In Pursuit of the Almost

My eyebrows remain fixed in place.

The element of surprise is now missing.

It's not that I have seen it all,

It's that all I've seen is not enough. - Phil Ginsburg

There is more to life than what we think we see. We are in pursuit of the almost.

What is the almost? It is the artist's role to point that out, to show what is there but unseen. As artist René Magritte stated: "If the dream is a translation of waking life, then waking life is also a translation of the dream."

Writing with whimsy, New York gritty humor, upending irony, and backstabbing insight, poet Phil Ginsburg explores the spaces between the lines of life. In the absurdities, he experiences indignation, but not despair. In seemingly mundane moments, he finds tenderness and love and questions about God. In common workers, he finds transcendent human dignity. In the face of death, he finds hope. Under the weight of angst, he encounters pathways to peace. In racial conflict, he sees opportunity for reconciliation. In times of confusion, he sees mysteries and glimpses of eternity.

He discovers there is more to this world than we can see, and the unseen is what we most need.