Yakima Bonsai Society's Annual Show, 2014







Yakima Bonsai Society's Annual Show at the Yakima, Arboretum, with interviews of some of the members, and photos of the trees on display.

HAND CARRY THE SWEET GUM TREE






















CARRYING GRANDPA GUM

He had tried air layering
and failed. He tried it twice
in fact, in successive years
when sap was running.
And he tried the same thing
on the Sweet Gum
in his son-in-law’s yard.
Same results.
Then, in the final mowing,
before turning the keys
to the house
over to new owners,
he saw the tiny tree
coming up from old roots
at the tree’s base.
He had his jack knife
in his pocket,
and he cut it out,
cradling the genetic code
leafing out in his cupped hands.

Jim Bodeen
7 June 2014

AMERICA


RUN-AND-GUN

This used to be about basketball.
America,
You are a gun-running member of the NRA.

Jim Bodeen
25 May--6 June, 2014

Welcome to Lectio Divina



THE TENT AND THE TABLES

All ways God.
God all ways.
God-grateful.
Here and here.
Being here and trying here.
Trying to be here.
Practicing.
Practicing the practice.
This.
The practice.
The practice and the trying and the gratefulness.
Practicing that. And all that. Grateful.
Grateful, too. For all, for you. For you all.
For all you.
That.
The practice and the fast.
That fast.
Fasting.
The fast that I choose.
The fast that chooses.
Choosing many tables.
Choice in many tables.
All ways and always God.
God-grateful. Grateful for all. For you, all.
For you.
Here and here.

And hear.

Being here and trying to be here.
Practicing.
The fast that I choose and try to choose.
The fast that chooses.
This fast.
This.

Jim Bodeen
1 June--30 June 2014

AFTERNOON LECTIO

Those instructions for resting.
I set them here, somewhere.
The monk who got me here
says not to worry. Better
than my practice now,
this orientation
to the new day.

Branches grow towards the light.
Branches don’t grow towards the darkness.
Take them out.
Either way,
scissors or eye.

Jim Bodeen
23 June 2014 


OH LORD

When the temple
became a work house
the way of this way
came to me
in pieces

Sitting beside my wife
I ran my finger
over my dry lips

Jim Bodeen
8 June 2014


LOOKING AT LITTLE TREES

Just to hear it.
To hear the words.
To hear the words
without purpose
without any way
of knowing.

Jim Bodeen
7 June 2014


DAD WOULD HAVE BEEN 93

With increased vigor
surrounded by David’s psalms
let aging commence

Jim Bodeen
7 June 2014



ANOTHER IMAGE FROM THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE

We have mis-used the name
in our dancing
Whose arms hold me
does not matter
star born from
Born-Of-Stars

Jim Bodeen
7 June 2014


NO SAID

A way of knowing, and of being known.
A way before anything is said.
A North Dakota way.
Without any said.
That.
And more time with that.

Jim Bodeen
6 June 2014


WELCOME TO LECTIO DIVINA

The same thing
over and over
like a song, like the song
that just now
came into me
just now
part of me
not even mine
but me

More, and less, me
More and less

Just pray all the time

Just pray
more and less
all the time

Jim Bodeen
4 June 2014