Today's Tendril...

Watching snow flakes paint the empty road white and coat the sky-facing sides of leafless branches.

A pine tree is illuminated with Christmas lights.

A squirrel runs along a stone wall, stops, gets up on its hindquarters, and becomes a statue of light snow.

The New Year already looks promising...

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Tendrils 7: Fallen

If the possibilities are truly endless, then they're only gated by the locks of the mind.

 

Finished, complete, and done are merely states of relativity.

 

Tendrils of the imagination come and go like a ghost in the night; like a ghost in the mind.

2022 Remix

Tendrils of the imagination come and go like the wisps of smoke that rise and vanish from the flame of the candle that’s illuminating the page — and the moment.

 

Hope not only renews (the heart, mind, and soul), but it adapts to the world outside our windows — and to the worlds within our minds.

2022 Remix

Adaptation and renewal work for nature and hope alike.

 

Passion becomes intensity. Intensity becomes rapture. Rapture becomes everything.

 

Sometimes all we need is the tranquility of solitude, found beneath the moonbeams of a cold winter night.

 

Evolution is a historical view.

Adaptation is the here and now.

Expectation is a burden to carry.

Anticipation is a double-edged sword.

 

Every Autumn leaf finds its own path to the earth.

 

Simplicity is like the beast waiting in the tall grass, or the creature with many tentacles lurking in the depths of a lake, or the red-eyed thing moving under the bed.

 

Intentions are like ghosts: They come and go in the blink of an eye.

 

Patience and perseverance go hand-in-hand.

And are often accompanied by frustration and iteration.

 

About

-Tendrils 1 and 2 are based on text in the About section of the image, "Fallen (Possibilities)."
-Tendrils 3 and 4 appear in Today's Tendril… posts (2009.11.09 and 2009.11.29).
-Tendril 5 is taken from the text in the About section of the image, "Fallen (I See Red)."
-Tendrils 6 is based on the text in the About section of the image, "Fallen (Blue Serenity)."
-All other Tendrils are exclusive to this collection.

Updated 20220725

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Fallen Series Image Collage

 

About

All of the images in the Fallen Series in a single eye full.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

When the clouds thicken to green, Soon the wind will become mean.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Fallen (Possibilities)

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

I trust my soul to faith (in God, in Christ, in love). For everything else, I want to see the data (the facts, the figures, the processes — the proofs).

© Copyright 2012 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Wisdom and perseverance are not the same things, though the former may come from surviving the latter, while the latter will only come from applying the former.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Fear not the gift, but the gift-giver. Then fear the gift.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Red Fir (Christmas Tree 2009)

-select image for larger version-

 

About

Red – a fitting color for this holiday season: Love, Santa, blood of the Savior, anger (the "Christmas crazies"), decorations, Rudolph's shiny nose, blinking lights, holly berries, and presents.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Three Tendrils for Today

If content is king, then context is queen, and subtext is the devil in disguise.

 

The fool and the wise man are the ears of interpretation.

 

A good life: Many blessings, few regrets, and your integrity whole.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

To question integrity—in yourself and in others—is to get to the heart of the matter; to get to the heart of what matters.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Hope springs eternal, even when the heart aches.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Ghost Green

A glow –
  Wispy.
  Fleeting.
  Unsettling.

A breath,
  a blink,
  a chill.

All that remains:
  A mist of ghost green.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Tendrils of the imagination come and go like a ghost in the night; like a ghost in the mind.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Fallen (Ghost Green)

 

About

Leaves, ice, and a specter of Spring, all colored by the imagination.

Tendrils of the imagination come and go like a ghost in the night; like a ghost in the mind.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Hope not only renews (the heart, mind, and soul), but it adapts to the world outside our windows — and to the worlds within our minds.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Fallen (Ever Green)

 

About

Leaves, ice, and a whisper of Spring in the bleakest of Winter, all colored by the imagination.

Hope not only renews, but it adapts to the world outside our windows — and to the worlds within our minds.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Fallen (I See Red)

 

About

Leaves, ice, and sunset, all colored by the imagination.

Passion becomes intensity. Intensity becomes rapture. Rapture becomes everything.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

No road goes on forever — except the one in your heart.

Alternate Version

No road goes on forever — except the one in your mind.

In loving memory of Tessa.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Sometimes we need to test the limits of our weaknesses in order to find out how strong we truly are (or can become).

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

I'm not interested in learning everything there is to know. Instead, I'm living everything there is "to be."

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Sometimes the world is round. Sometimes the world is flat. And sometimes... The world just doesn't exist at all. Such is the expanse that is laid bare,       in silent passage,       on a mental voyage.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Face-to-face [poem]

We're face-to-face – yet again.
  Such is the fate of proximity.

There's nothing that can be said that isn't already revealed in the alcohol on your breath,
  and the dull, disconnected look in your glazed eyes.
    They reveal a graying mix of twilight and fog.

You speak of stark, cold reality,
  but you're nothing but a ghost in a shell,
    spewing inconsistent truths,
      and jagged lies.
        Slurred words from a blurred mind.

There's no mirror clear enough,
  or deep enough,
  or wide enough,
to reflect all the demons that you carry on your back,
  that ride your shoulders,
  that stay tangled in your hair,
  that you wear like a noose around your neck.
    If only you could see what I see.

We're opposite sides of the human coin, me and you,
  yet here we stand,
    once again,
  face-to-face,
    and I don't know what to say.

  But I do know where we stand.

        ><

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

Today's Tendril...

Sometimes inspiration is the by-product of proximity. Sometimes it's an amalgamation of circumstances and inner dialogue. Most of the time, though, we're simply seized by inspiration—and squeezed by it (tightly).

Alternate Version

Art is an amalgamation of circumstances and inner dialogue.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Face-to-face [image]

 

About

The image is based on the last line in the "Face-to-face" poem (literally) and relates to the broader meaning of the poem (abstractly).

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

People that throw caution to the wind probably spit into the wind, too.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Perspective – An avalanche is just an army of snowflakes on a mission. Perspective – When an avalanche is bearing down on you, there isn’t time for philosophical thought.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

The Drowning Tree

Strong family roots keep you firmly planted when storms rage and flood waters rise around you.

Dedicated to family. Family first. Family now. Family forever.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Tendrils 6: Coercion

The shadow of coercion is longest when it is cast upon you.

 

Coercion is a many tentacled thing — always reaching, squeezing, and pulling.

 

Those that coerce for lust, greed, and profit are often consumed by the same.

 

What do greed, power, and coercion have in common? A blackened heart.

 

Trust is a gift. Coercion is theft.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Tendrils 5: Faith

Faith, to me, isn't a tax on reality, but an investment in eternity.

 

Faith is what you believe.

Religion is what you do.

 

Some say faith is a belief in the unknown.

I believe that faith is in knowing the divine (to the extent that dustlings can).

 

Faith cannot be lost.
It can be ignored.
It can be poisoned.
It can be perverted.
But it cannot be lost.

 

Blind acceptance is not the same thing as faith.

 

F.a.i.t.h.

• Father, am I the Hope? (Or the Heretic?)
• Feeling absolution in Thy honor.
• Fortitude and integrity to have.
• Fight avarice. Instead, tout hope.
• Feelings and imagination to harness.
• Father above, I take heed.

 

I'll not interrupt my faith to be an audience for your philosophy.

And now there, between us, I've drawn the line.

So keep to your side and I'll keep to mine.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Sometimes the spontaneity (and exploration) of the moment takes priority over the plans (and other works in progress).

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

The Nest

-select image for larger version-

Updated 2018
Original version published 2009

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

From Me to You (with Love)

Created for, and dedicated to, my wife.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Tension in the Toy Box

    Tension in the toy box between the scarecrow and the teddy bear had been mounting since mid September. This always seemed to happen in the weeks leading up to Halloween.

    The teddy bear with his happy-go-lucky attitude, furry friendliness, and always-on smile, were at odds with the scarecrow's surly demeanor, melancholy manner, and perpetual frown.

    Every toy box denizen knew that these two would fight at the drop of a hat, so it was best to steer clear of them whenever (and however) possible.

    Unfortunately, the toy box tension came to a head one rainy afternoon in late October, at a time and in a place that no one could avoid: The mandatory toy box "town meeting" (on the old checkerboard at the center of the box); the one place where all toys gathered on a regular basis to give their who-played-with-me peer reports.

    Out-of-the-blue, and for no apparent reason, the scarecrow turned to the teddy bear and said, rather harshly, "It's all just cupcakes and creampuffs to you, isn't it, Mr. Oh-so-soft-and-cuddly!"

    The collective gasp was instantaneous; the chilling silence that followed was unsettling.

    A dark umbrella of anticipation covered them all, waiting to see how the kindly teddy bear would react to this senseless provocation.

    After a few long moments in eternity, it finally came.

    "That may be true," said the smiling teddy bear, "but at least I don't have a stick up my ass."

    And as all eyes shifted back to the scarecrow, who was now in a state of stunned silence, the action figure at the back of the box shouted, "Amen to that, brother!"

    The toy box erupted with tremendous laughter, except for the scarecrow, who just sulked — on his stick.

    The End

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

Both Ways

  Said one autumn leaf to another, "I couldn't decide what color to be for Halloween—yellow or purple, yellow or purple—then I thought, 'Why not both?' So that's what I did."

  "Good choice," replied his friend, now feeling a little sad, because he was only a bland autumn brown.

 

About

While walking down a country road in late October, I spied a unique looking leaf among the thousands of fallen leaves that blanketed the roadside.

Sometimes (in life) you can have it both ways (i.e., you can have your cake and eat it, too).

Dedicated to, and created for, my wife.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This vignette composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

Today's Tendril...

A good dreamer doesn't exhaust his possibilities. He is exhausted by them.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Impatience + stupidity + unregulated impulse = Mistakes, regrets, and apologies.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Why shouldn't I make the "illusion" real? If we only ever dreamed of things that already existed—things that were already "real"—then progress would be the illusion. To turn passion into ingenuity, and wishful thinking into daily doing, is to be alive in what drives you, and to steer it where you want, and will, go.

 

About

A reflection, a connection, and a motivation.

Dedicated to my Notebook Brother.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

A Very Good Day

Enjoying a big, hot bowl of homemade chicken soup,
   as I watch Fall-colored trees nod and sway to a cool afternoon breeze,
      while grey-white clouds sail across a sea of vivid blue.

A Sunday in reflection,
   lived and learned.

A restful introspection,
   a day well spent.

Dedicated to my wife.

© Copyright 2009,2012 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Sunday is more than just a day of rest — it is an oasis in a desert of stress.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Red-wing Bird-fish

 

About

"Red-wing Bird-fish" is based on the image, "Ice-blue Wing" (IW):

IW was the favicon for tagsandtendrils.com, which was my artistic outlet prior to insilentpassage.com.

IW image © Copyright 2008 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

© Copyright 2009,2012 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Bloodline

I awoke from a dead sleep with an uneasy feeling.

The bedroom was dark and silent, but the door was halfway open.

I don't remember leaving the door open.

Something inside me said in a strong, firm voice, "Get up. Now. Go and check."

I moved across the floor like a ghost—like a lion—and stood beside the bed of each bloodline until I was confident that what I was seeing was the steady rise and fall of dreaming sheets.

Everyone was safe.

A renewed calmness came over me.

Just one more thing to check.

I made my way to the family room.

There in the dark a little tail wagged - happily.

"Good girl," I said smiling. "You protect them, OK?" Her little tail wagged faster; her body danced in place.

I stood up, looked around, and smiled.

Nothing's more important than family, I thought.

Life is good.

I unfurled my wings, lit my halo, and made my way to the roof.

I promised them that I'd always be around.

And I always will.

(Never) The End

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

Maturity is...

Maturity is knowing when to:

• Wait it out
• Wade out
• Reach out
• Drive it out
• Step out
• Chill out
• Shout it out

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Dreamality: When dreams and reality converge — and smile.

Dedicated to my Notebook Brother.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

You don't lose your integrity. You give it up.

Alternate Version

Integrity cannot be taken. Only surrendered.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

An idea, bleeding somewhere in time, drips into the abyss of inaction.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

A soul filled to capacity is an empty life.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

...And the bookworms shall write (and right) the pages of the world.

Alternate Version

...And the bookworms shall inherit the earth.

Alternate Version 2

...And the misfits, the bookworms, and the benevolent shall inherit the earth—
   one bruise,
   one bone,
   one stitch,
   and one staple,
      at a time.

Updated 20220724

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

There are those that are black holes to The Light,      and those that are suns to The Dark.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

A Prayer, of Sorts

Lord, give me the strength to be more than an empty vessel – show me how to pilot the soul-ship.

Let me hear the message loud and clear through the chatter, prattle, and background noise of daily life.

Draw me away me from the unwritten tomorrow and lead me to the clouds (and the crows) of the ever present now.

Please keep me from getting stuck knee-deep in scat, by avoiding it in the first place.

And when the scat can’t be avoided, remind me not to tarry, but to wade my way to greener pastures.

Amen

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

What is more sad than a playground full of empty swings?

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Raw (a Drain Pipe)

Define the complication.
Breed the dependencies.
Spawn the zombies and let them feast upon all that is fresh.

Spin the agony.
Push the point into a maze.
Light the fuse,
  get away — and pray.

Splinter support.
Fog the masses.
Feed the machine (slave to the grind).

Stake the ground.
Burn the ends.
Pull apart with rusty hooks.

Sleight of mind.
Out of hand.
  Look away!
    Turn around!
Only to…

Lock onto yellow-red vermin eyes,
  as you become entangled
  in the vines of chaos,
      while a swarm of flies descends with fury
      from ever darkening skies.


© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

ASCII Frankenstein Monster

ASCII Frankenstein Monster (Can't Leave Well Enough Alone Version - Advanced Text Formatting)

ASCII Frankenstein Monster (Original Version - Basic Text Formatting)

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Writing to Dissolve

I'm tossing and turning in bed.
Can't get comfortable.

Trying to quiet a restless mind.
But there's no off switch.

Outside it's raining, again; steadily.
On the inside, too (of me).

The darkness is a mental lens,
Through which each thought becomes a scene.
                                        (Becomes a seen.)

Where's the Sandman when you need him most?
A grain or two would surely do.
Maybe he stayed home due to rain.

Adjusting pillows for the hundredth time.
There's no fit to this feathery puzzle.

Keep checking the clock,
As if reminding myself how late it (still) is will suddenly induce slumber.
It doesn't.
It never does.
Time marches on,
       and I'm awake to see it go by.

I decide to crawl into the pages of a notebook,
And write until I see
       a parade of words
              dissolve
                     behind
                            closing eyes…

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Discontent in others doesn't worry me. We all experience discontent, in varying degrees of severity and duration, at various points in our lives. Simply put, discontent is part of human nature. It happens.

What worries me are those that cross the line from run-of-the-mill discontent to focused, targeted discontent, because they're just one step away from disgruntled — and dangerous.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

    An acquaintance once said to me, "I never had a dream I didn't like."

    I replied, "Really? What about nightmares?"

    The disbelief in my voice and on my face was obvious, because he returned proudly, and quite matter-of-factly, "I never have nightmares."

    "How sad for you," I said. Then I turned and walked away, wondering about a life devoid of nightmares and how empty that must be.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

Fallen (Blue Serenity)

 

About

Leaves, ice, and nightlight, all colored by the imagination.

Tranquility found in the solitude beneath the moonbeams of a cold winter night.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

The snow drifts of memory block the path ahead, and the way home has blown away with the passing of the clouds — and the closing of the mind.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Thankful: When you've been pushed to the edge, teetering on it, glimpsing the black void below, and then, out of nowhere, a mighty gust of wind comes along and blows you back to safety. Some call this chance. Others call it luck. I prefer to call it the breath of God.

Dedicated to my Notebook Brother.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Ever have one of those days when you feel like you're walking through mud, with an agitated monkey on your back, a black cloud above your head, sand in your eyes, and dumbbells for hands? Yeah, me, too.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

An Afternoon at the Lake

Sitting on a beach chair,
  by a modest lake,
    on a seasonably mild summer day,
      writing this…

Clouds slowly spread like vines,
  growing across the powder-blue sky.

Ripples on the water –
  concentric circles of happiness,
    emanating from so many points of splashiness.

In the sand, all around me
—surrounding me—
  lines,
    and footprints,
      and dunes in miniature.

Bodies of all shapes,
  and sizes,
    and colors,
      and ages,
        and degrees of swimsuit coverage,
          mill about,
            with unseen purpose,
              like weekend ants.

A circling hawk.
  Speeding sparrows.
    A lone crow perched on the longest limb of a dead tree,
      on the opposite shore,
        surveys (stoically) the peculiar little wet things
          romping about in the dark blue expanse below.

Something hornet-like hovers in place for a few moments,
  a few inches above one particular patch of sand,
    then zips away,
      then returns,
        and repeats the cycle
          about a dozen times.

Now and then a cool breeze caresses and cools the sun bathers,
  while the water lilies shiver and chuckle in place.

Paperback books pepper the sandscape.
  Some are held in laps, like precious little things.
    Others hug them like teddy bears,
      while Zzz-Zzzs dissolve above their heads.
        And there are those lost in the pages of the moment,
          wondering what the next turn will bring.

A continuous mix of voices rises and falls,
  constantly stirring the conversation stew.
    Bits and pieces of daily lives arrive out context to my ears,
      becoming the characters and stories in my mind.

And what must they think of me?
    The sunglassed man in a beach chair,
        with paper and pen,
          writing intermittently (though intently),
            with a wry smile.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Self Portrait (Abstract)

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Mindstorm 1

 

About

There's always a mindstorm brewing in the mind of artists, innovators, and dreamers.

This piece is the cerebral answer to Heart of an Artist.

Dedicated to my wife, who inspires me and is always there when I return home from a voyage through a mindstorm.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Smile 2

A helium balloon, no longer aloft, and a bit crumpled,
was holding down the floor.

Little did I know that it was a trapdoor to the imagination.

Dedicated to my family.

P.S. When I look at this image I see a greeting card, whose interior text is, "Down, but not out... Smile to another day."

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Said an Angel...

     Said an angel to an orphan...

     "Faith is the family that binds us, Julia. Not a Christmas tree. Not a pumpkin patch. Not a birthday present signed, 'With love, your Mom and Dad.'

     "Normal Rockwell paintings, The Brady Bunch, and The Partridge Family are only types of family, Julia.

     "At best, they are families born of wishful thinking. At worst, they are simplifications and sterilizations; devoid of the everyday mundane, and the trials and tribulations of life choices. Either way, they are fabrications; the products of writers, producers, and ratings.

     They are not family, Julia. Not your family.

     Your family is far beyond their reach and far beyond their comprehension. They are not us, Julia. They are not one with the divine, as we are. This is your family.

     "And your destiny, my child, is to be a guide. A resolute and compassionate guide.

     "Your wings, more than any other in our family, will flap high above the loneliness of this world. You will help set free the hearts of so many that feel lost and alone, and longing for love, just as you do right now.

     "You will help them find their faith, Julia. You will help them find their peace and their purpose—with thanksgiving—in God."

 

About

This piece is in response to, Said the Demon... (2009.07.02).

© Copyright 2009,2012 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

Balance

 

About

The next image, titled, "The Evolution of Balance," is the beginning of balance.


© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

You Know You're Sad When

You know you're sad when someone asks you,

If you were a tree, then what kind of tree would you be?

and you respond:

• A weeping willow
• A Charlie Brown Christmas tree
• A sapling
• Firewood
• Driftwood
• Petrified
• The kind that gets turned into a forgotten piece of paper

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Cardinals, blue jays, and crows: my winged patches of red, blue, and black among the daybreak shimmer of broccoli-green trees.

A caravan of white-tailed deer slowly and silently trace the brush line.

A Mourning Dove calls.

Tranquility...for a moment; for a breath.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

A Prayer, of Sorts

Dear Lord,

Give me the will to write,
   to find the right,
and to shed a light
   on the darkness
  of an empty page
   – so white.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Said the Demon...

     Said the demon to the priest, "Every rule is artificial, except the rule of God. That is what we demons fear. That is what the vile angels know to be true. And that is the weakness we exploit in man: The precious belief that the rule of God is also artificial; that it is man-made and entirely subjective. … That is why you fall, holy man. Because deep down inside you don't believe in the rule of God."

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

The Night Sky

     "Hello," said the Moon.

     "Good evening," replied the Stars.

     "Looks like we're in for a beautiful starry night," winked the Moon.

     "Yes. And would it seem we're going to have an eye in the sky to guide the way," chuckled the Stars.

     And the Moon and the Stars laughed and smiled, and twinkled and wished, until it was time for them to turn the sky over to the Sun and the Clouds.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Exhaustion as a consequence of good clean fun is a badge of honor. Exhaustion as a consequence of being overworked, stressed out, and always irritable is a slippery slope to despair.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Stress is recognizing when your mental threads are starting to fray.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Frustration occurs when the expectations of high principles run into the brick walls of shortsightedness, fluid compromise, and greed.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

My Daily Tendrils

Balance. Clarity. Focus. Serenity.
My daily grails.

Strength. Courage. Endurance. Regulation.
My daily prayers.

Faith. Hope. Love. Dreams. Family.
My daily fuel.
My daily breaths.
My daily bread.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

On the Inside (Sadness Part 3)

    "Sometimes I feel overwhelmed," he said, his eyes fixed to the floor.

    "I know you do," she whispered.

    "Then I think of you – and I smile." A tear slid down his cheek.

    She cupped his face in her soft, warm hands, brought his eyes to hers, and said, "As long as I'm in your heart, then let the world stay outside. We'll be inside, together, where nothing can hurt us. Not now. Not ever."

    He smiled.

    She smiled.

    And for a little while, the world became their smiles — at least on the inside.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

The Ghosts of Sorrow (Sadness Part 2)

An open switch,
  An open wound.
Those vacant eyes,
  A soul marooned.

Constricted hope,
  And drying tears.
There's no relief,
  From deathbed fears.

No hands to hold,
  No fight remains.
What prayers to say?
  When the spirit wanes.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

A Breath Away from Dust (Sadness Part 1)

Once upon a time the man in the mirror was a child.
  A child with tireless hands,
  a strong heart,
  and access to an endless garden of ever ripening fruit.

But the vine of intention has long since withered,
 its roots receded;
 decayed.
  The endless garden is now but a patch of brown,
  a poor plot of earth,
  and just a breeze
     and a breath
  away from dust.

Once upon a time the mirror held a child.
 Now all that remains are wrinkles of worry,
 bags of regret,
 a fixed frown,
 and a lifetime of lists—
  lists that only hold a handful of checkmarks.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Buffering reality one thought at a time,
 And twisting them out of their tight
 mental shell.

On paper, on screen, in folders and files,
  All pieces of me,
  And each in its cell.

Alternate Version

Buffering reality one thought at a time,
 Then twisting them out of the grey-matter shell.

On paper, on screen, in folders and files,
 A lifetime of progress,
  A path I know well.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

God, guide me in the way of little things, so that I can find the footprints of serenity in the vastness of the day.

Alternate Version

God, guide me in the way of little things, so that I might find a path away from the colossal maw of the ever present now.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Status! State! Fried.

 

About

The status of any project (personal, professional, recreational, etc.) can be reduced to various states of green, yellow, and red.

The status path is colored black and blue.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Tendril: My Frankensteins

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Today's Tendril...

Reclaiming my balance one thought, one dream, and one Tendril at a time.

Alternate Version

Reclaiming my balance one thought, one dream, and one prayer at a time.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Tendrils 4

Nothing "pushes the envelope" quite like inspiration; aggravation; desperation.

 

Bend, but do not break.
    Hold, but do not take.
Speak, but do not lie.
    Help, but do not pry.

 

The pragmatist and the opportunist differ only in their perceptions of need versus greed.

 

Practice is the art of learning how not to think, but to do; to act with precision, endurance, and excellence.

 

The perks of loyalty are best enjoyed quietly.

 

Watching the news is like poking a wound – it hurts, but you do it anyway.

 

Under extreme pressure absolutes tend to become one of two things: absolute knots or absolutely nots.

 

A good idea is often a casualty of committee.

 

There's a fine line between "love it" and "covet."

 

Having a belief is easy.

Living a belief is hard.

 

Nothing is true until you believe it.

 

Every sincere smile is a message from the heart and cannot be contained behind a mask.

Every kiss is an invitation, an obstacle, and a commitment.

Everything that is learned about the soul—everything that we are drawn to, everything that repels us—either brings us closer to a union of dreams and reality, or creates an emotional chasm a thousand tears wide.

 

Some days I feel like the string between two (dented) tin cans.

 

Having a bird's-eye-view doesn't give you the right to sh*t on the world.

 

God, catch my tears, cleanse them, and then baptize me with their purity – Your purity.

Let the tears of Heaven rain down upon me.

I'll wait for the rainbow.

I always have.

I always will.

 

If you want to be free of your demons, then do not give them a place to roost in the heart, mind, and soul.

 

Ideas once written can become like flesh – and bitten.

 

Frustration: Trying to rise to the occasion, only to be brought down by the stupidity of others.

 

Do you think God created goldfish, in part, to help parents teach children about death, loss, and sadness?

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Tag, Scan, Succumb

      "It was inevitable," he said, in a sad, despairing voice.

      "What was inevitable," she asked cautiously; afraid in advance of what he might say.

      "That our molecules would be tagged with barcodes. That our lives would be like commodities. They're trying to track our soul-stuff, Olivia," bemoaned Kane, who was now noticeably irritated. "They're trying to put Big Brother right into our very atoms."

      With a sudden intensity, Kane added, "They're marking us all, Olivia. Making us into their things. Don't you see that? They want to craft individuality as they see fit. They want nothing less than the ability to enforce selective uniqueness."

      Then, with a new found resolve, Kane added through clenched teeth, "Tag, scan, succumb—that's their master plan. I can't allow that to happen, Olivia. I just can't. They must be stopped. They must be...punished."

 

Tendrils

Designer genes express the arrogance of man.

 

Will Angels use scanners at the Pearly Gates?

 

Privacy today is a like a unicorn — a myth and a dream.

 

They say that your sense of identity comes from within; that it's what's inside that counts. Barcodes in our bodies turn the sense of self into a sense of societal control.

 

"So there I was, just relaxing on the beach, when I felt something in my palms. Not touching me, mind you. Nothing like sand or water against my skin, but something in my skin. I looked at my palms and was horrified. My skin was raised slightly, and red, and formed this: Sunblock patent SB-VGFU-YUL343341. Restricted public use."

 

"Price check on intelligence cells - aisle four."

 

You have been scanned and we have determined that several of your parts are damaged; several are obsolete. Therefore, you are damaged. You are obsolete. You will be erased for the greater good.

 

Barcodes serve a critical purpose and I can't imagine modern business without them. I just don't want them in me.

 

About

A vignette and a batch of Tendrils, all loosely coupled by barcoding.


© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.

Between Two Ends

I'm alone,
 but I'm alive.
I'll lament,
 but I'll survive.

Sometimes down,
 but never out,
I'll defy,
 this crushing doubt.

Faith in God,
 helps keep me sane.
I'll lick my wounds,
 and use their pain.

And day by day,
 I'll make my way,
Back to the dream,
 I sent away.

I'LL BE ME,
 Between two ends!

Dedicated to all that: (1) are to the left or to the right of the so-called "center," (2) won't give in to the pressures of the crowd, (3) refuse to bow down to those that abuse their positions of authority, and (4) march to the beat of their own drummers (and thus considered misfits or outsiders).

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Why?

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

The God Green

The world seems unusually vivid today,
   even though the sky is a soft expanse of undifferentiated grey,
   and a steady drizzle is creating an illusion of nearly invisible lines,
      shifting and sliding
         with the slightest breeze.

And then there's the green.
The type of green that only appears in Spring.
The virgin green.

It is seen in the plants,
   the trees,
      and the grass.

This is the green we mourn in Autumn,
and can't wait to see again
   when the whiteness of Winter
      swallows our feet.

This is the green we recall at the peak of Summer,
as the Sun bleaches,
   and burns,
      and browns,
         all that it touches.

This is God green.

And I am an ant on a leaf in the rain…

 

About

Weather and the world outside my window; another "mood of the day" piece.

A true story, except the part about being an ant. (Although, aren't there days when we all feel like an ant on a leaf in the rain?)

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Rabbit and Owl

Rabbit	:	Why do you bother?
Owl	:	Bother with what?
Rabbit	:	With what you're doing. Your so-called "art." Why do you bother?
Owl	:	Because it serves the self.
Rabbit	:	So, what you're saying is that your art is self-serving.
Owl	:	No, I did not say that.
Rabbit	:	Yes you did! You just told me that your art is selfish.
Owl	:	No, you asked me why I do my art and I told you that it serves the self. I did not tell you that what I do is self-serving or selfish. You are the one that rearranged my answer to fit your interpretation.
Rabbit	:	Oh, come on. Serving the self or self serving, or even plain old being selfish, what's the difference?
Owl	:	The difference is as striking as the differences in sunlight and moonlight.
Rabbit	:	Oh, please. Now you're just playing with words.
Owl	:	No, I am not. I most certainly am not.
Rabbit	:	Yes. Yes you are. You're splitting hairs.
Owl	:	Trust me, you would know if I were splitting hairs.

 

Somewhere in the distance a drummer plays a rimshot...

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

Ghost Demon

"Don't look away, but do look in,
'cause there's always room for a little sin.

I'll whisper out a tempting sound,
and be on your shoulder,
till you turn around."

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

The Notebook Brothers

They write and create,
  and doodle and devise,
because that is what they do.

They cannot separate that aspect of themselves anymore than a cloud can separate itself from the water and ice that make it a cloud.

Why it is a part of them,
and for what purpose,
is the ghost within them,
  glimpsed only from the corners of their minds.

And the impression that remains is a source of frustration,
a vapor of stress,
  and the tendrils of pain.

But it is through these things that they arrive at the wonder,
the joy,
  and the intensity of creativity.

This is how they've amassed volumes of notebooks,
  why they've spent endless hours deep within their pages,
and learned to live within the burning sphere of, "but for what purpose?"

The thoughts and "thinkerings" that flow from their minds,
  and then captured in their ever opening-and-closing notebooks,
is who they are.

For them to do otherwise would be to live in a cell filled with a thousand pens,
  but not a single notebook.


Dedicated to my Notebook Brother.

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.