Meeting Grace: The Blog

The wonderful, irreverent and thankfully back-to-work writer Pamie created this incredible annual book drive called the Dewey Donation System. Hop on over there and have a look, then take action! Make a monetary donation, or buy a book (or eight) to help bring the invaluable experience of reading to a child.

I remember going to the library with my mom & sister when I was a kid and we lived in Burley, Idaho. We’d ride our bikes because Mom didn’t know how to drive yet. My sister and I would spend what seemed like hours in the stacks, and from her, I discovered my love for the Laura Ingalls books and so many others. My mom became friends with Nina, the librarian, (who I was fascinated by) and sometimes my mom would display her collection of dolls from around the world. There was always a bin of books in the little foyer that we’d rummage through or add to on various occasions. But there was always that little touch of magic when you opened the double doors into the library itself and the rush of its calm silence came over you. I still get that feeling when I go to libraries. They still hold so much wonder and a world of possibilities for readers of any age.

So help keep that magic alive and share your love of reading and books with kids who can really use it.

To share some of Michael Ondaatje’s brilliant, mellifluous prose:

“Who is she? This woman who has led him into this medicine cabinet of a room where most of her possessions exist – books, journals, passport, a carefully folded map, archival tapes, even the soap she has brought with her from her other world. As if this orderly collection of things is what she is. So we fall in love with ghosts.”
- Divisadero

Which makes me think of one of my poems, written many years ago for a friend when he was contemplating if he should emerge from his hermitage. But it’s really for anyone who has felt isolated or alone, whether self-imposed or not, and is considering how and why they should re-emerge.

to a ghost

find your flesh again
bits & pieces wait
in creases of books
stretch over
empty canvases
glow dimly in light fixtures
sit motionless
on edge of kitchen sink
collect them all slowly
locate spaces where they
belong on your bones

bring water to your mouth
muscles work to swallow

step back
now
with your skin
back in its place
where it had not
been before

stand in your flesh again
and breathe
use it to make contact
touch the ground
with bare feet
run your fingertips
along smooth & quiet
branches of a city tree
angle your mouth
around curve of a pen

feel heat move through you
warming you in your renewed skin
your flesh that has been draped
over benches
left empty
in misshapen pile
on your bed
where you sloughed it off
in your sleep

find your flesh again

greet me covered with it

let us stand together
each with skin
harboring our ghosts

The day is shrouded in mist. I’d much rather be curled up with my new book, “Divisadero” by Michael Ondaatje, but I must persevere through the work day. I finished “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak over the weekend. I cried. It was lovely and hopeful and still sad, unrelenting in its depiction of Germany in WWII. It is known as a ‘young adult’ novel, but I was rapt with these characters. The author’s use of foreshadowing was at once anti-climactic and suspenseful. He told some of the outcomes up front and then built the story out. I was sad to learn the fate of some of my favorite characters, but was so curious to learn how it happened. And it was unexpected, which, for me, is always the best compliment. If I can still be surprised by a turn of events, the flow of a phrase, I am happy.

In real life, there is a major shift about to happen as we will be moving and in a new space on April 1st. As you can imagine, the stress that accompanies such a life change looms, but there is plenty of time to plan and I’m confident that it will all work out. Plus, it helps to know that it’s a better space. A home that’s in ultimately better shape than our current one. And of course, as we have a new place within our reach, all the negative things about living where we do now have all been shoved to the forefront: leaky roof and more rain than usual, people not seeing our driveway and parking in front of it, the noise of 2am bar-goers waking us up…But Han & I also concede that we will miss the energy of our  neighborhood.

I’m happy to say that I got two poetry accolades.  I received third place in the San Diego Writers, Ink Valentine’s poetry contest for my poem, “Twilight.”  And another poem, “Red Shoulders,” will be published in the 2008 San Diego Poetry Annual.  I’m also doing a featured reading in March and have attended three readings in the last few days.  And, probably the best news in all of that is that I’ve started writing 2 new pieces!  Yay!

On the down side, DK did not receive a part in the upcoming JT play for which she auditioned.  She was very disappointed and sad for a while.  But by the next day, she was her old self again and ready to look ahead to the next opportunity.  Very resilient.

The big show, which I referred to in the last post, went off splendidly.  My mom wrote up a nice little post about it.  It was a grand affair that, with some good help from folks, really came together.  I was so glad to be part of it again and to know I had something to do with its success.

In looking back at that last post, it’s nearly time to do a February redux!  But I’m happy to say that my parents did celebrate 43 years of marriage (yesterday) and my sister just got back from 2 weeks in the Caribbean.  Check out her trip updates on her blog.

The gym trips and and the blog posts have been fairly non-existent, but there’s always  next month