Lyric prose meditations that play with elements from evangelical Christianity, Buddhism, yoga, reiki, Tarot and “weird voodoo shit.”

~by Cindy Clem

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Opening exercise: Stand in a doorway. Grip the trim with your fingertips and sag. Feel the pull on your stomach, on the muscles between your ribs. Arch your back so that your body forms a bow between fingers and toes. Align your bow with the bow of God. Let fly the arrow to your heart’s desire.

Today’s passage:
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4, NKJV

Testimonial: A Catalog of Unfulfilled Desire
When I was 8, I wanted ballet lessons, a canopy bed, and slightly pointed ears . At 10, I wanted ballet lessons and a horse. I wanted to find an abandoned baby on my doorstep, and I wanted to kick the kickball farther than the mean girl, Kristin Y., who took ballet lessons and who scared me by showing me soft porn when I went to her house for a sleepover. At 12, I wanted ballet lessons and to be able to move objects with my eyes. At 15, I wanted overpriced Esprit jeans, sharper calf muscles, a horse, and a boyfriend. I wanted to not have to wait 2+ years for each new Robert Jordan book. At 20, I wanted arms like Linda Hamilton in The Terminator or Yancy Butler in Mann and Machine. I wanted to be as good a writer as Keith S., whose paper my favorite professor read out loud in class. I wanted the actor who played the TV version of The Highlander to drive by my (parents’) house, see me on the porch, and slam on the brakes. At 30, I wanted a house of my own, a boyfriend, and a life purpose. I wanted to do a free-standing handstand and sit comfortably in the lotus position. At 40? To be determined all too soon. Continue reading →