Author: Jonny N
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Apophatic / Spaces of unknowing
Prayers of quietness, for the wordless and unknowing. Graphite and water on watercolour paper. Dated: 2011 — 2014
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Patient Oak
There are times when the wisest option is to say nothing. There are times when we can feel we don’t trust ourselves to say anything. There are times of silence because any expression of the current situation seems inadequate or insincere. There are times of silence because of sorrow. There are times of silence because…
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Good Morning Chair
A poem inspired by a workshop where the attendees where encouraged to write seven two-word lines about an object in their everyday surroundings which holds a a sense of value beyond it monetary cost. This poem describes the first chair I would sit on each the morning, as I drink my first cup of tea. woven wicker faithfully idle…
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To become aware
I love Eugene Peterson’s response to this question: “What does it mean to experience all the material of our lives as a an act of faith?” That I’m responsible for paying attention to the Word of God right here in this locale. The assumption of spirituality is that always God is doing something before I…
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Lamb, bound
The following is a poetic reflection on the painting ‘Agnus Dei’ (1635-40) by Francisco de Zuburban. You, alone in the dark. You, crowned in light. You, slumped on the line where life meets death meets life. You, helpless, legs bound. With passive horns, lying in humility, demanding nothing. Me, still looking on. I, Judas. I,…
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Show up
I saw a makeshift sign/poster on a design agency wall the other day, it read “Show Up. Be Present. Tell the truth. Let it all go.” ‘Show up’ seems to be coming at me from a few sources lately. David Taylor recently asked the artist Jim Janknegt to give his top tips for being a…
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The farmer's crop
Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest. [Extract from ‘The Mad Farmer Liberation Front‘ by Wendell Berry] What we work for as success is rarely success. What outlasts us are rarely the things we imagined would. So in all our doing we…