Desert Bread
One should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of one’s life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.
—Goethe
The phrase “Desert Bread” comes from my poem, “Moses,” which appears in my double volume of poetry, A Ship to Hold the World and The Marionette’s Ascent. It symbolizes that place at the intersection of the arts and faith. In this Midrashic poem, Moses trudges on through the desert, all the while longing to be near the banks of the Nile, the river of his lineage. Yet, he presses on through the desolation. What sustains him? The manna, desert bread, keeps him going, keeps him inspired.
In the desert of each of our lives, what keeps us going, and provides the light in the darkness? It may be a great song; a sublime painting; a few lines of a much-loved poem entering our mind as we journey a less-traveled road. Like faith, the arts can provide spiritual sustenance. Faith and the arts are closely linked. Both bring hope and transcendence. One who is without love of one usually has at least the love of the other.
I welcome you to come visit here to renew your soul’s sense of the beautiful, and I will do my best to share some sustenance in the form of art, poetry, and music á la Goethe. It’s a desert out there, but Moses had his desert bread, and so do we.
