Category: DFABW Book Study

7 DFABW – Epitaph for Hate

Denise Krebs1 Comment
Image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay

 

Here lies HATE,

buried forever,

Freeing up feelings, once obscured by this imposter–

  • sadness, despair, abandonment
  • anger, betrayal, humiliation
  • disgust, revolt, embarrassment
  • fear, insecurity, rejection

Feelings often

ignored,

ruminated on,

avoided, or

acted upon

to harm self or others

Now that it is buried,

understand the emotions

that hate worked so hard to hide

I loved Irene’s wisdom about hate in today’s word. Irene’s mom “taught (her) that underneath the word hate, there is almost always another emotion” and her wise mama helped her to identify the emotion instead of using the word hate. In her challenge today, Irene asks us to try something: “The next time you hear yourself–or someone else–say the word hate, turn over the metaphorical rock and see what emotion lurks underneath.

Read more here, where I found some ideas and words for my poem today: How to Deal with Negative Emotions by Elizabeth Scott, PhD

During each day in the months of August and September, I am responding to a different word from Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Today’s word is (Epitaph for) Hate. A small group of people wanting to make the world a better place are reading and responding together. Join us! Visit Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse by Kim Haynes Johnson for more information. Here is the word list I’ll be following for August and September.

6 DFABW – Nature

Denise Krebs1 Comment

Nature.

Our word for today.

Every single day I live here, I am filled with gratitude that I got to retire in such a beautiful place. For the previous eight years, I lived in an urban center and “nature” was harder to find and enjoy on a daily basis.  I wrote about it last summer. But this summer, I have many opportunities for a “balm for my soul” (as Charles Waters called it on today’s DFABW page). Here is a snippet of my bike ride this morning:

 

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Nature from My Bike

a bevy of quail runs across the trail
a hawk swoops for breakfast to stalk
mourning doves rise with their loves
hummingbirds dart–just a blur
a blue jay seems to call “make way”
a jack rabbit races as is its habit
Joshua trees tower around me
I applaud and thank you, God.

During each day in the months of August and September, I am responding to a different word from Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Today’s word is Nature. A small group of people wanting to make the world a better place are reading and responding together. Join us! Visit Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse by Kim Haynes Johnson for more information. Here is the word list I’ll be following for August and September.

5 DFABW – Service

Denise Krebs1 Comment

Today’s word is Service, and Laura wrote a great senryu poem (like a haiku) about serving. This line makes me smile: “hope is gravy.” I love that. I loved Irene’s story about her childhood in Folsom, Louisiana, where she joined a friend to work helping in the kitchen in a neighborhood convent. So many wonderful memories. The Dictionary for a Better World‘s challenge today is to look into service opportunities in our area. “Sign up and serve one shift, and see where it leads you,” the authors challenge.

A lifelong political independent, I have not gotten overly involved in politics throughout my life. I’ve always voted, but I haven’t campaigned or worked for candidates. However, that is going to change. I am aghast about where our country is heading via the Republican party. I have made a commitment to work on voter registration and some kind of campaigning or volunteering for local Democrats. I’ll update later when I learn more, but I have some calls out so far. Thanks for the inspiration, Irene.

in fear, cling to might
no matter who is marginalized
power: a wicked god

During each day in the months of August and September, I am responding to a different word from Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Today’s word is Service. A small group of people wanting to make the world a better place are reading and responding together. Join us! Visit Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse by Kim Haynes Johnson for more information. Here is the word list I’ll be following for August and September.

4 DFABW – Experiment

Denise Krebs1 Comment

Since Tuesday, I’ve been experimenting making my own healthy ice cream sandwich. It was National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, and I didn’t have an ice cream sandwich in celebration.

I modified a recipe for homemade ice cream. It was so interesting to work with aquafaba–a fancy name for garbanzo bean water. I added half the sugar and no oil, so this was really a healthy recipe! I put a scoop on a graham cracker and enjoyed my ice cream sandwich a day late.

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. I didn’t have one of those today, either. Maybe an ice cream sandwich on chocolate chip cookies will be my next experiment.

During each day in the months of August and September, I am responding to a different word from Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Today’s word is Experiment. A small group of people wanting to make the world a better place are reading and responding together. Join us! Visit Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse by Kim Haynes Johnson for more information. Here is the word list I’ll be following for August and September.

3 DFABW – Diversity

Denise Krebs1 Comment

It’s National Georgia Day, and since I have some roots in Georgia, I thought I better celebrate. Maybe I’ll cook some buttermilk biscuits, grits, chicken and dumplings, or corn bread and pinto beans. My maternal grandparents were from the south, and I grew up in California with the benefits of eating southern cooking.

Diversity is the word for the day. I couldn’t help but think today of the diversity of this great nation–in all the amazing nature, foods and cultures, and in all the kaleidoscope of people. My grandfather grew up in  Georgia, in a family that enslaved people. He moved west as a young man working on the railroad, settled in New Mexico and later moved to California, where he did not get away from the scourge of our white supremacist bedrock.

Though we were founded on the notion that liberty was reserved for white men, we continue to go through growing pains as we become more diverse every day. Those growing pains and the fear that our nation won’t keep fighting were what inspired my poem today. It is a Rondine with words and phrases mostly found in this article in The Bay State Banner, “America’s Growing Diversity a Threat to White Supremacy.”

Democracy in the reality
of white numbers fading each year
looks less like white-privileged liberty,
codified for whites; crumbs for those near.
When the law was held by majority,
black and brown people were not feared
Democracy?
White power descent, expediency
bears authoritarian spear.
We must fight with politics and clear
this stronghold of white supremacy.
Democracy!

During each day in the months of August and September, I am responding to a different word from Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Today’s word is Diversity. A small group of people wanting to make the world a better place are reading and responding together. Join us! Visit Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse by Kim Haynes Johnson for more information. Here is the word list I’ll be following for August and September.

2 DFABW – Intention

Denise Krebs4 Comments
2 August 2022 – Two Writing Teachers

My life is sometimes like

melting ice cream–

soft and sweet

and limited in its longevity.

When life overwhelms me,

rather than give up

and thaw out,

I choose to live and savor every drip.

Each day I realize life is a delicious delight

to slurp up and savor.

Image by Ralph from Pixabay

During each day in the months of August and September, I am responding to a different word from Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Today’s word is Intention. Charles Waters wrote a poem about living intentionally using weather as a metaphor. I used some of his sentence starters for my poem today. A small group of people wanting to make the world a better place are reading and responding together. Join us! Visit Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse by Kim Haynes Johnson for more information. Here is the word list I’ll be following for August and September.

1 DFABW – Respect

Denise Krebs1 Comment

Dear Rick,

I miss you so often. If you were still here, we would see a lot more of each other because I’ve moved home now.

Almost every time we swim at K&M’s, I remember when you taught us to swim by throwing us in–“sink or swim” were your initial instructions. You were just the big brother helping out our single mom. She didn’t want any of us to drown. You accomplished your mission; we never did.  I am also regularly reminded of your smile and your attentive listening because I see them copy-pasted in our younger brother.

Did I ever tell you how when you and Paula sent me the number 7 for my seventh birthday I used to think it was an F? Why did you send me an F from Germany, I wondered? Maybe you were in the army in France instead, I figured. (Did I also tell you that when I  finally figured it out, I started crossing my 7’s? And I don’t think I told you I have saved that little 7 for almost 60 years.)

When I pulled up stakes and moved across the country, I remember the offer of a plane ticket back if ever I needed it. I never needed it because I married that guy, and I have the sweet memory of you walking me down the aisle on my wedding day–being the dad I hadn’t had for decades.

I enjoy every day of my life these days because you were a role model of a life well-lived. When you were diagnosed with heart disease as a young man, and having had a father who died of a heart attack at 43, you knew every year after 43 was a bonus. Your last 26 years were full of health, family, fun, and living in gratitude. Thank you for the legacy.

I love you so much,

Denny

 

During each day in the months of August and September, I am responding to a different word from Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Today’s word is Respect. A small group of people wanting to make the world a better place are reading and responding together. Join us! Visit Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse by Kim Haynes Johnson for more information.