Absolution for the Kitchen Sink: New Poems and Other Fragments

By Rod Rippel

This is a collection of poetry and commentaries on life experiences and issues of the spirit movement of the latter half of the twentieth century that appear relevant in the emerging twenty-first. Topics include celebration of life transitions, reflections on lifestyle modes, insights into the religious dimension, the aging process, and speculations regarding the revolutionary imperatives for planet earth.

1. “‘And meaning . . . Who can think of meaning at a time like this?’ With those opening lines, you’ve got a conversation! Thanks to the book, we seem to drink of the same riverbed!” (Jaime V., Saipan).

2. “What a subtle sense of humor about serious subjects. I enjoy immensely” (Cathy, yoga friend).

3. “Reading your Absolution poetry each evening at supper. Love them” (Marion and Carl M., Detroit).

4. “Your book graced my mailbox—much to my delight! I especially jumped to the last Journey to the East and Interpreting Paul. You’ve captured the flavor of spirit in out times. Thank you so much” (Bill S., Topeka).

5. “Among my favorites so far are ‘Zen Buddhism,’ ‘The One Constant,’ and ‘Trump-eting.’ Love your humor. The last line in the book says it . . . ‘So there you have it’” (Barbara B. Santee, California).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984563699

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Rod Rippel.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/30/20198

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CONTENTS

Poetry After Surgery

A Saving Word

Thought

Affirmations

The Appropriate Exit

Art Appreciation 101

A Safe Place For Men

Bon Voyage, Audrey

Before There Was

The Buddha On Alto Drive

Buddha Poem #4

Confession

Cultivate Ignorance

Cultivating Ignorance

Darkness

The Old Teaching: Two Ways (The Didache)

Do Bes

Easy Lost, Hard Found

Epitaphs I Have Considered (For The Cremation Vase)

Speculations

Fascism Worked For Louisiana

For Lani And Steve

Forcing Me To Relate

God’s Preferential Love

Greetings For Pauline’s Birthday

Grumpy Old Man Syndrome (Goms)

History

In Memory Of Audrey, 12/30/2013

Interpreting Paul At Gal. 2:16

Irreverent Questions

Is God Dead?

The Way It Is

Chitta

Job Revisited

La Mesa Sutras

Zorba

Litany Of Aging

Mark My Place With X

Money

Neuroses

No! Not Down The Rippel’s Chimney

Nothing Is Lost

Ode To Mathew

Parables Of Jesus

Pauline

Life Intrusion

Poem Written To Myself

Poem 2

Poem 10/5/2010

Polycarp

Portrait Of Mom With Fox

Question For Philosophy

I’m Sad To See The Rain Go

Random Wisdom

Recital For Three Poems No. 2

A Further Reflection

A Reformation

Request

A Story: How Certainty Was Avoided

Simplexity: Survey Of Some Of The Laws Governing Life

Sources Of Wisdom

Sources For Jesus

Spell Bound

We Are Star Stuff

The Game Is A Variant Of Chess

The One Constant

The Shape Of Dying

The Skeptic’s Manifesto

The Soul Feels Worth

Time

Three Canonized Stories Of Western Civilization

The Positives

Trump-Eting

Ur-Word

When We Woke Up

When I Go To Church

White Wine

You Remember

Ambiguity

Zen Buddhism

Kitchen Sink Zinfandel

The Journey To The East

For Pauline, with gratitude

and love

image1.jpg

Rod Rippel

POETRY AFTER SURGERY

Look

What a gift

The poems of

The Shadow of Sirius

To read them

Punctuation-less

Raw streaming forth

Without bridles attached

Hear them make music

With mind all muddled

With pain relief

Narcotic

No way to force

The notes

Into a preconceived

Melody

And meaning

Who can think of meaning

At a time like this

A SAVING WORD

The idea of a Messiah arriving soon

(Or who has come already)

Out there somewhere to save us

From our human fate is a monumental illusion.

The logical alternative is to embrace

A liberating message about our existence.

That there is no Messiah coming,

Our lives, as they are, is what reality

embraces, sustains, endorses, loves,

ratifies, and accepts. We can accept,

reject, or struggle to change what life brings.

This is a self-evident truth.

That we do not require a Messiah

Is reality’s Messianic word,

To desire more than reality provides

Is an ungrateful illusion. That there is no savior

Is the Saving Word.

And perhaps

A final word, the Ultimate Word.

THOUGHT

Thought

where does it come from

where go

in this dreamlike illusion of existence

the universe has taken

four billion years

of trial and error experimentation

on this particular planet

to become conscious of itself

to see itself begin to wonder

and all that movement, fluctuation,

dreams, thought, and uniqueness

what happens to it

will it rise to fulfill

childhood’s vision

an ascent to All, the Am I Am

unite with the other and the Other.

AFFIRMATIONS

Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.

Today I will not suffer.

Today I will embrace joy.

Today I will enact my doing.

Today I will stretch my knowledge.

Today I will expand my unknowing.

Today I will love the mystery.

Today my being is fulfilled.

Today I will accept myself as I am.

Today my mantra will be I have no complaints.

Today I will give thanks.

Today I am still vertical.

Tomorrow I may be horizontal.

In all, I will be grateful.

THE APPROPRIATE EXIT

Not a march, nor a protest

Not a crusading agent of change

Not an advocate of the cause.

Rather a waltz.

An embrace of the swerving, circling entreat.

Hopefully not a whimper,

Not a bang. A welcome of grace.

A final praise of existence and mystery.

Perhaps in the style of Zorba’s dance.

Or Fiddler’s on the Roof,

With a touch of Oh, Didn’t He Ramble.

Just a touch!

And what if the final dance

Is years in evolving?

And what or who will be

My partner?

Shall we not also embrace it?

Though our exits are solitary?

And unpredictable as

The mystery itself.

And there may be no colleagues remaining

Who were at my side during lesser transitions

To launch me on that vast sea.

But I will have my intimate band

Who have accompanied me

Lo these many years

Through changes great and small.

There will be Amos, Noah, and Jesus.

And yes, Huey, Joseph M., (the three Joes),

Poggio and Polycarp. And Zorba,

Mountain Rivera and blessed Maitch,

Little Big Man and Chief Black Hawk.

Kenneth (yes!)