I’ve made plans to help with an adult literacy survey in Jamaica this fall. I’m feeling surprisingly ambivalent about it. I want to go, of course. It’s Jamaica, after all. And it’s adult education. And did I mention the Jamaica part? But there are snags … work, school, my bank account … and AC.
I haven’t [...]
Archive for the ‘poetry’ Category
Looking Ahead
Posted in Jamaica, NaBloPoMo, choose your own adventure, love and other complications, poetry, using our words, tagged choose your own adventure, Jamaica, love and other complications, NaBloPoMo, tanka on 2 August 2009 | 1 Comment »
Word for Word, Part 3
Posted in out and about, poetry, writing, tagged out and about, poetry, writing on 16 July 2009 | 10 Comments »
Tonight was all about poetry in the Bryant Park reading room. And I was more obnoxious and snobby than usual … which is funny considering how much I don’t think of myself as a poet. I was annoyed with one woman who showed up with a raft of poems, expecting to be granted the opportunity [...]
Magic Words
Posted in Jamaica, letting go, memoir, people I love, poetry, using our words, writing, tagged box of grief, Jamaica, memoir, people I love, poetry, sad, using our words on 22 June 2009 | 10 Comments »
I met Kenrick on the beach. I was sitting in front of the fisherman’s supply store at Calabash Bay. I was about halfway through my early morning bike ride, sitting on the low wall in front of Mr. Graham’s shop, writing in my journal.
It would have been impossible not to notice him: a tall, beautiful [...]
Love and Fishes
Posted in poetry, teaching, things I love, tagged poetry, tanka, teaching, things I love on 21 May 2009 | 6 Comments »
We were a small class last night: Yenny, Muy Chen, Miao, Dariusz and Wilson. Jason came, but disappeared at break — a too-often problem with him.
We’ve been working on Octavio Paz’s “My Life with the Wave.”¹ I’ve always loved this story. I first read it forever ago when I was teaching high school, discovered it [...]
90 Millas
Posted in mothers and daughters, music, my own private Idaho, poetry, self care, things I love, tagged mothers and daughters, music, my own private Idaho, poetry, self care, tanka, things I love, Yemaya on 18 May 2009 | 11 Comments »
light lavender clouds
washing across pale-dusk blue
on my slow way home
Yemaya’s song in my ears
tonight I feel like Stacie
Walking down Court Street, a new pedicure, Gloria Estefan on my iPod, new dance videos in my bag. It’s a good night.
It was also a conscious decision. I’m tired of being fussy and sad, angry and suffocated. So [...]
