Unspoken Word
October 01, 2021
Radiant Being of Light

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TimelessToday

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:03 PM | Comments (1)

January 28, 2021
There Is No Door

TimelessToday

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2020
I Have Written 1,000 Poems for You

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I have written a thousand poems for you
that have never left my room,
they fill the pages of notebooks
stacked high on a shelf no one can reach,
orphans they are,
beggars afraid they are not
noble enough for the King,
would never make it past the guards,
I make a vain attempt
to dress them up,
disguise their ridiculous origins,
but still they smell bad,
even so, there are times, late at night,
when they think I'm asleep,
I can almost hear them talking to each other,
conjuring ways to make it to your court,
oh, the arguments they have,
the brawls,
the lunatic moments of staking their ground!
Some of them actually believe
all they need is a shower and a shave,
others, unsure of who they are or might have been,
insist on practicing, all night long,
their perfect way of greeting you.
Of course, there is much to be said
for these backroom bards,
these arm wrestling vagrants from another world,
indeed, if I was dead,
my slightly deaf biographer,
after paying his respects to my dear, sweet wife,
would borrow them just long enough to search for pearls,
find the perfect turn of phrase,
the sudden storm of brilliance
even my harshest critics
would have to praise,
he'd think of clever little titles for the tome,
describing, in his mournfully halting way,
the "man who left his muse too soon"
or some such thing
that might make you stop for a moment and wonder
why I never gave these poems to you --
the one for whom it all makes sense,
even when it doesn't.

Excerpted from Full Moon at Sunrise
Photo: Aaron Burden, Unsplash

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:43 AM | Comments (0)

August 02, 2020
May I Stay Here Forever

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TimelessToday
Excerpted from this book

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:24 PM | Comments (1)

January 08, 2020
Does Anyone Really Understand?

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:49 PM | Comments (2)

October 03, 2019
Radiant Being of Light

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TimelessToday

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:39 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2019
The One for Whom

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:48 PM | Comments (1)

January 19, 2019
Your Eyes

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it is the universe, instead, that seems the scar.
No blessed vision of light, no offered hand
to squeeze whiter than mine could relieve me,
only the treasure of being with you.
Who cares what the end or beginning will be
when the flower of your fullness is upon me?
What need is there to measure
when the earth reveals its splendor
in the fragrance of the giver
having given me pure wonder?
The sky is always open, the sea forever parted,
the forest endlessly blooming
in the heart of the true lover.
I sing the praises of the Master!

Alone in this unending night,
inching closer to the one
who infinitely woos me into rapture,
I am fooled again
(I cannot hold you, I cannot let you go),
and stand by the side of the road, watching
the wind ripple the weeds and the stars.
Who cares if this universe expands or contracts,
explodes or encodes its mysteries into my cells?
What need have I for knowing
when the summer wind is blowing
through the void black hair of my love?
You smile and the secret of this universe is told,
you laugh and I cannot remember who I am or hope to be,
fly deeper into silence,
discover breath again
and dissolve,
(snow on a nun's breast,
rising, dough-like, to the sun).

Mitch Ditkoff
Illustration: Lisa Dietrich

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:44 AM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2018
There Is No Door

Is there a door? Does it open? Who opens it? And what is it that exists beyond the metaphors we use to explain our journeys homeward? Music: Stuart Hoffman.... Video: Fernando Garcia... Poetry: Mitch Ditkoff. Watch full screen.

MitchDitkoff.com

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:56 PM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2018
Longing Wells Up from Within

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TimelessToday
Heart of the Matter
Words of Peace Global

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 21, 2018
Off the Coast of Love

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)

February 03, 2018
The Beautiful Sadness of Longing

THE BEAUTIFUL SADNESS OF LONGING

There is a beautiful kind of sadness, one most people think they shouldn't feel, that needs to be celebrated. Or, if not celebrated, then at least welcomed like the evening's last beggar at your door.

This sadness is divine, the experience of what most people consider to be an absence, but, in reality, is the presence of the divine longing for the Beloved.

It would be easy to conclude that this feeling is a disconnection from joy, an unfortunate amnesia that would make an easy target for well-meaning givers of advice to quote from their favorite scripture,
but I am not talking about this garden variety of sadness. I am talking about another kind -- a holy melancholy that sculpts, deepens, and refines from within.

Like the dusk that follows day, it is not devoid of light -- only another shade of light. Yes, it is darker, but so what? Isn't it the darkness that allows the stars to shine?

When a human being is in the presence of their Beloved, it is easy to feel joy. Like leaving home in the middle of a storm, it is easy to get wet there. But when the Beloved departs (ah, the paradox, the late night debates -- does the Beloved ever depart?), an uncomfortable feeling arises.

The moon is full, but you are empty -- thirsty for something to fill you again, but the only thing to drink is a bucket of tears and you cannot find the handle. Off in the distance you hear the sound of a cello. Is it sad or beautiful?

Drawn by the music, you follow, feeling your way, singing silent songs of praise and wondering if what you hear is the sound of your own voice or your name being called.

You know and have always known, that the Beloved has left the world behind as a gift. But you do not want the gift. You want the Giver.

Video production: Fernando Garcia
Music: Stuart Hoffman

Poetry: Mitch Ditkoff

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:53 PM | Comments (3)

January 25, 2018
There Is No Door

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2018
When You Walk Into the Room

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TimelessToday

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2017
The Diamond Inside

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Excerpted from this book

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:43 PM | Comments (1)

July 27, 2017
Looking

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MitchDitkoff.com
My storytelling blog
My book of poetry

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2017
The One Who Teaches from Within

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:19 PM | Comments (1)

May 28, 2017
Radiant Being of Light

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2017
Beneath the Hot Sun

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)

April 07, 2016
Welcome to UNSPOKEN WORD: THE POETRY OF LIFE!

Greetings! Mitch Ditkoff here, author of UNSPOKEN WORD: The Poetry of Life. My intention with this newly launched blog is to spark some inspiration, reflection, and gratitude -- a chance for you to take a breath, pause, and savor some of the sweetness of life. Knowing how busy you usually are, each post will take you less than a minute to imbibe. Today's launch is the exception, one that includes ten posts -- my attempt to give you a flavor of what's to come. Please enjoy. And if you do, please spread the word. Good muse travels fast...

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2. Poets Toss Pens.jpg

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10. swing.jpg

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7. Disguised as myself.jpg

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TimelessToday
PremRawat.com
Heart of the Matter

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)

“I have nothing to say, I am saying it, and that is poetry.”
— John Cage

Welcome to my new blog — brief ruminations on what it is that moves me (and maybe YOU, too). If any of my poems inspire you, please forward them to friends. Good muse travels fast. Or could, with your help.

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© Mitch Ditkoff