One More Day?

Today will be another work-from-home day. The crew cleaning and waxing the floors at the museum are taking longer than expected, so we get to work from home again today. I have plenty to keep me busy, including finishing a few projects and preparing for a group of several dozen elementary school students who are scheduled to visit the museum on Thursday for a scavenger hunt.

Secretly, I’m hoping the cleaners need one more day and I won’t have to deal with a museum full of children. But I don’t usually have that kind of luck. Just in case, I did warn the organizers that there was a small possibility we might still be closed, however unlikely that seems to be.

Either way, I’ll be ready for whatever tomorrow brings.

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The Imaginal Stage

The Imaginal Stage
By D. A. Powell

turns out
there are more planets than stars
more places to land
than to be burned

I have always been in love with
last chances especially
now that they really do
seem like last chances

the trill of it all upending
what’s left of my head
after we explode

are you ready to ascend
in the morning I will take you
on the wing

About the Poem

D. A. Powell’s The Imaginal Stage is a brief poem that manages to feel both intimate and cosmic. It begins by overturning expectations. We often think of the universe as a place of danger and destruction, yet Powell suggests that there are “more places to land / than to be burned.” The image offers a surprising sense of hope. Even in a vast and uncertain universe, possibilities for survival and renewal outnumber the opportunities for ruin.

The poem then shifts to the idea of “last chances.” As we grow older, we become more aware that opportunities are not endless. Relationships, adventures, and moments of transformation can begin to feel precious because we recognize that they may not come again. Yet Powell does not treat this awareness with despair. Instead, there is excitement in it—the “trill of it all”—a recognition that life remains capable of surprising us even after we have been shaken or changed by experience.

The final lines move toward transcendence. The invitation, “are you ready to ascend,” feels both personal and universal. Whether the ascent is spiritual, emotional, or imaginative, it suggests movement beyond fear and limitation. Morning arrives, bringing with it the possibility of flight. The poem ends not with certainty but with invitation.

What I find most compelling about The Imaginal Stage is its insistence that possibility remains. Even after disappointment, even when we believe we have reached the end of our opportunities, there may still be more places to land than to be burned.

About the Poet

D. A. Powell is an American poet known for his inventive language, emotional depth, and exploration of themes including love, mortality, memory, desire, and the AIDS epidemic. Born in Georgia and raised in California, Powell has become one of the most influential voices in contemporary American poetry.

His collections include Tea, Lunch, Cocktails, Useless Landscape, or A Guide for Boys, and Repast. His work often blends the personal and the mythic, moving effortlessly between everyday experience and larger questions of identity, beauty, and transcendence. Powell’s poetry rewards repeated reading, offering new meanings and possibilities with each return.

Pic of the Day

Happy Sleepy Monday!

The good thing about this Monday is that I don’t have to get ready for work. The museum is closed today and tomorrow for an annual cleaning, so I’ll be working from home both days before heading back to the office on Wednesday.

Since I can take things a little slower this morning, I got up, fed Isabella, and am writing this quick blog post before going back to bed for a little while. It’s nice to have a slower start to the week every now and then.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Pride Without Sin

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” — 1 John 4:18 

Every June, many Christians raise objections to Pride Month. One of the most common arguments is that “pride is a sin.” At first glance, that may seem like a reasonable concern. After all, Scripture repeatedly warns against pride. Yet the word pride can mean very different things depending on how it is used.

The pride condemned in Scripture is arrogance, self-exaltation, and the belief that we are better than other people. Proverbs warns us, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). James echoes this teaching when he writes, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

This kind of pride places self above God and above others. It is rooted in ego, superiority, and self-glorification. Christians should reject this kind of pride because it stands in opposition to the humility that Christ taught and embodied.

However, LGBTQ+ Pride is something very different.

For generations, LGBTQ+ people were taught that they should be ashamed of who they are. Many were told they were broken, unworthy, sinful simply for existing, or somehow less deserving of love and dignity than others. Shame became a burden that countless people carried throughout their lives.

Pride Month arose as a response to that shame.

LGBTQ+ Pride is not about declaring ourselves superior to anyone else. It is about rejecting the lie that we should hate ourselves. It is about accepting ourselves as God created us and affirming the dignity that God has placed within every human being.

Pride Month is not about placing ourselves above others. It is about standing up after generations of being told to bow our heads in shame.

This understanding fits beautifully with the message of 1 John 4:18. Fear and shame are close companions. Many LGBTQ+ Christians know what it is like to fear rejection, fear condemnation, fear abandonment, and fear that God could never truly love them. Yet John reminds us that God’s perfect love casts out fear.

When we truly embrace God’s love, we no longer have to live in fear of being rejected by Him. We no longer have to carry the shame that others have placed upon us. God’s love frees us to live honestly and authentically before Him.

Paul reminds us of this truth in one of the most beloved passages in Scripture:

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 8:38–39

Nothing can separate us from God’s love—not prejudice, not rejection, not misunderstanding, and not the labels others place upon us.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently restored dignity to people whom society marginalized and shamed. He welcomed tax collectors, spoke with Samaritans, touched lepers, defended women condemned by others, and invited all people into relationship with Him. Again and again, Jesus moved toward those whom society pushed away.

He also gave His followers a simple command:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” —John 13:34–35

Notice that Jesus did not command us to shame one another. He commanded us to love one another.

As Christians, we are called to reject both sinful pride and destructive shame. Humility does not mean thinking poorly of ourselves. True humility means recognizing that every good thing comes from God and that every person bears the image of God.

God calls us to humility, but He does not call us to self-hatred.

When LGBTQ+ Christians celebrate Pride Month, many are not celebrating arrogance. They are celebrating survival. They are celebrating authenticity. They are celebrating the freedom to live without shame and fear. Most importantly, they are celebrating the truth that they are beloved children of God.

As we enter Pride Month, may we remember that God’s perfect love casts out fear. May we reject both arrogance and shame. May we walk humbly with God while embracing the dignity He has given us. And may we never forget that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

In a world that often teaches fear, rejection, and shame, God’s message remains one of hope, acceptance, and love. We are known by God. We are loved by God. And through Christ, we are invited to live not in fear, but in the freedom of His perfect love.

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Moment of Zen: Jockstraps

For reasons that probably need no explanation, gay men have long had a fascination with jockstraps. Part athletic gear, part celebration of the male form, the humble jockstrap has become an enduring symbol of confidence, masculinity, and a little bit of playful flirtation.

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TGIF and Good News About Isabella

Usually, Fridays are my work-from-home days, but I switched my remote day to yesterday because my coworkers needed to be out this afternoon. So today, I’m at the museum instead. I don’t mind, though. It means I’ll have the museum to myself for most of the afternoon, and quite honestly, I like being the only one there. It’s quiet, peaceful, and a good opportunity to catch up on things without interruptions.

I also wanted to give everyone an update on Isabella. She seems to be doing great and, from all appearances, has forgiven me for yesterday’s trip to the veterinarian. She coughed a little this morning, but nothing like she had been, and she didn’t cough at all last night. I was so relieved to hear from the veterinarian that she is otherwise the picture of health. Thank goodness!

Hopefully, once she recovers from these asthma attacks, she’ll never have another one. But if she does, at least I know what to do, and we have a plan in place to help her. For now, I’m just grateful that she’s feeling better and that the visit brought such reassuring news.

Have a great weekend, everyone!