In Annie Dillard’s For the Time Being she quotes one Ralph Harper as asking, “Why should one not try to imagine his arms around Being?” And I wonder, How does one come to consider that?
When, in her on-foot exploration of the Mediterranean lands, Dillard discovers the source of the River Jordan, she describes the spot as a “seep at the earth’s crust.”
“In all this sober glory,” she continues, “something surprising appeared. I saw something moving.”
Though my curiosity is fierce – what is this Something? -- I lay the book aside, needing to hold the moment, let the anticiipation seep through me, here in my chair.
My breakfast is on a small table beside me. I pick up my coffee and take a sip, then lift my eyes to find the dog solemnly watching as I choose a slice of banana.
I notice, in the black fur of the cat in my lap, a sesame seed fallen from my bagel. The cat shifts, sneezes, settles back into sleep.
My own Being. My own sober glory. I pick up the book.
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