Thoughts on Desire

The desire of the man is for the woman,
but the desire of the woman
is for the desire of the man.
- Madame de Stael

The path

to your
heart’s desire
is never
overgrown.
—Kigezi proverb, southwest Uganda

Nothing is sexier than being desired,
and the complete feeling of helplessness I get
when I am overwhelmed by my longing for someone...

-Anon

Desire

Main Entry: 1de·sire
Pronunciation: di-'zI(-&)r, dE-
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): de·sired; de·sir·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French desirer, from Latin desiderare, from de- + sider-, sidus heavenly body
transitive verb
1 : to long or hope for : exhibit or feel desire for (desire success)
2 a : to express a wish for : REQUEST (they desire an immediate answer) b archaic : to express a wish to : ASK
3 obsolete : INVITE
4 archaic : to feel the loss of
intransitive verb : to have or feel desire
synonyms DESIRE, WISH, WANT, CRAVE, COVET mean to have a longing for. DESIRE stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim (desires to start a new life). WISH sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable (wishes for permanent world peace). WANT specifically suggests a felt need or lack (wants to have a family). CRAVE stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need (craves sweets). COVET implies strong envious desire (covets his rise to fame).

Dancing
is a vertical
expression
of a horizontal
desire
-Anon

And you who seek to know Me,
know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not,
unless you know the Mystery;
for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself,
you will never find it without.

For behold, I have been with you from the beginning,
and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
-Charge of the Star Goddess Starhawk

No longer the slave to intensity
I am now the face
Of satisfied
Desire
-Rumi,

Flex Those Muscles

As we walked down to the beach, my daughter said, “Ok, mom, I’m going to want you to remember something.”

I said, “Ok, honey, I’ll try to inscribe it into my little brain.”

“Mom,” she said, a little exasperated, “It’s not your brain that’s little. It’s your bladder.”

Have you done your keogles today?

"But Didn't That Hurt?"

By Western standards, there is nothing ladylike about being tattooed. Standards of acceptable beauty for women still dictate unblemished skin. The female body can be adorned with ear piercings, make up and silicon implants, but any form of decoration that radically challenges main stream beauty standards is sure to raise eyebrows.

 Tattooing is an undeniably strong statement and, for many, a disconcerting display of trauma and ferocity. While some feminists may feel more comfortable with healing circles, new moon rituals and writing exercises designed to draw out the “inner child,” a newer generation of women may relate to the healing process in an altogether different way…it typically marks an important stage in a woman’s life— a process of discovering, exploring and learning on the very surface of the body.

Many women seek out tattoos for altogether joyful reasons—to celebrate ethnic, spiritual or cultural heritages; to mark exciting life transitions or to display lifelong beautification. to dismiss tattoos as a form of self-oppression is to miss out on a fascinating complexity behind each woman’s decision to adorn her body with one or more permanent designs. Much of the time, tattoos on a woman truly says something about her character, her life and her spirit —Silija J. A Talvi in Body Outlaws

On the Book of my Body

I am no longer afraid of mirrors where I see the sign of the amazon, the one who shoots arrows. There is a fine red line across my chest where a knife entered, but now a branch winds about the scar and travels from arm to heart. Green leaves cover the branch, grapes hang there and a bird appears. What grows in me now is vital and does not cause me harm. I think the bird is singing. I have relinquished some of the scars. I have designed my chest with the care given to an illuminated manuscript. I am no longer ashamed to make love. Love is a battle I can win. I have the body of a warrior who does not kill or wound. On the book of my body, I have permanently inscribed a tree. -Deena Metzger

Admission of Guilt

I am the most hippy dippy, crunchy granola, loving & compassionate chick who rescues spiders, lives green, recycles everything, believes in karma, actually practices random acts of kindness, laughs all the way to the bank on purpose, is open hearted, always searching to do the greatest good, and seriously wouldn't hurt a fly.

But I admit it. Each day as I walk to my car, I deliberately step on the snails on the sidewalk, hearing the crunch of the shell under my foot, grinding all my hatred into that one slimy little body as I mutter under my breath, "Shiva, May you be reborn in your highest form and may you have been a lawyer in your past life." I tell ya, lawyers & snails keep me from reaching enlightenment this time around.

Got any good lawyer jokes for me?

Light as a Feather

Ma'at was the Egyptian Goddess of Truth, Justice and Order. Her headdress ostrich feather served as the ultimate arbiter of the goodness of a man's life, and was balanced against a newly deceased person's heart on the scales of justice as a precondition of being permitted to pass into the Afterlife. Those whose hearts were heavy with wicked deeds had their souls devoured immediately by the demigod Ammin. Only those whose were lighter than Ma'at's feather were permitted to pass through into immortality with the Gods.

Is your heart light as a feather, or ready to be devoured by a demigod?

Bag Lady

Here I am
With all my baggage
Here I am
Take me as I am

Here I am
With all my emotional baggage
Here I am
With all of my burdens

Here I am
Complete with all my luggage
Packed with the past
Bursting with stories

Take me as I am
This is how I come, complete
With all my crap, all my stuff
This is what I come with

But I’ve got a grip
Yeah, I’ve got a handle on things
And anything I can’t carry
I just let go
I just let slip

Here I am, with all my baggage
To get me through my trips
Yeah, guilt trips power trips ego trips
I might have a lot of baggage
But at least I’ve got a grip

In my left hand is my heart
Full of sorrow from betrayal
In my right hand is my head
Full of doubts and regrets
And on my back is my burden
Weighing me down with my fears
And in my arms is my child
And a frying pan, and a pen
And in my head is the world
And war and global warming
And in my mind
Is everything I’ve ever done wrong
And in my soul
I struggle to find my song...

But deep down in my front pocket
I’ve got this little zipped up purse
Full of change...

Change of mind
Change of heart
Change of attitude
Change of underwear
Change is my friend, yeah

And it might seem to you
That I have a lot of baggage
But I’ve got a handle on it
Yeah, I’ve got a grip
And anything I can’t hold on to
I just let go,
I just let slip

And now I don't expect you
To take on my baggage
No, I just want you
To pick up your own
Get a handle on it, get a grip

While we walk on this road
While we travel together
Or else we let go
We just let slip

Take me as I am
Even with all my baggage
Take me as I am
Because I’m a package deal...