About
Authority is not the result of a vote or an appointment. It can only be earned. And revoked when abused.
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Sunday, March 06, 2011
A Prayer, of Sorts: Authority
Authority is not the result of a vote or an appointment. It can only be earned. And revoked when abused.
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Saturday, February 26, 2011
Today's Tendril...
| Petrified wood is nature's alchemy. |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Saturday, February 12, 2011
Today's Tendril...
| A life without balance is a palette of grey. A life of extremes is but a brush of black and white. |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Monday, February 07, 2011
Today's Tendril...
| Frustration: You feel like you're yelling at/into/within a tornado — and no one cares; or notices. |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Sunday, February 06, 2011
Today's Tendril...
| For as much as the dark side becomes a part of your whole, and imbues you with wickedness, it feasts upon on you—steadily, greedily—and savors (ever so deeply) each and every morsel of your soul. |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Saturday, January 29, 2011
Today's Tendril...
| How would you rather be remembered: as someone that made a difference when it was necessary, needed, or vital, or someone that made a difference only when prompted, prodded, or instructed? |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Saturday, January 22, 2011
Two Tendrils for Today
Tranquility: A winter's full moon as seen through a row of icicles.
Anticipation and imagination: Watching the rise of a full moon until it reaches the point where the tip of an icicle—the memory of yesterday's sun—pops the moon, like a needle to a balloon, and a confetti of words alight themselves on the paper of my mind.
Tendril 1: A true story.
Tendril 2: Also a true story.
Tendril 2 is dedicated to my Notebook Brother.
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Alternate Version
Tranquility (steeped in the moment): Enjoying a full moon through icicle fingers and observable breath.
Anticipation and imagination: Watching the rise of a full moon until it reaches the point where the tip of an icicle—the memory of yesterday's sun—pops the moon, like a needle to a balloon, and a confetti of words alight themselves on the paper of my mind.
About
Tendril 1: A true story.
Tendril 2: Also a true story.
Tendril 2 is dedicated to my Notebook Brother.
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Friday, January 21, 2011
Today's Tendril...
| Wisdom grows like stalactites and stalagmites. |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Monday, January 17, 2011
Life in a Box (This Pain)
The text forms a slight "smiley" face. 8']
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Today's Tendril...
| A man that doesn't sense fear in himself, or in others, has no sense at all. |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Monday, January 10, 2011
Lines of Symmetry
With all but her mouth draped in silken shadows, she whispered, "Follow the lines of symmetry through your imagination, my love, and along the way you will discover balance, clarity, and purpose."
She smiled.
I reached out to touch her cheek and she became the tendrils of smoke rising from the candle on my desk.
A tear splashed into the candle's pool of shimmering liquid wax — and was no more.
Dedicated to my wife, for her inspiration and for never turning into tendrils of smoke.
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
She smiled.
I reached out to touch her cheek and she became the tendrils of smoke rising from the candle on my desk.
A tear splashed into the candle's pool of shimmering liquid wax — and was no more.
Dedicated to my wife, for her inspiration and for never turning into tendrils of smoke.
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.
// Sunday, January 09, 2011
Tendrils 12
How many nails must be driven into the coffin before "the end" is declared?
Progress is relative.
Relative to the producers and the consumers,
the observers and the observed,
the waiters and the movers.
"The devil you know," said the vagabond, "is as bad as the devil you don't. After all, one devil is as bad as the next."
Avengers have been wronged and so their passion stems from clarity of justice.
Defenders feel anointed and so their "enthusiasm" is fueled by divine right.
To knowingly and willingly hold a heart hostage is a touch of evil.
Better to prepare for Armageddon, than to laze about in a virtual utopia.
Attics and basements are the cemeteries of yesterday.
Just because an elephant can hold a paintbrush doesn't mean you should let it paint your house.
There's nothing singular about sin.
Glorious determination — the state of an individual that's strong in will and driven to succeed.
Reality is context sensitive.
Tendril 1 - It's not enough to recognize that something is over or finished or done; you have to act to put it rest and move on.
Tendril 2 - It's all about perspective. "Reality is context sensitive." (Tendril 11)
Tendril 3 - Has a relationship to the "devil" Tendril in Tendrils 11. The alternate version is definitely the creepy (horror?) angle.
Tendril 4 - Pondering the motivations of others.
Tendril 5 - Sad, but true.
Tendril 6 - Have to stop watching shows about Armageddon, the Apocalypse, and December 21, 2012.
Tendril 7 - One of my favorite Tendrils.
Tendril 8 - Started out as a tongue-in-cheek homage to fortune cookie words of wisdom, but turned into something serious.
Tendril 9 - What else need be said?
Tendril 10 - State of being; state of mind.
Tendril 11 - It's all about perspective. "Progress is relative." (Tendril 2)
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Progress is relative.
Relative to the producers and the consumers,
the observers and the observed,
the waiters and the movers.
"The devil you know," said the vagabond, "is as bad as the devil you don't. After all, one devil is as bad as the next."
Alternate Version
Said the clown to the audience: "The devil you know is as bad as the devil you don't. After all, one devil is as bad as the next."
With that the clown bared his long, pointy yellow teeth, then leapt from the stage into the bowels of the shrieking crowd.
With that the clown bared his long, pointy yellow teeth, then leapt from the stage into the bowels of the shrieking crowd.
Avengers have been wronged and so their passion stems from clarity of justice.
Defenders feel anointed and so their "enthusiasm" is fueled by divine right.
To knowingly and willingly hold a heart hostage is a touch of evil.
Better to prepare for Armageddon, than to laze about in a virtual utopia.
Attics and basements are the cemeteries of yesterday.
Just because an elephant can hold a paintbrush doesn't mean you should let it paint your house.
There's nothing singular about sin.
Glorious determination — the state of an individual that's strong in will and driven to succeed.
Reality is context sensitive.
About
Tendril 1 - It's not enough to recognize that something is over or finished or done; you have to act to put it rest and move on.
Tendril 2 - It's all about perspective. "Reality is context sensitive." (Tendril 11)
Tendril 3 - Has a relationship to the "devil" Tendril in Tendrils 11. The alternate version is definitely the creepy (horror?) angle.
Tendril 4 - Pondering the motivations of others.
Tendril 5 - Sad, but true.
Tendril 6 - Have to stop watching shows about Armageddon, the Apocalypse, and December 21, 2012.
Tendril 7 - One of my favorite Tendrils.
Tendril 8 - Started out as a tongue-in-cheek homage to fortune cookie words of wisdom, but turned into something serious.
Tendril 9 - What else need be said?
Tendril 10 - State of being; state of mind.
Tendril 11 - It's all about perspective. "Progress is relative." (Tendril 2)
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Friday, December 31, 2010
Monarch in the House (Monarchia in Domus)
Tendrils
The seemingly haphazard flight of the butterfly is a lack of understanding on behalf of the world that is observing it; judging it.
A flood of light and a wing in a dream,
A thought transforms,.
from a tear to stream. . .
Don't allow your ideas to remain compressed between the image files on your computer.
"Monarch in the House" is dedicated to Captain D.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Dawn Once More
Soundtrack
If DOM had a soundtrack, then it would be Bill Nelson's "A Bird of the Air Shall Carry Thy Voice," from the two disc release, Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights (1988, Enigma/Cocteau).
I've lost track of Bill Nelson's work over the years, but for a period of time I really got into his instrumental releases, because they were unlike the Metal and guitar-oriented instrumental music that I enjoyed (and still enjoy — I love the shred and furious dexterity of the "guitar gods").
"A Bird of the Air Shall Carry Thy Voice" remains one of my all time favorite instrumental pieces.
This piece is an offshoot of the sessions related to "Monarch in the House (Monarchia in Domus)."
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Life in Too
Life's too short to walk the long path of despair.
Write your pain on a piece of paper,
Then tear it into a million pieces.
Life's too precious to cheapen it with lies.
"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch at the door of my lips."†
Life's too open to box yourself in.
Lift the lid;
Let in the light.
Life's too big to go at it alone.
Be guarded, but not isolated.
Let someone in, eventually.
(Other than the undertaker.)
Life's too easily missed trying to "do it all."
Stop and smell the roses.
Trite, but true.
† Ps. 141:3
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Write your pain on a piece of paper,
Then tear it into a million pieces.
Life's too precious to cheapen it with lies.
"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch at the door of my lips."†
Life's too open to box yourself in.
Lift the lid;
Let in the light.
Life's too big to go at it alone.
Be guarded, but not isolated.
Let someone in, eventually.
(Other than the undertaker.)
Life's too easily missed trying to "do it all."
Stop and smell the roses.
Trite, but true.
† Ps. 141:3
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Too Easy
Too easy to rationalize acts of unkindness.
Too easy to bury the wrongs.
Too easy to forget those that are suffering.
Too easy to dismiss out-of-hand,
without concern or remorse.
Too easy to blame "they" and "them,"
from beneath the sanctity of a black veil.
All too easy to pretend that the little things don't matter,
even though life itself is but a collection of little things.
Too easy to bury the wrongs.
Too easy to forget those that are suffering.
Too easy to dismiss out-of-hand,
without concern or remorse.
Too easy to blame "they" and "them,"
from beneath the sanctity of a black veil.
All too easy to pretend that the little things don't matter,
even though life itself is but a collection of little things.
As we flatten the world,
we mustn't allow our souls to be flattened in the process.
we mustn't allow our souls to be flattened in the process.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tendrils 11
I would sooner believe in the gremlins of the mechanical world than disbelieve in the angels and demons of this world.
Chivalry neither diminishes nor invalidates equality, but celebrates the natural, God-given differences between a man and a woman.
It's not the color of someone's skin that you should worry about, but the color of their heart.
To teach is to truly learn.
A reasonable, sensible, and respectful level of political correctness is tolerable, so long as being "PC" doesn't trump chivalry or romance.
Stir the controversy stew, salt and pepper to taste, serve steaming hot in a sugar bowl, and wash it down with a witch's brew.
Absolution: A word, a weight (a wait), a wish, a want, a worry, a responsibility, a sign, a cycle, and the soul of serenity.
Tension can be a pivot point, a yoke, a gag, or a pair of handcuffs.
Choice separates them.
The trouble with deciding between the lesser of two evils is that you're dealing with the Devil either way.
We tend to treat the familiar linearly; as just another vanilla point along the highway of commonplace.
Beware the long shadows of complacency and apathy, because they often contain predators.
This collection contains a few of my favorite Tendrils: #1, #9, #11.
#2 is dedicated to all those don't regard chivalry as a bad or dirty word.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Chivalry neither diminishes nor invalidates equality, but celebrates the natural, God-given differences between a man and a woman.
It's not the color of someone's skin that you should worry about, but the color of their heart.
To teach is to truly learn.
A reasonable, sensible, and respectful level of political correctness is tolerable, so long as being "PC" doesn't trump chivalry or romance.
Stir the controversy stew, salt and pepper to taste, serve steaming hot in a sugar bowl, and wash it down with a witch's brew.
Absolution: A word, a weight (a wait), a wish, a want, a worry, a responsibility, a sign, a cycle, and the soul of serenity.
Tension can be a pivot point, a yoke, a gag, or a pair of handcuffs.
Choice separates them.
The trouble with deciding between the lesser of two evils is that you're dealing with the Devil either way.
We tend to treat the familiar linearly; as just another vanilla point along the highway of commonplace.
Beware the long shadows of complacency and apathy, because they often contain predators.
Alternate Version
Beware the long shadows of complacency and apathy, because they hide—in plain sight—the silent beasts of our demise.
About
This collection contains a few of my favorite Tendrils: #1, #9, #11.
#2 is dedicated to all those don't regard chivalry as a bad or dirty word.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Tuesday, December 28, 2010
// Saturday, December 18, 2010
// Monday, December 13, 2010
// Sunday, December 12, 2010
Today's Tendril
| Numbers don't lie. The number wranglers, on the other hand, are another matter altogether. |
© Copyright 2011 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Friday, December 10, 2010
Fallen 2010 A - Mistified
About
Leafification 2010 — reality...focused.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Fallen 2010 B - Up Close and Personal
About
Leafification 2010 — vivid unreality.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Thorn
.tagsandtendrils.com.png "Thorn (c) Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved. insilentpassage.com")
About
This piece is a glimpse into what this imaginary fellow (in my head it was a guy) was thinking.
This scene was imagined as a series of comic book panels: A shadow of a figure walking slowly (and without purpose) down the dirty streets of <your favorite metropolis here>, hands in pockets, head down, and lost in thought...at sunset...in Autumn. The text would "float" in boxes above the character's head.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
The Golden Ratio Guy
About
This work is a branch from the sessions that produced the piece, The Golden Ratio (ASCII Face) (TGR (AF)).
Soundtrack
If this image had a soundtrack, then it would be "Supercrush!" from the fantastic album, Addicted, by the Devin Townsend Project.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Monday, December 06, 2010
Time is a Lie
Time is an illusion—a visual lie—perpetuated by calendars and clocks.
And we are just rabbits being pulled from the hat of perception.
And we are just rabbits being pulled from the hat of perception.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Warmth Within (Thankful)
About
I'm thankful everyday and for each day.
May you find something to be thankful about this Thanksgiving.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Monday, November 15, 2010
Life Is
Life is about the ever present now.
Life is about the story.
Life is about me, you, and all of the stories in between.
Life is about a beginning, a middle, and an end, and all the twists and turns that become the threads and the tags and the tendrils of our lives.
Forever.
And ever.
'Till death do us part.
Or, until, the story ends.
Whichever comes first...
A moment of reflection, instigated by a classic episode of Columbo ("Murder by the Book"), and as seen through the eyes of life in the abstract, as said in a whisper of hopes and prayers, and worked as a life in progress.
Amen.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Life is about the story.
Life is about me, you, and all of the stories in between.
Life is about a beginning, a middle, and an end, and all the twists and turns that become the threads and the tags and the tendrils of our lives.
Forever.
And ever.
'Till death do us part.
Or, until, the story ends.
Whichever comes first...
About
A moment of reflection, instigated by a classic episode of Columbo ("Murder by the Book"), and as seen through the eyes of life in the abstract, as said in a whisper of hopes and prayers, and worked as a life in progress.
Amen.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
// Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tendrils 10
Satisfaction: Finding eddies of meaningfulness in an ocean of creative possibilities.
Sometimes apprehension and doubt are a few of the stepping stones in the path to success.
Anxiety can be a persistent gnat or a swarm of angry bees.
Plan for tomorrow,
Pray to see the end of this day,
Be thankful for the ever present now,
And let the arrows of your heart fly where they may...
When you try to be all things to all people, you become nothing to everyone.
No dream ever dies due to a lack of want or desire, but due to a lack of faith and commitment.
Never and forever last only as long as a lifetime.
"Reality" isn't tamperproof, failproof, or foolproof.
Resentment is the sediment of the soul.
Telling the truth is always easy when there are no consequences to the teller.
You cannot walk in the darkness without it swallowing you whole.
You cannot step into the light without it bathing you in its intensity.
You can wander in the twilight, pondering the divisions of light and dark, until death claims you—and then you'll have no choice at all.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.
Sometimes apprehension and doubt are a few of the stepping stones in the path to success.
Anxiety can be a persistent gnat or a swarm of angry bees.
Plan for tomorrow,
Pray to see the end of this day,
Be thankful for the ever present now,
And let the arrows of your heart fly where they may...
When you try to be all things to all people, you become nothing to everyone.
No dream ever dies due to a lack of want or desire, but due to a lack of faith and commitment.
Never and forever last only as long as a lifetime.
"Reality" isn't tamperproof, failproof, or foolproof.
Resentment is the sediment of the soul.
Telling the truth is always easy when there are no consequences to the teller.
You cannot walk in the darkness without it swallowing you whole.
You cannot step into the light without it bathing you in its intensity.
You can wander in the twilight, pondering the divisions of light and dark, until death claims you—and then you'll have no choice at all.
© Copyright 2010 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.