Black Lives Matter

On the anniversary of my injury, I often breathe a little reminder of my life back into this blog. It would be remiss for me to not acknowledge this year, the death of George Floyd. My heart goes out to his family. I'm sorry if this attention is hurtful. Hopefully it's hopeful. Most of us haven't met George, but he reminds us all of someone we know and love. After months of isolation to protect ourselves from the coronavirus pandemic, the streets have erupted with mass gatherings.  My heart goes out to those who have been injured in the protests. America is in mourning over the loss of yet another innocent black life. These murders need to stop. But they are just a symptom of a larger problem.

ether

May Thirty-First, Two-Thousand Ten

You have heard it said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth from the Code of Hammurabi. But as Jesus said, do not resist the one who is evil. But if Israel shoots you in the left cheek with a teargas canister likely manufactured in your home country, The United States of America, crushing the zygomatic arch of your skull and destroying both one of your teeth and your left eye, while you, a Jewish person, who’s very father was born in Tel Aviv, stand in peaceful solidarity with West Bank Palestinians at the Kalandia checkpoint that restricts their entry into Jerusalem or Al-Quds as it is also called, to protest the murders on the Turkish Flotilla that attempted to pass through the blockade of Gaza that morning - turn to them the other cheek also, as for a kiss.

When my left eye saw the teargas canister, the final sight it would ever behold, I was sure I would die. I who previously declared I didn't believe, in that moment, called out to G∞D, "...but I am an artist." You can't tell from the photos, but in the next moment, I was elated. "My brain is ok! My brain is ok!" I repeated as a mantra. How life does go on. Why do we waste life with fighting? Everyday I get to make art because I am alive. I know someday I will be not, just as my left eye is not. Now is an opportunity to love.

Lost Post

I published this on the 6th year anniversary of an injury that took a tooth and an eye from me:

There was a lovely poem in the comments:
from AUTUMN by Else Lasker-Schüler (trans. Eavan Boland)

I was injured on this earth.
Ask the moon--he will answer you.
Though overcast, he kept an eye on me
Even on those days I tiptoed through so timidly.


And this perfect remark:
To believe and dream of a better world is, maybe, the greatest art of all...


Silly me.

Persist

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone [shoots you in the left] cheek, turn to him the other also.

Jesus according to Matthew 5:38-39 according to my life 8 years ago today

— Emily 🕊️ (@thirstypixels) May 31, 2018

Imagine

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