Lu Salome -- a profound silence

Lu lives in Serbia, and I've been FB friends with her for about 16 months. I met her and several other wonderful people through a FB fan page for the painter Yves Tanguy (my favorite Modernist).

The thing about Lu is............

Yes, the volume of silence. It is palpable.

I have never known anyone like this before. I know a few who also impress with their coiled, quiet, and mysterious self-possession. But I've never known someone like Lu, who could make the Buddha flinch first in a staring contest. India, China, and Japan think they have the market cornered on the transcendental stuff. Ha! They require special gardens and temples and flowering trees. They need their Zen propped up with nice, peaceful environments. Lu would win big-time in a reality contest!

Here's the deal: she likes the poetry of Hölderin and philosophy and art and the kind of films that knock me over, like Ikiru and things by Tarkovsky. And music! -- she likes very intersting music. Some of it is beyond me. That dark "European" stuff, with cool guys sort of complaining in higher registers about things I can't quite make out. But I like some of it. She likes Leonard Cohen. Lu rocks!

Last year, I spent some time researching the history and geography of Serbia. What an amazing place. It was a cross-roads for so many different peoples over the centuries. Such an interfusion of cultures. And great heroes, leading movements for independence. The scenery over there is stunning -- ruined castles, sparkling rivers, a variety of landscape. And the present culture is fascinating, from ancient residues to modern absorptions. One of my favorite movies is Underground, which many Serbians don't like, owing to its stereotypical portrayal of wild gypsies. But, god...that thing is funny. Sorry.

Back to Lu and the spherical aura of poise that surrounds her. This is not an anti-social or arrogant poise. Within the dimensions of her being, a sweetness and a genuineness are alive. Of course, I'm a goofy goose. Of course, I'm a needy human being. So of course, I like to imagine that, from that far distance, Lu occasionally smiles quietly at my written antics. I like being liked by people of depth. Who have taken their time in life to discover significant things.

Well, it's kind of hard to write about someone who inhabits regions of spiritual silence. You'd have to obliquely brush up against her soul to know what I'm trying to express. In the meantime (and if her privacy settings allow), here's a link to her FB page that contains an album -- The Book of Silence: Facebook album


And here's a song for you, Lu --

Marquee Moon