Poem for Monday

At the Foot of Annapurna
By Jill MacGrath

Rhododendrons cluster,
vibrant chords of music,
reds in unreachable places.

A ridge below clouds,
floating world,
rocks, air, moss.

In such silence,
mountains and snow, I forget
how to speak,

and my eyes are the only
sense I am allowed
My eyes cast out,

return, I try to ascend,
to receive.
Let the sky

polish my sight
as it meets rocks
snow, as it descends

from infinite space
The wisdom of the goddess
touches down, here,

leaving mountain
and me.
Hold this silence as a gift,

admit heaven,
admit the possibilities
of timeless bliss.

How long since my eyes transcended
earth and the limits
of a body, 5'3",

hemmed by low, sere Indian hills,
by buildings equally small?
How long since my soul

rebounded to the sky,
no limits,
Annapurna better than imagination,

eyes opening each time, below,
then following each unbelievable ridge

means sky, the pathway beyond
faith, the sudden
earth-bound inhalation:

bliss,
then breath.

--------

Gacked from :

Who should be your Lord of the Rings Lover? by J. Marie

#1 Aragorn- You like 'em tall, dark, and sexy beyond belief. Mreow.
#2 Boromir- You like 'em dead. Hey, he was kinda cute before he died and all.
#3 Celeborn- You like 'em high and mighty. One of the few Elves who seems to have a real relationship.
#4 Elrond- You like 'em dignified and stately. If you can get over his speech impediment, he's great in bed.
#5 Faramir- You like 'em cute and smart. Scholarly types are quite fun in bed, I've heard.
#6 Glorfindel- The hottie blond Elf lord whom Peter Jackson ignored. But you won't ignore him.
#7 Legolas- You like 'em blond and gorgeous. Your boyfriend is prettier than you are.
#8 Elladan and Elrohir- Elrond's twin hottie sons come in a set. Two for the price of one!
#9 Haldir- You like 'em arrogant and sexy. You're going to have fun breaking this one.
#10 King Thranduil- He's Legolas' dad. He has to be hot.
#11 Gandalf- You like 'em old and wrinkly. And yet, there's something rather lovely about him...
#12 Gimli- You like 'em short and ornery. He'll be indistinguishable from most of your friends.
#13 Frodo- You like those big blue eyes. Doesn't he make you feel like a pedophile?
#14 Pippin- You like 'em dumb and troublesome. But you gotta love that Scottish accent.
#15 Sam- You like 'em sweet and loyal. If only you could get him away from Frodo...
#16 Merry- You like 'em mischievous and playful. Cute little bugger.

Gacked from . Yes! I thought I was headed to be Ariel. Was terrified of somehow ending up Cinderella or Snow White or, worst of all, Belle...


What Fucked Up Disney Princess Are you?
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Just spent the most lovely, lovely snow day. Kids were bored in the morning with no school -- had played enough Nintendo over the weekend and I was trying to do chores so couldn't play Stratego all morning. My mother decided she really needed to see TTT. No diminishment on fourth viewing either!

And courtesy the wonderful Bag End Inn, Return of the King calendar pictures!