You wander.
We all do.
Uncertainty can often
blur your surroundings.
Unclear.
The map is always there,
the lines signify the path
you need to follow.
You simply have to find
the direction.
It is all in your hands.
© 2017 j.g. lewis
unclear
gr@ffiti
Anguish or confusion,
sometimes it is the way.
Anxiety takes over.
What else can you say
as you try to put aside all
the feelings that dog you
anyway. No pain today.
Try as you might to
see your way through.
No pain. Not today.
09/14/2023 j.g.l.
Mondays are just young Fridays
There is very little that can be said about Eric Clapton that hasn’t already been said; except I saw him last night.
I’ve been listening to the musician, in all stages of his career, over the past five decades and he has been around even longer than that.
Through the years I’ve grown to appreciate Clapton more as a performer, recording artist, and as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, but I’ve never seen him live; until last night.
He was everything (and more) that I expected, playing selections from his lengthy career, and paying homage not only the blues artists who have influenced him but also to friends no longer with us.
Clapton and his band kicked of the Toronto concert with a cover of The Band’s The Shape I’m in, a fitting tribute to his longtime Canadian friend Robbie Robertson. Then, later, a tune he once recorded with Tina Turner: Tearing Us Apart.
The show was filled with both popular hits and selections you could tell he felt like playing. With a catalogue like Clapton’s there could have been even more hits, but he did what he had to do.
At age 79, Clapton’s seemingly effortless prowess on electric and acoustic guitar was both mature and effective. There were a lot of “wow” moments.
It was quite an evening.
What else can I say?
09/11/2023 j.g.l.
I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Beyond Our Imagination
Posted on July 20, 2022 by j.g.lewis
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Of course we look up with wonder, but as we do so we neglect to see ahead of us.
The recent images from the James Webb Telescope have provided us with vibrant views of distant heavens never seen before (and not possible with the naked eye). Yes, scenes millions of light years behind us captivate our imagination. The pretty pictures distract us from our earthly concerns.
This planet is heating up. We are, right now, experiencing unprecedented climate change; more than we know and much more than some people will admit.
When we take into account how much money governments spend on space exploration we have to question how much good that revenue could be doing right here on Earth?
For example, The United States alone has spent more than $200 billion on the Space Shuttle program and another $50 billion on the International Space Station. Since its creation in 1958, right through to 2018, NASA spent almost one trillion inflation-adjusted dollars.
That figure, with capital “T”, does not account for monies spent by other governments throughout the world.
Canada, alone, spent $110 million to develop the Canadarm; a device best known for capturing, repairing, and deploying satellites, missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, and docking the space shuttle to the Russian Mir Space Station. Millions more was spent developing the Canadarm 2; a bigger, smarter version of its predecessor.
I’m most certain further Google searches would show how much more money, globally, was spent to find out more about the universes beyond. With each search I would question its value to humanity.
Whether we talk about millions, billions or trillions, we have to ask ourselves about the good those dollars could do to eradicate poverty or homelessness, or sharply reduce the toxic emissions destroying our atmosphere?
I, myself, have spent countless hours on many days throughout my life simply staring up in awe at clouds, the stars, constellations, and each phase of the moon and how it reacts to, and with, the light of the Sun I always believed was central to our existence. My thoughts were always full of wonder. Why are we here? Where did we come from? What else is out there?
The recent photographs confirm there is far more out there than some of us ever imagined, but we are so fascinated by the sights thousands of light years away that we lose perspective of our earthy concerns.
We have such a limited view of our future that we can’t even answer ourselves when we ask how much time we have to enjoy all that surrounds us?
We can continue to marvel at the real proof in the images of galaxies and heavenly bodies beyond our imagination — and look back historically to the advancements in space exploration — but it seems we can’t see what is ahead.
Or we don’t want to. Imagine that.
© 2022 j.g. lewis
