Code Blue

Dang it, it's probably too late, but maybe not. Tonight you can experience a blue moon! Read all about it at Space Weather. Jupiter, too! It's warm, it's gorgeous. Get out there!!!! Yes, the moon is passe in poetry. I don't care. If the clouds part it will be cool.

Birds

Okay. She's a robin. I'm easily amused. David has kinda, sorta started a bird watching thing, which unfortunately excludes my robin friend, but I'm starting with her anyway. I figure if she was nice enough to nest above my nose, she deserves some notice. I looked up incubation times, two weeks. I'm not sure who LL is either, but it doesn't matter. This bird I know, in a birdy sorta way.

June Writers' Picnic

Is that title right? I'm not sure. Does the picnic belong to the writers? Maybe. Would the picnic exist if the writers did not will it into existence? Who knows? I never know where things come from. They just show up and I smile and say, Good morning. Would you like a cup of coffee? Maybe you prefer tea. Regardless, the winds of creation have blown over the waters and a light has shown, and it was good, and the June Writers' Picnic is now set for: Friday, June 22nd, at 11:30 a.m., at the Nature Center picnic area at Potato Creek. More details will be forthcoming, but the gist of the story is: I'll bring paper products and charcoal and some food to share. You bring some stuff to share, too. Food is good, but writers do not live on bread alone, but words... Definitely bring words, even if you don't bring food. The words do not have to be captured on pieces of paper. You can just carry them around in your mouth and spit them out when the time comes, as you see fit. You may, however, bring captured words if you wish. What else may you bring? Other writers, loved ones, small living things. Also, it would probably be a good idea to wear comfortable hiking/walking shoes. So, to sum up: food, friends, words, comfortable shoes. That pretty much does it, but if it doesn't, I know you will tell me... I have a feeling Talia is going to say something about sunblock.

Slowly

Life is starting to move. Gene has an interview in Texas next week for a job in his company which won’t require any move. He is doing massive prep reading and has trimmed his beard, although before he leaves I might help him fine-tune. He’s heading down to Texas early Saturday to spend a few days with his good, hard-drinking buddy in Austin, so he can look and feel his very best (in the words of Arlo Guthrie) for the interview. I’m sending vitamins.

The Garren books came. Among the Monarchs was devoured last night. So good. So close, or at least a way of expression that I can understand. The Piercing is for tonight. I can't wait.

I’m trying to order stuff every week from Amazon to keep the wheels turning. I’m with Talia, writing is hard right now. But the reason is not a mystery to me. Swarms of people keep pulling me to the surface with questions like “Do we have buttermilk?” “May I borrow your car?” “Have you seen my shoes?” and statements like “My girlfriend is spending the night.” “Mine, too.” There is a double bass in my spare bathroom named Lauren, that I have to step over if I want to pee, which I do. I can’t use the main bathroom because of a line of girls standing at the mirror straightening their hair. Lauren’s neck makes it impossible to shut the spare bathroom door. But finally, this morning, they have all gone away. Lauren is back sleeping on Tom’s bed, I can pee anywhere I like. I have two days before they swarm back. I’m dreaming of a trip to Isle Royale…

Tagged Again

Attorneys always begin the questioning with certain admonishments, like, if you don’t know the answer to a question, the appropriate response is “I don’t know.” Then they’ll say something like, “Please don’t guess, but you may estimate. That is fine.” English majors, who sometimes go on to become lawyers, are never admonished in this way. I’ve even been told, by one professor, you’re an English major, you should always have something to say. Thank God he is retiring soon. Perhaps if he would stop saying things – but that is another story, another day. All this is a long way of saying I’ve been tagged by Talia to hold forth on the subject of quotes about poetry. The appropriate response is “I don’t know.” I’m still sifting it out, trying to come to terms with what I believe. But since I’m trying, so hard, to lean into poetry, I will tell you what I’m reading, I'll estimate and try to get close to the subject, I'll tell you what struck a chord with me recently, as I’m waiting for works by Christine Garren and Jack Gilbert to arrive.

The Wound - by Franz Wright
for Denis Johnson

Memorial Day 2007

Four young deer walking through the dawn
across my road. One garter snake
in the strawberries, thankfully not close
to one fat toad underneath the bed
of purple sage tended by a bumble bee
complacent enough to let the musician
stroke his back. Various rabbits,
Numerous birds. One dead mole.

And you?

The View

They are making good progress, my robin friends. Although yesterday I had to slap Sunflower kitty down from the tree with a broom.

Peonies

I've been working on my flower beds lately. Always before Memorial Day, the peonies begin to bloom.

God Things

I am watching some robins build a nest right outside my bedroom window and I figure I am the luckiest woman alive. I look up from my computer and there they are, sitting in the young catalpa tree that I didn’t plant, but didn’t pull either, because I am not very good at weeding and besides, catalpa trees have the best fishing worms and it was probably a God thing, which you should never mess with. So anyway, I am here and they are there, not ten feet from my face, trailing bits of stuff they gathered from who knows where and we’re just going to be here together and it’s going to be a fine summer, really fine.

Post Picnic

The first writers’ picnic was good, relaxing, everything I was hoping for. Thanks to all who turned out on such short notice. The air somehow seems a lot healthier when you all are around. There is something about coming together that is essential. The structure for writers might be all screwed up at IUSB, but I believe enough connections have been made to begin to form a community. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. We’ll try to plan a little ahead, say, more than 24 hours, for next time. I’m thinking the week of the June 11th or June 18th. Write me with your preferences and we’ll set the date. Potato Creek is on the schedule next. David knows all the trails, where to take naps...