I Share My Grief

I share my grief in private places.
Blanket pressed hard to my face
in the dark, in the bathroom, door
closed behind me bent over the sink.

I share my grief in private places.
Smoothing it with lotion onto the
skin of my belly, deceptive and
swollen, yet emptied.
Bereaved in its own special way
echoing the pain that throbs beneath
the surface of every blood-run vein,
every artery connecting all the parts
of my useless body.

I share my grief in private places.
In my thoughts. In my feelings.
In the moments between when
they look at me, in the moments
their backs are turned.
I share my grief in my solitude.

I share my grief in the patches of
Light and in the patches of Dark, that
mark the timeline of my life today.

I share my grief.

March 23, 2018 1

Six A.M.

when i want to

hold my baby

in my empty arms

i reach across

i stroke the hair of

the ones before my eyes

my fist unfolds

it dulls this ache

left by tiny

footprints

March 22, 2018 0

What do you do when your child comes home proud of a racist joke?

I usually only have this conversation once with my children.

One was just parroting his grandparents. He was only 5 and didn’t know any better and I corrected it. Then he grew up into his own self-hood and thankfully, racism and non-love is not a part of who he wants to be. He is naturally a very loving person, they all are, Blessed Be for that.

Another heard a joke from friends – a horrific Nazi Death Camp joke. Oh my god. I better never hear that out of his mouth EVER again. And he knows it. I will be taking that one step further thought and letting the Board of Ed know that that’s what these kids are talking about and making light of. Because they will then address that on a school-wide scale and take care of that end. We have a great county school system! I will probably get off my lazy ass and find him some good movies and documentaries to watch that will educate him about the REALITIES of the death camps and the Jews’ experiences. I haven’t done that yet but need to.

The littlest hasn’t said anything yet, other than referring to referring to African Americans as “a black kid” – which I”m not sure is offensive but it’s enough on the line that I explained to him that they might appreciate being described just as dark skinned or darker skinned rather than “black.” Same thing with the word “fat.” With him, it’s more a case of just explaining the social niceties that he is too little to be aware of yet.

I thought I was the only one that had had to address this issue
until I saw this article this month.
A worthy read:

Parenting the Resistance: 5 Ways to Have Hard Conversations with Kids
BY ERIN WATHEN

Excerpt:

It went down like this:

“Mommy, I have a joke for you, listen. How long is a Chinese man?”

[with a raised eyebrow and a bit of trepidation] “I don’t know… how long?”

“No, that’s the joke… HOW LONG is a Chinese man. Get it?”

“Um… that’s a little bit racist. And inappropriate. Don’t repeat it, ok?”

“How is that racist?”

“Well… It’s making fun of how a certain kind of name sounds. It’s called a microaggression. It’s really making fun of all people who are from Asia, whose names sound a certain way. Like [brother’s best friend who is at our house all the time]. You see why that’s not cool, right? To make fun of people for not looking or sounding like us? Some people will make fun of ANYthing that is not American, or not like white people. We don’t do that.”

“Okay.”

“Where did you hear that joke anyway?”

“[Name of Trusted Adult in her life.]”

“Well, [Trusted Adult] should know better. Let’s say something next time, if they tell jokes like that again.”

Shit. This is hard, y’all. Do you find yourself having conversations like this on a regular basis? I don’t know if just the age my kids happen to be; or the current cultural/political climate; or the fact that, once you start to take notice, you realize that kids hear and repeat stuff like this constantly. In any case, this real-time, passing conversation at my house last night is a good example of how we can engage issues of racism, in the moment; and begin to systematically de-program our kids’ white privilege with some measure of intention.. . .

March 22, 2018 1

Become Gravity by Rohan Gandhi

By: Rohan Gandhi

“But one thing which is not taught in our study is that if you want to be successful in life than you have to become gravity.”

This is a fascinating article!

Excerpt:

Become Gravity

Hello!!! Everyone, today we are gonna talk about science.Science is very tricky subject some people love it.So some hate it.The people who love science then it is good for you.

But people who don’t love science let’s try to make you fall in love with science.So for those people who don’t love science let’s convert science into philosophy in this article.And the people who love science but don’t understand philosophy.Let’s give this an article a read, not for understanding philosophy but for the sake of science.

So if we are talking about science.So the people who love science say “science is in each and everything”.True, but we cannot talk about each and everything in this post.So let’s talk about one of the most important scientific thing which is “gravity”.

What is gravity?

the force that attracts a body towards the center of the earth, or towards any other physical body having mass.

So if we are gonna go through its scientific thing.Then people who don’t like science are gonna stopping reading and otherwise, also we all have read about gravity in our student life.We all have studied its advantages and disadvantages.

But one thing which is not taught in our study is that if you want to be successful in life than you have to become gravity.

Yup, gravity, so let’s talk about keynotes about gravity.And how can becoming like gravity help us in becoming successful………..

Read the rest HERE.

March 21, 2018 0

halloween required reading — Prom on Mars

( It’s never too early for halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )

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Once upon a time I was Reviews Editor for the well-respected comics/pop culture site PopImage (managed by the incredibly talented Chris Butcher, Ed Mathews and lots of other fine writers.) Though PopImage is long gone, some of the content lingers including this piece I wrote about eleven of the most haunting comics available back in 2004. […]

via halloween required reading — Prom on Mars

March 21, 2018 0

Leak Project: Patients Comfortable with Tracking Technology

March 21, 2018 0

Nightfall

Children’s laughter on the wind
Bird song bringing shadows in
Peace descending and resplendent
As daylight turns to eve.

Sunlight drops behind the trees
Bringing warriors to their knees
In the summer where they live
In the summer where they breathe

Children seek to warrior find
Children seek one of their kind
In the houses where they play
Know that this is, the best way

Flowers sing of where they’ve been
Without guilt and without sin
Gilding air and sound alike
Gilding air and human skin

Angels sing exaltation
Surpass our expectation
Peace descending and resplendent
As daylight turns to eve

March 20, 2018 0

Coffee Pot Chronicles

My nightlight shines from behind my empty coffee pot
Illuminating my goddess, my goddess of the morning
Light shines from behind my empty coffee pot
Illuminating truth and clarity, need and desperation
I come out of the darkness drawn to its beckoning glow
I come out of my darkness, see it waiting for morning’s light
I come out of the darkness, and I come into my home.

*****

My nightlight shines from behind my empty coffee pot
Illuminating its’ waiting desire to be filled, and used . . .
Its steadfast devotion tempers my anxiety, gives me peace
In this morning life of cutting sunlight and obligation
It is my soft place to lay my head while standing, it is
My womb. My desire. My comfort. My need. My love.
My circle of light in the surrounding darkness of 5 a.m.

*****

She resurrects me every morning . . . sacrifices Her commitment
Becomes my salvation and my soul’s worth both
I worship at Her cathedral of glass and heating elements
Of grounds and water, of the comforting drip of Her Nectar
Complete in Her intoxicating scent of morning’s waking hours
She sustains me. Gives me life. Breathes life to me.
She is my Lady . . . of the Morning. My Lady of Life.