tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61262577072262853432024-02-20T18:26:11.447-05:00Poets 4 HaitiSend a poem. Make a donation. Help a nation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-64749281346197958242010-03-15T18:23:00.001-04:002010-03-15T18:24:52.386-04:00Haiti Collage<div style="font-family: verdana;">HAITI COLLAGE</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Turn away from the idea of Earth destruction</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Earthquakes are Earth yawning</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">She stretches Herself after rest periods</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Simply shifts position</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Don't women change their minds once in a while:</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Too bad about the poor people who don't have much choice</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">All the good farming land had been scoffed up</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">They suffer more than the rest of us.</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">We are not the center of the Universe</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">We are subjects of Earth Mother</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Simply one species among many</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">What makes us so important?</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">We choose where we live,</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Live on a fault line,</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">It's your fault.</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">An art supply catalog</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Displayed over a hundred</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Strips of color tones and names</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">I reposition these to imitate layers of rock</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">That have decided to let go</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Long, latent strata</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">In the chaos of new structure</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Releases her tensions</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Metamorphosis happens</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">We are only one small part of nature.</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">What newspapers call disasters</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Are not disasters.</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">They are simply earth Mother</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Doing her thing.</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;"> </div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tom Stock</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" > <div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Manorville, New York</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doctors Without Borders</span><br /></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-71463256672685861252010-03-15T17:00:00.001-04:002010-03-15T17:00:30.750-04:00Children of Haiti (Triple Haiku)<span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Children of Haiti (Triple Haiku)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Children of Haiti</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">eat dirt with swollen fingers</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">shivering ashes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">TV preachers talk</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">lies like lava run uphill</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I step over it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Schools destroyed here</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">children work the dark corners</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">why do we wait, please? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gary Percesepe</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dayton, OH</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">United Church of Christ</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-24521597561204757582010-03-14T12:20:00.001-04:002010-03-14T12:22:02.793-04:00After the Earthquake<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">After the Earthquake</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Burnish your public image by airlifting relief to Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pose for pictures next to medical supplies for Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Alert the media about your students’ fund drive for Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Talk about regime change for the failed state of Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Film looters for Fox News from Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Put your volunteers in yellow T-shirts for photo ops milking the disaster in Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Write an Op-Ed giving historical perspective on Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Comfort the teenager whose whole family perished in Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Post a blog showing off your knowledge about Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Click at a website and send your credit card number to somewhere else not Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Scam the elderly with your bogus charity for Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Go to church, pray for the fate of the world including Haiti.</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Deal privately with your guilt about ignoring Haiti.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="verdana" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></p><div style="font-family: verdana;">Nancy C. Keating</div> <div style="font-family: verdana;">Babylon, New York, USA<br />Doctors Without Borders.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-3751725011550537482010-03-09T10:04:00.000-05:002010-03-09T10:05:08.128-05:00DADDY DON'T GO<span style="font-family: verdana;">DADDY DON'T GO</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> See the little girl</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> holding up the hem</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> of her new dress</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> so it won't get dirty</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> during her dad's second</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> deployment overseas</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Clutching his hand as</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> he stands at attention</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in his soldier uniform</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> no one has the heart</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> to separate them yet</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Blinded by her tears</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> she cries out</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> won't let him go why</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> does he have to leave</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> his famly once again</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Daddy don't go</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> daddy don't</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> dad eee</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Roberta A. McQueen</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Amityville, NY</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Salvation Army</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-85045119409511587622010-03-09T10:03:00.001-05:002010-03-09T10:05:51.084-05:00Meditation - Darkness to Light<span style="font-family: verdana;">Meditation - Darkness to Light</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Light through loss</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">light through change</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">light in stressful times</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">God's light shines brightly</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">through all times</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Close your eyes</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">into the darkness</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">a light shines</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">radiating into your heart</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">comforting</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">soothing any rough spot</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">any heart ache</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">worry or stress</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Peace comes</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">light prevails</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">gratitude rests</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">in the heart</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">once again.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Judy Mosca</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">North Mankato, Minnesota</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Red Cross</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-11062764007380214792010-02-22T12:36:00.001-05:002010-02-22T12:38:55.358-05:00hector rode by<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span><span style="font-size:100%;">hector rode by</span></span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><b><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">even the dogs on 7<sup>th</sup> street</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">wore bandages.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">one man slept peacefully</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">on the sidewalk,</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">his head resting on the stoop,</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">his swollen hands folded</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">in hopeless prayer.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">i gave a dollar</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">to a guy</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">with sweet eyes</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">who spoke to me</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">in seven languages,</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">none of them English</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">or Spanish</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">he wore a pistachio</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">shirt and brown</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">pants, a battered</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">ice cream cone</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">hector rode by </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">on a bicycle </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">draped in rosary beads</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">the rose garden</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">was locked</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">conga beats</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">and sofrito</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">drifted down</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">from the park</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">the sleeping man</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">rolled off the stoop</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">his friends</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">stepped over him,</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">gracefully</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">an unfiltered</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">cigarette</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">hung from his ear</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><br /><span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Puma Perl<br />New York, NY </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">American Red Cross</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-12352315793094800262010-02-21T10:58:00.000-05:002010-02-21T10:59:01.796-05:00Trembling Earth<span style="font-family: verdana;">Trembling Earth</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The child was dead...mother, father too -</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">crushed in the abyss of the earth's fault line.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Muffled voices echo cries from centuries past</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">each time earth yawns to engulf its living creatures into its chasms.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shattered lives breath the stench of the dead,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">thanking God for being spared. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The spark of humankind amidst the rubble's roar</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">seeks life, nothing more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Harriet Slaughter</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Long Beach, NY</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doctors Without Borders</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-54760225695511882112010-02-18T13:55:00.001-05:002010-02-18T13:55:26.187-05:00Casualties of War<div style="font-family: verdana;">Casualties of War</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">family portraits</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">planned but never taken</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">vacation funds</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">never withdrawn</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">a Mexican restaurant</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">minus one patron</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">steps to the deck</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">not quite complete</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">leaf-stuffed gutters</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">need to be freed</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">a toilet seat that will remain</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">forever in its appropriate place</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">a smoke detector</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">absent of its battery</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">snow swaddled sidewalks</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">lacking a strong hand</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">a "Daddy" stocking's</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">final battle cry</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">silent in its ornament box</div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;">Cheri Byard</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">Olathe, Kansas</div><div style="font-family: verdana;">American Red Cross</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-5016526155914365412010-02-17T13:29:00.000-05:002010-02-17T13:30:45.409-05:00Peace<span style="font-family: verdana;">"Peace"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's time for all to lay down their arms</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Make peace with their neighbors</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Give up the racism and rigidness that</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The world has succumbed to.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Look outside and breathe in the sun.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Accept who we are inside, or change</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So that we may be able to live with ourselves.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Go for a walk.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Listen to the peace of the running river.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Break the silence</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Learn to trust</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Taking each fall in stride.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Give up the burden of anger and pain</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stop living each day as a time bomb</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Create your song</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sing to the sky.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rebecca Porter</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rochester, NY, USA</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">American Red Cross</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-3969863102168792002010-02-17T12:06:00.000-05:002010-02-17T12:05:51.062-05:00A toi, Ayïti<span style="font-family:verdana;">A toi, Ayïti</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Predictable:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">three seasons</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">windy, dry rainy</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">in the windy season</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">gusts whip and howl</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">waves crash onto rocky shores</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">trees dance a frenzied Compas</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">airborne birds flail, rudderless</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">everything in ominous motion</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">a cacophony for ear and eye</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">in the dry season</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">an impious sun draws closer</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">a glowing coal</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">grilling cattle live</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">vultures set to pillage putrefaction</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">burnt grass crackles underfoot</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">leaves, crisp like bacon</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">in the rainy season</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">creatures screech and warn</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">angry gray clouds</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">wild, like l'apache dancers</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">stop at nothing</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">raindrops pummel</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">torrents ravage mighty mapous</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Not predictable: 12 January 2010</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">your earth quaked</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hades</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">in</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Haiti</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Qu'on te pleure, Haïti!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">we weep for you</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">“ Pour le pays, pour les ançêtres,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">marchons unis, marchons unis.!”</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-- La Dessalinienne</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ursula Nouza</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Syosset, NY 11791</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Catholic Relief Services</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">World Vision Haiti Relief</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-42795494983835245062010-02-17T12:02:00.000-05:002010-02-17T12:05:10.766-05:00The Beautification Of Lynching<span style="font-family:verdana;">The Beautification Of Lynching</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria, March 6, 2033.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> "Hol am! Hol am!! Hol am!!!"</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Thief! Thief!! Thief!!!"</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Ole! Ole!! Ole!!!"</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Onye Ori! Onye Ori!! Onye Ori!!!"</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Barawo! Barawo!! Barawo!!!"</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Catch him! Burn him!! Kill him!!!"</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hold That Boy! Do not let him escape!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And everybody went after him in hot pursuit with full fury</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Brandishing all sorts of machetes and clubs and even stones</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As well as locally-made pistols and double-barrel guns</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">With the breast-flapping market women thronging after the men</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">With kitchen utensils shouting and swearing in unison</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"We must lynch him to death today, not even tomorrow"</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"We must send him back to where he belongs to today"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Within minutes they caught up with</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The tired, thirsty, tattered-looking lad</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Still in the prime of his teenagehood</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">About 16 or 17 or something like that</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A poor wretched-looking jobless lad</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One of many victims of a corrupt government</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Pushed by his country to stealing just to survive</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And they beat a hell out of him</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Just like a tinker does to a stubborn pan</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Then put a tyre round his tender neck</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Poured gallons of fuel on him</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And burnt him to death just for stealing a Banana</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And that was how his young life ended abruptly</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A fate that should have befallen the corrupt leaders.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Chukwunwikezarramu Okumephuna</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">London, United Kingdom</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Oxfam</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-16212079171387348162010-02-15T19:30:00.001-05:002010-02-15T19:32:20.858-05:00A Song for Haiti<span style="font-family: verdana;">A Song for Haiti </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wish I could give more than this.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A tattered Jackson and a poem.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">But if verse will soothe your shattered world,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">then I will write for you an epic ode. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">And if my words will nullify</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">your days endured, your dreaded dawns,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">your endless ache of sleepless nights,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I will write for you a thousand songs. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wish I could do more than hold</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">your sorrow in my humbled hand,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">or watch your nightmare from afar.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I write for you elysian prayers. </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Each one will find its way to you,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">lift the remnants of your crushing pain,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and free the Táino opia buried deep </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">in the loaming of your fractured land. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Teri McDowell Marks</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chadds Ford, PA</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Partners in Health; American Red Cross</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-88963819774763163482010-02-15T11:04:00.004-05:002010-02-15T11:09:55.149-05:00Indomitable<span style="font-family: verdana;">Indomitable</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where the tarred scar</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">of an amputated limb,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">like jet-black jade,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">is embedded in beaded bark:</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where the two ends</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">of dark barberry shoot pale</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">from the clipped hedgerow</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">stripling straight:</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is the will to survive,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">startled by threatened extinction,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">leaping in sudden strength,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like Rafe, who jumped the six-foot fence</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the day the bull chased him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rafael Tilton</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rochester, MN, USA</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Catholic Relief Seviices</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-27685453373650227772010-02-13T08:12:00.000-05:002010-02-13T08:13:32.280-05:00<span style="font-family: verdana;">Light of the World</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A brand new day emerges…sunlight slowly spills on a land ravished </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">by nature’s fury.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In compassion and faith, people share the burden that changes</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the face of a country and reverberates around the world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A time of great need…people from many lands come together, </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">hearts full. This is the true character of man.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hope, peace and the promise of better days are within reach, </span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">thanks to God’s sons and daughters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Karen Bonnet</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oceanside, NY</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">World Vision</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-19426957013401610472010-02-11T11:36:00.001-05:002010-02-11T11:46:49.965-05:00Pearl of the Antilles<span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Pearl of the Antilles</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">They walked and paddled</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">wanderlust and wondrous game, easily caught,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">pulls proto-Indians east and south</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">across the Bering strait down to the Caribbean rim</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">from Venezuela to one hundred islands north and west</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">bringing cassava, cotton, tobacco, sweet potato</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and five thousand years of language and culture</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1492: Taino and Columbus collide</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Taino-Arawak one million strong</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Columbus armed with gun, smallpox, chain gang, iron, and time</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Two generations later, 600 natives remain</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1508: The thousand plantations must be fueled</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Natives gone, West Africa’s humanity is for sale</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1790: French slave masters destroy 30,000 slaves each year</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Europe feeds on Haitian</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">tobacco, coffee, sugar, cotton, indigo</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">produced by the black gold</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">of the French bourgeoisie</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">750 ships, 24,000 sailors move this</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">cargo and humanity</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">from Africa to Haiti to Europe</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the triangle of death</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1804: Toussaint L’Oveture leads 30,000 slaves,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">against Napoleon’s finest</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">actions birthed by the French and American revolutions</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the little man’s dreams of new world empire extinguished,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">French Louisiana sold,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the US doubles size</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Haiti the second republic of the new world</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The first freed slave republic</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">US, France, the rest of Europe responds</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Haiti must be crushed</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">embargo and boycott</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">force her to pay 152 million francs</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">reparations to French and US bankers</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Interest and principal paid off in 127 years,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1915: Wilson sends in the Marines</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">US debt collectors</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">19 years occupation</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After 127 years interest and principal paid in full</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1957-1986 the US runs Haiti</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">a client colony with</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Papa Doc, then Baby Doc and</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the tonton macoute</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">60,000 murdered, millions stolen</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Haiti is in good hands</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">1990, Aristide elected, wins 90% of the vote, US coup, 1991</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">2000 Aristide reelected,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Demands 21 billion at UN</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kidnapping and coup 2004</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">2,000 disappeared</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jean Bertrand Aristide banished to Africa</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fanmi Lavalas, his party, barred from all elections by US</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">January 12, 2010</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Earthquake</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">200,000 dead</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fourth invasion</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">200 flights a day</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">180 military flights</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">12,000 marines, guns, secure the rubble</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">(rumor of oil)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Graffiti in cite soley</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Marines al lakai nou”</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Nou pap tounin esclav enko”</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marines out, we will not be slaves</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Haiti the struggle must continue</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tom Karlson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Medicc; American Red Cross</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-17891436698406326272010-02-09T09:10:00.001-05:002010-02-09T09:14:56.525-05:00Mom and Dad<span style="font-family:verdana;">Mom and Dad</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Watching</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> the stars Protecting me from</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">dangerous things</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Hugging and kissing me</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Surfing waves Cleaning up the </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> community Building LEGO buildings</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Living all together Playing</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> with them Hoping they can</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> live</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> forever</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> with me because I love</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> them Cooking with</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> my Mom Drawing pictures</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">with my Dad Planting with</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> my Mom Having a good life Having</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> peace to</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> our</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> lives</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Michael Mulhern, Jr.,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Age 7</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Baldwin, NY<br />American Red Cross<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-36126514037704872162010-02-09T08:30:00.000-05:002010-02-09T15:43:34.294-05:00A Symphony in the Wind<span style="font-family: verdana;">A Symphony in the Wind</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bass drums</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">rumble</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">in the distance,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">a sonata</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">plays in the leaves of trees,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the clang</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">after a cymbal in the breezes,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">strings and reeds play</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">as waves hit the shore,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">a tuba</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">in a blast of wind,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">a broken chord,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">an arpeggio</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">of stories upon piano keys</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">as fingers from ocean waves</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">run uphill,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the background sound</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">that holds it all together,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">like a breath.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Louise Mathewson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eden Prairie, MN</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-74631173928621807202010-02-09T08:17:00.000-05:002010-02-09T09:20:59.638-05:00For Haiti Rescue Team Members<span style="font-family: verdana;">For Haiti Rescue Team Members</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The grinding sound of roaring</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">train announces earthquake's threatening</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">groan as people scream. and scream again!</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Astonished terror never known, in any language</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">is the same--as parents die, and bodies maim.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Cathedrals crumble into dust; the Capital,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> with columns fine, distorts and falls as buildings</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> must when earthquake tremors undermine.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">They die beneath tombs of cement while cries</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">rise up in loud lament.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I see, and wonder how to aid. I hear,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and wonder what to do. Both age and distance</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">have forbade, but, suddenly I'm watching you</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">who leave behind both home and kin.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">You wonder not, but fly right in to carry</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">food and water there. Not asking for permission slips</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">where need is strong, death in the air, the food</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">you bring to trembling lips sustains them.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Though sometimes too late, you never stop,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">yield not to fate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dried blood and squalor, desperate pain</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">cause you and others, dawn to dark, to fly</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">where hope might not sustain without your skill,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">determined heart. You witness bullies have their way</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">as smaller ones lose in the fray, and wonder</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">at the good you do. You weep for thousands,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">pray for each. Brave doctors ferried in with you</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">attend to wounds as cries beseech. We.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">We will send funds to help you fly with mercy</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">as hard days grind by.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">LaVerna B. Johnson</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">St. George, UT</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Utah Haiti Relief</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-70105868737166307562010-02-09T06:31:00.003-05:002010-02-09T09:27:01.494-05:00All Things Big and Small<span style="font-family: verdana;">All Things Big and Small</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">At a certain moment</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The sun shone ablaze</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">From my window</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Its brilliance so intense</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It lured me to the frame</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A small wayward branch</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the naked trunk of my oak</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Highlighted</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Upstaging the majestic blue spruce</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Leaving it in the shade</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The few-dwarfed leaves</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Appeared gold</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like precious charms</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Linked on a small wrist</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This unusual setting</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">As if planned by the gods</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">A delight in its most</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unobtrusive creation</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">For the moment</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This small branch</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Held in its glory</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Golden promises</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The acknowledgment</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of something greater</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Than itself</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maria Manobianco</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Farmingdale, NY</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Catholic Charities</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-60324863482981723942010-02-06T05:37:00.001-05:002010-02-06T05:38:40.710-05:00Sea Inside<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Sea Inside</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >inspired by the painting Good Neighbors by Laurence L. Schultz</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you painted me into your picture</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">of the house that reminds me of the sea- </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">green stucco warm like gulf waters,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">purple umbrella roof,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">front porch orange as coral,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">alien as coral and sponge</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">and phosphorescent fish darting.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If I climbed the tangerine steps- </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">three to the porch- </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">and walked inside,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">you would paint me there in tropical hues.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A sea anemone- </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">my indigo hair, a fan,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">my undulating yellow arms, </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">my rippling red legs.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I expel all air from my lungs</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">and settle to the sandy bottom,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">to the cool deep, to the deep quiet, to the painted dark.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I settle into myself,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">becoming small and dense and magnificent- </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">as still as anything in the sea.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Nicole Borg</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Wabasha, MN </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">American Red Cross</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-85616150333443203862010-02-04T10:42:00.001-05:002010-02-04T10:42:50.647-05:00Small, round words<span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Small, round words</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have talked this through on frantic city streets</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">when we were young: After all these years we are still</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">at a loss to learn the September sky; we go right on failing</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">to memorize the colors the leaves will turn</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">in autumn. Or the reasons science soon</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">might confirm your soul.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am about to stop writing</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">about my dead. The poems</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">are piling up in plain pine boxes;</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">they're lining unmarked graves</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and fluttering like ash above</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">the redbricked chimney</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">of the Woodlawn crematorium;</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">always, I am leaving</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">small, round words like stones</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">upon the crypt.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the moments before our deaths,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">we have heard them say,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">we might gather strength to make</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">one last demand</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">that won't be met.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">By then, unmet demands</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">may come as no surprise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After all these years we haven't learned</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">to map the September sky.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">After all these years</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">what we know best of summer</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">is our own penchant for missing</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">luminous moments.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kenneth Salzmann</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Woodstock, New York</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Partners in Health</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-19663022287889241252010-02-04T08:11:00.001-05:002010-02-04T08:12:23.895-05:00post mortem: an ode to agustin "eddy" jeudy<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: verdana;">post mortem: an ode to agustin "eddy" jeudy</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> tonight</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> over pineapples & tea leaves</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> we spoke of smiles & poetry</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> & for one moment we all wanted</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> that old kitchen table to crack open</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> & give birth to a new lazarus.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> one who would speak to us in creole,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> show us what lights we couldn’t see</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> as our toes tap-tapped to the compas.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> eagerly we awaited the slightest of sound.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> crackle.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> warm fire.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> hush.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> baby’s breath.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> but that old piece didn’t budge.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> even when we kicked its wooden</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> legs & prayed in secret for momentum</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> that damned table sat unmoved</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> statue-cold,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> leaving us with only our eyes</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> agnostic.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">John Medeiros</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Minneapolis, Minnesota</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doctors Without Borders</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-57605689817890293652010-02-03T16:27:00.001-05:002010-02-03T16:29:45.699-05:00Superior Trail<span style="font-family: verdana;">Superior Trail </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Piney paths,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">where blueberry dots wink engraved invitations</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and birches impersonate chickadees trilling improvisational arias,</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">pitch perfect.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jane Levin</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Edina, MN</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">American Jewish World Service</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-46218148660646791472010-02-03T07:44:00.003-05:002010-02-03T07:45:40.711-05:00Our Daughter’s Wedding<div style="font-family: verdana;" id=":129" class="ii gt"> <div bgcolor="#ffffff"> <div> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><b>Our Daughter’s Wedding</b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">A piece of me, us, </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">married last Saturday.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Like the Pillsbury Dough Boy,</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">I am puffed up and smiling.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Hundreds of photos</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">tumbled across my screen.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">My weary heart and soul churned </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">“How lavish, and self-centered!”</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Stress sapped and slapped me:</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">illness, new job, grandson.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">I wandered among the throng,</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">smiling but not connecting.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">I tripped on long gown.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Gave little, planned nothing,</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Barely washed our hair and clothes.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">We’d done our part to be there.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Frustrated waiting, </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Why feathers, banners, weeds? </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Pride and peace enfolded me </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Creative decorations</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Priscilla Bence</p> Martinez, GA<br />Salvation Army</div></div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126257707226285343.post-79359500844987965992010-02-02T16:48:00.001-05:002010-02-04T11:36:15.350-05:00Walk in the sunrise<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Walk in the sunrise</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Walk into the sunrise</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">In the minds eye I see</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">A portrait</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Of majestic fire</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Walk into the sunrise</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Before me I see</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">The sky</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Lit ablaze </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Walk into the sunrise</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">In myself I see</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">A glimmer</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Of hope</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Walk into the sunrise</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">For a moment I see</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">The beauty</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Of the world</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Walk into the sunrise</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">In the sun I see</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">The cosmos</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Everything before me</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">Gene Whipple</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">N. St. Paul, Minnesota</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal">American Red Cross</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com