely--who follows through the best, who completes tasks, and even who moves in and out of the genesis moment toward the eschaton.

I began this post with a suggestion from a past memory, but I end with a suggestion toward a portable progressive present: whatever you do, do it to completion.