Noah Grigni

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
― Pablo Picasso

“How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface. To make a map of my movement - no matter how temporary.”
― Craig Thompson, Blankets

“They say a man's inspiration is visual, but for a woman, it's the narrative.

Abandon both the narrative and the visual. Close your eyes, measure your breath.

Dead weight is sloughed off, dust swept away, forms dissolve into one atmosphere.

The rib cage opens, the lungs fill, the breast rises.

Waves sweep up the body on their swell, rocking it rhythmically.

Feet planted, the back arches, the pelvis reaches forward.

Oxygen kindles a flame, sprawling through the belly, and gathering in a warm blaze.

The hand reaches to meet the sensation.

Calligraphy spills from the inkwell.

Open your eyes, sharpen your focus, and exclaim:

There are no separations.”
― Craig Thompson, Habibi

“The Sufi saint Rabi'a Al-Adawiyya was seen carrying a firebrand and a jug of water - the firebrand to burn Paradise, the jug of water to drown Hell...

So that both veils disappear, and God's followers worship, not out of hope for reward, nor fear of punishment, but out of love.”
― Craig Thompson, Habibi