I did cheat with the YES and NO for the last words. I’m going to try this again!
Since we flew to my daughter and son-in-law’s town this week, I thought I’d use flying as my topic. I’m not opinionated either way on what kind of travel I prefer, but I know folks who really are! We are having a grand trip, so I won’t get to be online much this weekend.
Flying
Flying!
This form of travel for me!
Don’t think that I prefer
walking and biking and driving!
That is a no. How about more
flying, not
Anything else! Please!
Flying!!! Yes!
Flying?
Anything else! Please!
Flying! NOT!
That is a no! How about more
Walking and biking and driving!
Don’t think that I prefer
This form of travel for me–
Flying…? No!
Ready to board our Southwest flight to Minneapolis
Black blanket dances
brilliant lights filling the sky
while Moon waits backstage
first under-blanket
morn of fall; pumpkin spice tea
latte in new mug
Specialized motor
gives me fresh legs fit to move
through sand, rocks, and time
sitting in love with
feeding birds; this ladderback
comes to sip nectar
Reading in my bed
Prose and poetry good nights
Sweet dreams on the page
On another note:
In March, Sally shared this template that she uses to record her monthly literacy life. I finally tried it for September, but I let it spill back into the whole summer, since I couldn’t really remember when I finished these books. I’ll need to start listening to some meaningful podcasts and audio books. About that speaking, though, I’m unconvinced.
My husband has been reading Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. In this book, Keith is finding much truth about his second half of life. Rohr claims: “Poets like Gerard Manley Hopkins, Mary Oliver, David Whyte, Denise Levertov, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rainer Maria Rilke, and T.S. Eliot now name your own inner experience…” My husband jumped right in, especially to Mary Oliver, and he has been devouring her collection Devotions. This morning I woke up to have him right away share the poem “Evidence” with me. Here’s just the very beginning:
Where do I live? If I had no address, as many people do not, I could nevertheless say that I lived in the same town as the lilies of the field, and the still waters.
I couldn’t find the poem “Evidence” online, but it is in the book Evidence and in her Devotions collection.
It’s been very rewarding to read poetry about the second half of life with my love.
Here’s another Mary Oliver poem, and a response poem by me.
Sept. 12, 2023 TwoWritingTeachers.orgIt sounded worse than it was, I think.So much greenery and water on the trail, which is unusual for late summer in California.We saw several little waterfalls.Evidence of boulders blasted to make the trail more passable.Panorama image from our picnic spotEpilobium canum (California Fuchsia) – These were such pretty wildflowers dotting the landscapeTahquitz Rock from where we started our hikeTahquitz Rock (on the right) from the highest climb of our hike. Do you believe some people climb that face!?
In other news this week…
¡Lo hice! Aprendí español por ocho cien días. Realmente, 803 hoy!
Patricia Franz is hosting Spiritual Journey Thursday today. I am here on my phone, with so much joy about the theme of “Life at the Speed of Grace.” We took a little trip to the mountains and just got back from a hike–six miles round trip, but it seems like 12! Now we’re off to eat Mexican food.
I took a beautiful striking line from Patricia’s post to write a Golden Shovel poem about today: “I am learning to live life at the speed of Grace, letting God catch me, surprise me, love me, right where I am.” Thank you, Patricia, for the wonderful inspiration.
I won’t be in such a hurry, because I am here now in this moment. If I am learning anything, it is to be present in this gift of Grace, to live in Hope today because life isn’t promised tomorrow. Hiking at San Jacinto Wilderness today with the four of us 60-somethings, turtle speed at times, we were hikers of sore knees, fall risks, and only Grace to make it 6 miles up and down, letting me know to thank God for tiny big miracles that catch me off guard. Dazzling me with no twisted joints, but surprise and pinecones. Finding me in love with life and lizards. Me, who am I right here where God can Grace me? I am a grateful child caught by Grace.
Last Saturday, I participated in a fun event: The Poetry Marathon. I wrote 24 poems in 24 hours. We were given two optional prompts each hour–a text prompt or a photo. I chose to use one or the other of the prompts each hour. I’m sure I will revisit them, and consider the ones I didn’t try. I posted my Poetry Marathon poems with links to all the prompts here.
Now during the last couple days, I’ve gotten even more inspirational mileage from this event. As I read and comment on poems of other participants, I’m getting more ideas. I modeled this poem for my Slice of Life after a similar one someone wrote. Here’s a taste of my tender week:
Ten for Tenderness
Keith squeezes and says
“I’m holding Denise Reed in
the desert,” then sighs.
I loved meeting sweet, Blessen LaFleur, written by
Margaret Simon
Amber cuts my hair
the soft touch of scissors and
comb makes me tingle
Lori brings a box
of treasures from the sale, things
she knew I would love
Lotion plumps my skin
with “overnight Retinol
therapy” for dryness
The Hilary storm
helped a tall cactus send a
late bloom for the world
Move the couch in place
Popcorn and movie ready
watching in his arms
Funny joke, Milo!
“Jabber, jabber, jabber,” laughs
like a kookaburra
Three meals lovingly
made Saturday while I wrote
Then he did dishes
Sonny comes running
to get his treat then lies down
for a belly rub
It’s Poetry Friday and the host today is Ramona at Pleasures from the Page, with some back to school poetry goodness. Thank you for hosting, Ramona.
This summer I got a new Bananagrams game. I play with other people as often as I can, but I also have a brain-game hobby to play an almost daily game of solitaire Bananagrams. First, I choose 21 tiles and use them up in a grid, just like in the real game. Then, I choose 7 more and use them all, continuing to take 7 at a time until they are gone. (If needed, I also allow myself to “dump” one tile and pick 3 different ones, which is one of the rules in the real game.)
Some of my solitaire grids. (You may find a rotten banana or two if you look closely.)
One time I played making all “Rotten Banana” words. Silly, I know, but the words are fun to read.
Needing some more creativity, I guess, I thought to try some Bananagrams poetry. Here’s what I do:
Choose 15 tiles and create a word or two or three.
Commit to one or more of those words as a topic or part of a poem.
Then the whole pile of letters are available face up to create a short poem on the topic.
If there is more than one person participating, first come on the letters remaining.
Here are my first attempts with the caption telling the words I first saw in my 15-tile start.
“BAILEY” stood out, which was the name of a boy I bullied in sixth grade.“Quiet” and part of “Bible”“helix” and “lover”
Then I got the tiles out when my family came for dinner. There were five of us, and it was the first time I had ever asked them to “think poetically,” so it was awkward and the results were mostly silly. However, look at this beauty my sister-in-law created called “Hummingbird.”
Her first words were “sweet” and most of “song”
What other guidelines might you make for Bananagrams Poetry?
And just like that we’re finishing up the Sealey Challenge. The month went quickly, and I loved reading poetry each day. I hope I will continue reading more poetry. Hopefully it is becoming a habit.
August 25 – One Last Word: Wisdom from The Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
Have you read this book? Nikki Grimes takes poems from the Harlem Renaissance and creates golden shovel poems for them. Here are the first two stanzas of her poem based on the first two lines of “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. I needed to read some poetry like this when I was in junior high:
August 26 – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood lyrics by Fred Rogers
Did you know 143 was Fred Rogers’ favorite number. It represented the number of letters in I Love You.
August 27 – Library of Small Catastrophes by Alison C. Rollins – Though every poem is not related to Rollins being a librarian, there is so much she taught me about history and the world. Teacher-librarians and others, you will want to read this one, if you haven’t already.
August 28 – American Faith by Maya C. Popa
From “Lewisburg”From “On the Forces of Improvisation Under the Gun Law”
August 29 – Ellington Was Not A Street by Ntozake Shange – This is a beautiful book about the musicians and activists who visited the family home of the author as she grew up.
August 30 – Hey, You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitos, and Other Fun Things selected by Paul B. Janeczko
This was a delightful surprise of children’s poems from so many greats. The surprise started on page 1 with this beauty by George Ella Lyon.
What a sweet picture book by Laura! Here’s one of my favorite sections. After a full day of over-stimulation, Clover, melts down when a tail gets brushed in her face. “Clover spit. She bit. She threw a fur-flying hissy fit. ‘I quit!’ Clover fled.” The illustrations by Hiroe Nakata are precious. It’s a perfect book for a child who gets overwhelmed with sensory overload, or for friends of children who do. And bonus: the book is still on sale this week.
“Argh, Lori! Look at the water!” I shouted to my sister, as I ran the noodle pan to the living room to show her the brown gunk that just came out of the tap. We were fixing Thai food for my sister, my brother and his wife on Sunday night. “We got a load of water on Thursday! How can it be out already!?”
Oh, yeah. My sister had warned us that this almost-forty-year-old tank was vulnerable because it was about the same age as a tank that was leaking at one of her houses. We didn’t do anything about it until today, when we were forced to. We were almost finished preparing a six-pot dinner (we definitely would have had a different menu if we knew this was coming), but now we were committed. We all ran out to check the water tank, feeling the side of the tank for the water level. Unlike the usual phenomenon, of the bare metal in the sun being very much hotter than the metal with water behind it, now the whole tank was hot! And empty. My brother left to buy some gallons of drinking water. My sister went and got ten gallons of water for flushing toilets. Then we proceeded with our meal (and games even). Afterwards, I washed a bazillion dishes camping-style, while my husband went to buy and fill some clean five-gallon buckets.
My husband and I were musing about what we would have done if we didn’t live close to these desert rat relative-friends. They have helped us navigate so many difficulties. We probably would have packed up and moved into town many times over the past two years. This time with having the water go out, even with their support, we are still on edge, feeling the vulnerability everyone on the planet feels when water is not easily accessible.
On Monday morning, we called Underground Economy Tank and Supply, who was recommended by the water hauler. Mike said he could bring a new tank out in the afternoon. What? Wow! But we had to put it off for at least a day The former tank, which was metal and now giving us rusty sludge, was set down on gravel. The new plastic tank will need to sit on a smoother surface, like sand.
So Monday evening, my brother came over to help us remove the old tank. He attached it to his truck with a cable and pulled it over pretty easily. I didn’t have my camera out when it toppled over because I was holding my sister’s dog. (The future of that water tank on its side in our yard is still in question.) It was obvious from the rust and pressure on the gravel below that there had been a leak for sometime, which caused a little stream through the gravel.
My sister came to help us haul sand from the intersection where cars get stuck, and we dumped it and leveled it in the frame. Now it’s ready for the new water tank to be delivered in the morning.
Thank you, Water, for your cleansing, life-giving presence.
Our water supply for a few daysDisconnected water lineThe 1985 water tankKeith moved some of the gravel out and around the edges of the pad.The rusting process was working hard throughout the bottom.Can you see how the water moved the gravel under the tank to form a little river of leaking?My sister shoveling sandKeith joining the sand crewWe finished adding the sand by moonlight. After settling for a day, we’ll check it before the new tank arrives.
Keith squeezes and says
