Just got back from a girls’ night out seeing the musical of Dirty Dancing. Marvelous. Dancing is one of the few things that directly seems to connect me with the Divine. No exaggeration. It is pure bliss. Pure aliveness to me. Losing oneself in the beat, the lyrics, the dreams, yes, admittedly sometimes illusions, but making them real in a strange way… Mambo, salsa, merengue – you name it – make my heart beat in tune with the universe.

In the morning I had received a very sweet postcard (below) from an old (baby cradle!) friend of mine with a beautiful poem -as close to music as words can get. Unfortunately it is in German and my rough and loose translation below probably won’t do it any justice, thus the original included also.

Sie haben das maechtige Meer unterm Bauch
und ueber sich Wolken und Sterne
Sie lassen sich fahren vom himmlichen Hauch
Mit Herrenblick in die Ferne.

Sie schaukeln kokett in des Schicksals Hand
Wie trunkene Schmetterlinge,
Aber sie tragen von Land zu Land
Fuersorglich wertvolle Dinge.

Es rauscht wie die Freiheit, es riecht wie Welt,
Naturgewordene Planken,
Sind Segelschiffe – ihr Anblick erhellt
Und weitet unsere Gedanken.

Joachim Ringelnatz

…
The mighty sea under their belly,
Above them only clouds and stars.
They are driven by heaven’s breath
With mighty gaze afar.

They rock flirtatiously in the hands of fate
Like drunken butterflies.
But they carry from place to place,
Valuable things on their ride.

It roars like freedom, it smells like world
Nature which has turned into planks.
Sailing Ships – they brighten our minds
And expand our thoughts beyond grant.