At 12 years old I started bleeding with the moon
and beating up boys who dreamed of becoming astronauts.
I fought with my knuckles white as stars,
and left bruises the shape of Salem.
There are things we know by heart,
and things we don't.
08 February 2010
06 February 2010
Everybody's Got a Story by Amanda Marshall
You walk up to me and say
"Feel like I know you baby"
And then take a sip of your cherry coke now
Now who drinks a cherry coke?
Maybe you're nervous, I see that bead of sweat
Dancin' on your cheek
Your words are like cheap champagne
I get the point but it's much too sweet
I'm so tired of the dance
This carousel of superficial conversation
Gets me nowhere...
"Feel like I know you baby"
And then take a sip of your cherry coke now
Now who drinks a cherry coke?
Maybe you're nervous, I see that bead of sweat
Dancin' on your cheek
Your words are like cheap champagne
I get the point but it's much too sweet
I'm so tired of the dance
This carousel of superficial conversation
Gets me nowhere...
04 February 2010
Oh dear January (and yes, I know it's finally February)
My cousin posted this on facebook: 60 percent of couples break up in January. She said she looked it up and that it's a true fact. I can see how it might be. Seems like everybody's breakin' up (is that a line from a song?).
I'm excited for spring.
I'm excited for spring.
1 week, 4 days.
Today was my second time meeting with Stan (he works at Union and one of the many things he does is help people quit smoking). It was my first time meeting by myself, which was more awkward than when Chelsi and I met. When there's more than two people, you don't have to hold direct eye contact for so long, and if you don't hold eye contact then where do you look? I think I've just been slightly socially awkward most of the day--sometimes I just have really off-kilter days.
He gave me a packet called "If you decide to quit smoking: a guide to resources and information that can help you succeed." The first half wasn't anything I hadn't heard before, or just didn't apply to me. I'm not going to consider my child's health or anything like that. When I got page thirteen, however, I found something that would be helpful.
"Talk to friends, family, and coworkers about why you want to quit, and how important it is to you. One way they might help is by encouraging notes: "I'm so proud of you for not smoking." "I know you can do it." Post the notes in places you usually."
I think that would be awesome. I saved the text message from Nikki she sent forever ago encouraging me not to smoke. It's helped me out quite a few times. But how do I begin that conversation?
"Hi, I'm a smoker. Can you please write me notes?" Yeah, probably not so much. I'm not sure I should keep reading this packet, however helpful that one section was. Talking about quitting smoking makes me think about smoking, which...makes me think about smoking. Maybe if it wasn't a million pages it wouldn't be so bad. Or mention the word "smoking" a million times per paragraph. Aughh.
But on a happy note--today's snowfall was beautiful. Clean. Beautiful. Like my lungs will be. Hopefully not as flakey though. That would just be awkward.
He gave me a packet called "If you decide to quit smoking: a guide to resources and information that can help you succeed." The first half wasn't anything I hadn't heard before, or just didn't apply to me. I'm not going to consider my child's health or anything like that. When I got page thirteen, however, I found something that would be helpful.
"Talk to friends, family, and coworkers about why you want to quit, and how important it is to you. One way they might help is by encouraging notes: "I'm so proud of you for not smoking." "I know you can do it." Post the notes in places you usually."
I think that would be awesome. I saved the text message from Nikki she sent forever ago encouraging me not to smoke. It's helped me out quite a few times. But how do I begin that conversation?
"Hi, I'm a smoker. Can you please write me notes?" Yeah, probably not so much. I'm not sure I should keep reading this packet, however helpful that one section was. Talking about quitting smoking makes me think about smoking, which...makes me think about smoking. Maybe if it wasn't a million pages it wouldn't be so bad. Or mention the word "smoking" a million times per paragraph. Aughh.
But on a happy note--today's snowfall was beautiful. Clean. Beautiful. Like my lungs will be. Hopefully not as flakey though. That would just be awkward.
02 February 2010
Imbolc, Brigit Day, Cross-Quarter, Candlemas...
From my friend Kris' status update:
Have a blessed Imbolc. Today we honor (or think about) Brigit, the Gaelic goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. "Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months."
From Wikipedia:
Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures, either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 1 (or February 12, according to the Old Calendar), which falls (three days before) midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. Perhaps originally dedicated to the goddess Brigid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day. In Scotland the festival is also known as Là Fhèill Brìghde, in Ireland as Lá Fhéile Bríde, and in Wales as Gŵyl y Canhwyllau.
Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to the Northern American Groundhog Day. A Scottish Gaelic proverb about the day is:
Thig an nathair as an toll
Là donn Brìde,
Ged robh trì troighean dhen t-sneachd
Air leac an làir.
"The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground."
Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival. Brigid (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) is the Gaelic goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.
Although I don't believe in the divinity of Brigit, mythology fascinates me. I'm also interested in using various gods, goddesses, etc as metaphors for what they embody or represent. I'm not the only one who does that, as apparently Einstein too with the Christian god. Today I'm going to focus on the return of warmth and spring (it will come back some day). I'll also keep my mind open to poetry and opportunities for healing--whether of my own soul or getting tissues for someone else's sniffles.
Have a blessed Imbolc. Today we honor (or think about) Brigit, the Gaelic goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. "Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months."
From Wikipedia:
Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures, either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 1 (or February 12, according to the Old Calendar), which falls (three days before) midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. Perhaps originally dedicated to the goddess Brigid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day. In Scotland the festival is also known as Là Fhèill Brìghde, in Ireland as Lá Fhéile Bríde, and in Wales as Gŵyl y Canhwyllau.
Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to the Northern American Groundhog Day. A Scottish Gaelic proverb about the day is:
Thig an nathair as an toll
Là donn Brìde,
Ged robh trì troighean dhen t-sneachd
Air leac an làir.
"The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground."
Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival. Brigid (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) is the Gaelic goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.
Although I don't believe in the divinity of Brigit, mythology fascinates me. I'm also interested in using various gods, goddesses, etc as metaphors for what they embody or represent. I'm not the only one who does that, as apparently Einstein too with the Christian god. Today I'm going to focus on the return of warmth and spring (it will come back some day). I'll also keep my mind open to poetry and opportunities for healing--whether of my own soul or getting tissues for someone else's sniffles.
01 February 2010
A Peaceable Kin-dom
This is beautiful. Amazing. As soon as I began reading it silently I had to switch to audible. I even sang parts.
A Peaceable Kin-dom
By Jared Wright
The following poem was performed at La Sierra University Church’s Friday night worship service, First Service.
In Santa Monica where the sea slaps the sand
I met an old war vet with a sign in his hand
And it said
Power to the Peaceful
Power to the Peaceful
He said he served his country in the Vietnam War
He said he can’t support this country and its killing no more
And he said
Power to the Peaceful
Power to the Peaceful
A Peaceable Kin-dom
By Jared Wright
The following poem was performed at La Sierra University Church’s Friday night worship service, First Service.
In Santa Monica where the sea slaps the sand
I met an old war vet with a sign in his hand
And it said
Power to the Peaceful
Power to the Peaceful
He said he served his country in the Vietnam War
He said he can’t support this country and its killing no more
And he said
Power to the Peaceful
Power to the Peaceful
Decisions
Tomorrow I'm supposed to bring in lyrics to be analyzed in Conflict and Peacemaking class. I'm so awful at making decisions, especially when it won't be my turn again till April. Right now I'm trying to decide between:
Andrea Gibson's Blue Blanket*
Andrea Gibson's Dive*
Lily Allen's LDN
Lily Allen's Kabul Shit
Lily Allen's 22
Derek Webbs' What Matters More
I'm sure there will even more to add to this list. I wish someone was around to help me narrow it down. Chelsi has her first basketball game, Kaity's in class, Michael's not online, TD's in class...what's this whole being busy business? Don't they know this is pretty much the most important decision ever? Yeah, it's not. So I should stop worrying about it and maybe play iny-meeny-miny-moe. I'll probably go with Dive.
Andrea Gibson's Blue Blanket*
Andrea Gibson's Dive*
Lily Allen's LDN
Lily Allen's Kabul Shit
Lily Allen's 22
Derek Webbs' What Matters More
I'm sure there will even more to add to this list. I wish someone was around to help me narrow it down. Chelsi has her first basketball game, Kaity's in class, Michael's not online, TD's in class...what's this whole being busy business? Don't they know this is pretty much the most important decision ever? Yeah, it's not. So I should stop worrying about it and maybe play iny-meeny-miny-moe. I'll probably go with Dive.
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