Radiant Being of Light
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January 28, 2021There Is No Door
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August 13, 2020I Have Written 1,000 Poems for You
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
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August 02, 2020May I Stay Here Forever
TimelessToday
Excerpted from this book
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January 08, 2020Does Anyone Really Understand?
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October 03, 2019Radiant Being of Light
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June 22, 2019The One for Whom
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January 19, 2019Your Eyes
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
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December 08, 2018There 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.
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November 07, 2018Longing Wells Up from Within
TimelessToday
Heart of the Matter
Words of Peace Global
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August 21, 2018Off the Coast of Love
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February 03, 2018The 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
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January 25, 2018There Is No Door
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January 18, 2018When You Walk Into the Room
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November 12, 2017The Diamond Inside
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July 27, 2017Looking
MitchDitkoff.com
My storytelling blog
My book of poetry
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July 25, 2017The One Who Teaches from Within
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May 28, 2017Radiant Being of Light
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April 29, 2017Beneath the Hot Sun
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April 07, 2016Welcome 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...
TimelessToday
PremRawat.com
Heart of the Matter
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