namesakes

And (glancing on my own thin, veinèd wrist), In such a little tremor of the blood
The whole strong clamour of a vehement soul	60
Doth utter itself distinct. Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries,
And daub their natural faces unaware	65
More and more from the first similitude. from elizabeth barrett browning's 'aurora leigh'

it was a friday in january, three days after her arrival. i woke up with cold toes, already running late for the thing i do on friday mornings. i almost didn't get out of bed on account of that stubborn, natural desire to be comfortable. however, i have a brow beating conscience. so i unfurled my limbs and roots, planting them in the icy day, and set off to meet some other seers.

and as usual, a perfect shrub was set in my path, a kindred. i started this blog last year, and at the time, i had this phrase that i had plucked out of the air - 'every common bush is alight with the glory of god.' queer and xian folks alike will understand why it appealed to me, albeit for different reasons. suffice to say i dig bush. at the time though, i was unable to attribute this phrase to anyone. but it was enough to begin, and i trusted that eventually the origin would be made known.

it is funny how we are gifted with the unexpected if we are only willing to take off our shoes [or get up and put them on in this case]. this always makes me wonder about what i miss on the days when my desire for ease and comfort is stronger than my ambition. i was late, but i was there. and a teacher appeared who told me that this very true, very real verse was written by elizabeth barrett browning. he quoted it as he spoke about the everyday nature of miracles and the simple surrender one needs to see the divine. "earth's cramm'd with heaven, and every common bush afire with God"


the mystery of my blog's namesake solved, i also had a spell to cast for my best friend's brand new baby, annabelle elizabeth, a blazing bush if there ever was one. i thought of her namesakes, my namesakes, a communion of saints stretching through centuries, from the constant companion of the God bearer, to virgin-warrior queens, to posy loving poets, to a dragon branded heroine, avenger of women, lover of justice. what's in a name? apparently a lot.

here is a namesake crammed with potential. more than that because potential without desires for truth and beauty is dangerous. this is a name crammed with response-ability. so here is my blessing for you, little namesake.

may you always be conscious of your two halves:
the desire for comfort and the desire to put on your shoes.
these are given in equal measure
and honored together, keep one whole.

may awe and wonder be your teachers,
inspiring you to take off your shoes often.
"nothing's small!" (e.b.b.)
true, true reverence is unconditional.

may your name summon you to the ranks of women who love justice,
who practice queer professions,
who a/effect history.

and may all of these help you to cultivate a life cramm'd with heaven,
a life that responds, 'here i am' to the persistence of divine manifestations,
and trembling, leans in close to the scent of a world on fire.

for annabelle elizabeth and her beautiful parents, and for a friend with whom i also share a name, gene