smelling the color blue

If you know, say you know.

If you don't know, say you don't know.

Confucius

I

Walked all the way

From Sacramento to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon 

And it didn’t take any time at all 

Something pauses time if only you will allow this to happen 

A man said to me “time isn’t real” 

I was eating peanuts from a bag as he spoke 

And it was a lovely morning in Babylon 

The gardens seem to go on forever 

James Lee Jobe 

When we practice mindfulness in our daily lives we open to the wonders of life and allow the world to heal and nourish us. 

Thich Nhat Hanh

My wife has a friend 

that she calls Chadi  

and my wife’s friend 

calls her Chadi as well  

of course neither one of them 

is really named that   

but they have been doing this 

since they were young children  

hello Chadi   

I love you my friend   

hello Chadi 

I love you too 

James Lee Jobe 

Pablo Picasso, Au Bon Marche, 1913

Try not to struggle     your restraints will only get tighter     I have brought you here to discuss smells     odors and stinks     and other smells too     fragrances and even imaginary smells     the smell of chicken cooking in frying pan or on a barbecue grill     a child’s loaded diaper     the smell of marijuana outdoors as opposed to indoors     the body odor of poor hygiene in a crowded elevator     and of course the way that the color blue smells differently from one day to the next      have you noticed this     blue will smell one way on Monday and another way on Tuesday     I have come to believe that people do not discuss this enough and we are here to do that     so let’s begin     skunks and gunpowder     bacon and Chanel #5     you go first 

James Lee Jobe

Amanda Gorman, The Miracle of Morning

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Thanks, 

James