On this nice little walk in a familiar peninsular park I kept with me this passage from an ancient epic:
"As wave is driven by wave
And each, pursued, pursues the wave ahead,
So time flies on and follows, flies, and follows,
Always, for ever and new. What was before
Is left behind; what never was is now;
And every passing moment is renewed."
Seward Park happens to have a beautiful outdoor stage which is sadly underutilized and today the conditions were perfectly warm and clear except for the poor air quality due to wildfires.
I sat and watched the stage waiting for something to happen.
A cute couple acted out a minor drama with their dog lifted in the air as a prop.
I thought of an old friend who was assigned to read Metamorphoses (above) in high school and I felt a bit envious, because when the fuck else will a typical person read this material? I sure have not.
I thought of my gentle meditation teacher who is studying the human mind and who gives me free advice and direct experience weekly. And I will share this passage with her on Wednesday and she will appreciate the nature/waves imagery, and present moment ideas.
I watched several waves of crows beat overhead of the stage like a subtle fanfare. They looked incredibly black against the sky and I noted with satisfaction that the dry, hot, smoky weather is finally coming to an end in Seattle and these birds will be flocking in large groups nightly because of their keen learning and instinct.
A moment went by and I felt grateful for not feeling sick from my (fourth) covid vaccination and flu shot that afternoon.
I thought of two online sources that contradicted each other as to whether Ovid’s "mock epic" ended with Julius Caesar’s death (also a subject of staged drama) or with Augustus’s deification.
As I pondered this irrelevant question a thing finally happened: a coyote traipsed behind the stage. A man’s dog, which was coyotelike, had scared it up. I thought of my friend in Portland, who said she identified with this animal.
And I resolved to connect with that friend and get a better photo of Seward Park’s coyotes next time.
pseudoisaac 