Monday, June 28, 2010

Points of View....

One of the things I'm asked most often about The Questioning Way is whether or not it's a book of poetry. The answer is no, it has a poem at the beginning of every chapter but most of the book is prose. The poetry used in the book is what I usually show people when they ask about The Questioning Way, because it's the quickest, and most satisfying way I can think of to briefly tell someone about the views expressed in the book. In a society that has become accustomed to getting information in sound bites on television, and as short bursts of text on venues such as twitter, poetry is becoming one of the most poignant and effective ways express a point of view in a very brief manner. Some people think of cutesy rhymes when someone mentions poetry, but I believe well written poetry is all about conveying ideas about every facet of modern life in a way that not only expresses points of view but the emotions propelling those points of view as well.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Don't Call Me Collect--God

Don't call me collect  --God 



Perhaps on some golden throne 
alive in the sky, you watch over each of us
--rain warm love, bathing one by one
man and sparrow with most tender care 

Or, like a child at play 
did you make the clock your grand experiment? 
then, called to dinner, you plan to be back at eight
wondering if we'll still be tocking 

Are you a big ashen bearded daddy?
with all the answers up there
will you spank us forever if we don't believe? 

Maybe you're a cosmic hippie 
you say "Hey don't you remember? 
ten thousand years ago
we all stood at Salisbury in ecstasy" 
Then, with hand to forehead you say 
"Or maybe it was nineteen seventy-one 
you know, all that acid still gets to me" 

Are you a wrinkled old man? 
stuttering, the very edge of senility
you wait at the gate, white picket complacency
We come home for a hug and obligatory visit 
the younger playing Grandfather for a free dime 

Perhaps you are a crone, ancient and wise
living in rock, road, brook, and tree
You made a hard, wondrous, magical land
where stumbling, we acolytes slowly learn of beauty

With fire on your finger tips 
maybe you throw lightning bolts
make floods, cause the sky to darken 
Perhaps you'll let five thousand faithful in 
"All the rest be damned!" you say as the earth quakes 


Perhaps one time, some time, ever time 
we'll be sitting in the park, you and I
Muhammad, Gautama and Einstein play dice across the way
cool green grass, white daisies, blue sky, shade trees 
I say, "You know, I wondered always if you were a figment" 
You say, "Don't we all, my friend, begin and end in fantasy?" 

Dewey Dirks Copyright 2010

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pirate Girl

Pirate Girl

I know a pretty pirate girl.
She is a friend of mine.
We explore life, we joke and wonder.
When we talk from time to time.
Her spirit is a darting bird
—Flies high, free and happy
A little bit risky and a little bit wild.
Quick to laugh and suddenly wise.
Her eyes sparkle as she asks,
Why so often do clouds in the sky
arrange themselves in such an auspicious manner?”
And sparking inside her heart, the finest treasure
saved for the day the right man walks into her life.
Now whiles come and whiles go
and for awhile all men are a pirate buffet for her to browse.
Every day is an adventure in nibbling
and she is like a pirate Popsicle.
Sweet, good to see and inviting to taste.
For awhile she’s trouble on a stick
for all those men she keeps on the line.
Here I sit and talk and explore
wondering how many whiles
this old sea dog might last.
Or perchance to don hat, pistols, and patch
and become that one special pirate man
who shows her where begins the real adventure….
Her smile comes easily and honestly.
Her laugh is joy personified.
And her dark eyes are a vast, wondrous ocean
for the brave soul who dares set sail
on a long and deep uncharted voyage.
 
Dewey Dirks Copyright 2010

Thank You...

This month Thequestioningway.com reached the milestone of welcoming 140,000 visitors since coming online in Jan 2009. People from all over the world including readers from Europe, Asia, India, Japan and Australia have shown an interest in the book. Response has been outstanding, and I’d like to thank everyone who has come by the website to read about The Questioning Way and purchase a copy for themselves. As an author, I’ve long felt something is not worth writing unless you can put your heart and soul into it. The Questioning Way, although its is not a long work, too several years to write. Now that it’s in print I’m happy to say that in all likelihood it will be available to read for many years to come. Thanks once again for your support and kind words of encouragement.

You all have a very good day
Dewey Dirks

Bravery

Bravery

When I walked into the bar
Two kids were calling him out
One had a broken bottle, the other had a short club
Steiger was not a big man, and he was unarmed
But good lord, he had a look about him!
A chill went through the room and he stood to face them
Steiger squared up and said
“Before you start
With whatever problem it is you have with me
I’ll tell you this— I don’t care
What kind storm you think you are,
I guarantee that you have never seen the like
Of a few of the storms I have been through.
Now, you do what you think you want to do
I just thought you ought to know.”
Steiger waited
The kids stared back at him
I don’t think they knew exactly what to do
Finally, one of them pulled his friends shirt
He said, “Shit Jeff! Come on let’s go!”
Ole Jeff dropped his bottle and walked out of there
I guess he realized
He’d bit off a little more than he could chew
Steiger sat back down
And I shimmied up beside him
I said “I’m pleased to meet you
I think that’s the bravest thing I can recall seeing
Steiger took a drink and smiled
‘Said “Hell son, that wasn’t brave
That was just solid sense.
Now brave? I’ve seen brave a time or two”
Brave is jumping back over the wall
To save a good man down
As the bullets come flying back at you
Brave is being alone on your bike
And trying that corner at seventy
When there’s gravel, the sign says twenty-five tops
And you know what’s gonna happen
If the ground takes a swipe at you
Now, that’s the kind of bravery that faces death
But braver still, I think
Is the kind that faces life, son
Brave is being a single mother alone in the big city
You come home every day to two little ones who are hungry
And you know the only thing
Between them and some serious hurt
Is you and your shitty job
Down at the 7-11
There is a kind of bravery
That hopes beyond all hope
And still tries to get things done
When just about everything in life has fallen apart
All the chips are down
And all you’ve got is a pair of three’s on the table
There is a kind of bravery that has a dream
And still keeps crawling on
When you’re only half-way done
As all the bills keep coming due
And for all the world it still appears
That you don’t have a ghost’s chance in hell
Of ever seeing it all the way through
Then there’s the kind
That loves deeply and loses
But dares to try and love again
And the kind that loves easy
And dares try to find room in their heart
For everyone
If you face death and lose
Well, you’ll be dead and gone
And nothing much will matter to you
But if you face life and lose
Then you have to live
With what has happened to you

From “The Questioning Way by Dewey Dirks Copyright 2009

Doubt

Doubt

Don’t doubt that you’re breathing
If you try you can increase
Your ability to understand how and why
Unless you’re a hermit high up in the hills
And you haven’t seen anyone for forty four years
Don’t doubt there’s a few people in this old world
Who care about who you are and what you do
If you try you can increase your ability
To understand what they’re saying to you
And see their care and actions for what they are
Don’t doubt that you’re strong enough to weather
The stormy gales of time
If you try you can increase your ability to recognize
When the storms have passed and you’re okay
Don’t doubt you’ve got all the emotions
The powers that be gave everyone else
Don’t doubt they can be made useful
If you try you can increase your ability to recognize
When a solution is passing your way
Isn’t it good to hate prejudice?
And even petty jealousy can make you strive harder
Don’t doubt that life talks and listens to you
If you try you can increase your ability to understand
What it is saying and why
Don’t doubt that everything you see
Everything you think
Everything you feel
Everything you do
Are raw materials
That can be put to good use
Don’t doubt that you’re an artful craftsman
If you try you can increase your ability
To recognize a job well done
Some need to doubt
That they’re foolish, stupid, or crazy
Others need to doubt that they’re always right
Don’t doubt that doubt can be good for you
If you practice it gets easier to know
When to stop and when to start
Good to make your best guess
Then ride the storm or go with the flow
Always remember when you’re most in doubt
Set a high sail and follow your heart

From “The Questioning Way” by Dewey Dirks copyright 2009

Waiting Flight

Waiting Flight
Moving with pen
my hand draws in idea, a feathered form
Restless, reaching out
a thought strives flight Often eager, sometimes sad
my heart beats making sweet life
Forever it’s expression I’m seeking

Always almost finished yet never quite completed
vibrant their meaning clasped in graphite
shimmering my words are waiting
caged here on this page

Freedom is found
only in emotion given to you
My thoughts remain unfulfilled
until their reflection’s been mirrored
finding flight in eyes of another


Dewey Dirks Copyright 2010

Power...

Power can corrupt you. As you grow in life, always be on the watch to stay true to your ideals.

Hope...

Faith, disappointment, laughter, quest for knowledge, hope, and success, are universal among humans. See? Five upsides and only one downside. That’s not so bad.

Creativity...

In nature creative energy can be destructive or constructive and there will always be a an equal balance of both in the universe. Order and chaos always balance themselves.

Ideals....

Make sure to stick to your ideals.  At the same time be open to change.

Too Much....

It’s good to strive for success in life. But too much striving can be a bad thing. We all need to take the time to slow down and just enjoy life from time to time.

Love Released....

Love means letting go when you need to. Love released into the world will return to you many times over again and again

Love is....

Love means letting your children pretend to be whomever they want to pretend to be. It means kicking them in the ass when they need a kick. It means kissing them when they need a kiss. It means fixing whatever is broken when they can’t fix it themselves. It means letting them go out into the world to seek their fortune when they grow up. Don’t worry, they’ll call all the time and come by to visit when they can

Love is....

In my experience, love can be stronger than amnesia, hate, greed, death and faith. Is there anything stronger than love? I really don’t know nor do I care to find out.