Stopped in My Tracks: Poem

I continue to enjoy going to my Lectio Divine group every Monday afternoon, and am now starting to assist in finding passages for our four part study and sharing. I offered to do December 30, with the idea of finding something for the new year.

I never expected to find what I did. When I read this poem, I had this overwhelming feeling of awe that something could address so many aspects of my life, including the word EMERGE, which was my word for this year.

Sandy, our leader, feels this is a perfect poem for us to do on the 30th, and I will sink into it deeper then. Right now I am just reading and letting the words wash over me, knowing I will continue to find this a map of sorts for the life I am now living.

FOR A NEW BEGINNING 

by John O'Donohue

In out-of-the-way places of the heart, 

Where your thoughts never think to wander, 

This beginning has been quietly forming, 

Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

For a long time it has watched your desire, 

Feeling the emptiness growing inside you, 

Noticing how you willed yourself on,

Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

It watched you play with the seduction of safety 

And the gray promises that sameness whispered, 

Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent, 

Wondered would you always live like this.

Then the delight, when your courage kindled, 

And out you stepped onto new ground,

Your eyes young again with energy and dream, 

A path of plenitude opening before you.

Though your destination is not yet clear 

You can trust the promise of this opening; 

Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning 

That is at one with your life's desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure;

Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk; 

Soon you will home in a new rhythm,

For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

Between the Branches

 [Note: Sunday morning I arrived at Six Mile Cypress Slough, read David Whyte’s poem “The Thicket,” walked and meditated and took photos, wrote this, and then added quotes from Whyte’s poem in italics.]

I took my meditation to the slough…

free and observant

Contemplated the nature of all things being evolutionary and revolutionary…

surveying the tiny stages and the curtained dramas

Such as the Spanish moss hanging from tree branches…

 every further stage of vision leading me back to smaller and smaller worlds

The Pilated Woodpecker busy on his branch, finding breakfast, preening himself…

Always two realities…action or non-action.

never leave the branching world...a kind of enclosed womb-like eternity

What changes things?

Ideas. Curiosity. Faith.

The trees are both able to be touched and observed in a watery mirror.

Is the reflection telling the truth? 

searching between the branches... the knowledge of some immanence

When it was time to leave, the sun in the Cypress pond lit the way…

 

brought clarity to silence, set me to grow

Heart lifted. Exhilarated. A quiet mind.

Taking all the necessary actions

To meet the revolution.

22. Power of Spirit

 Written during Write Around the Corner meeting 12/4/2021

The opening lines of "Eagle Poem" by Joy Harjo inspired this piece.

To pray you open your whole self

To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon

To one whole voice that is you

And know there is more

That you can't see, can't hear;

Can't know except in moments

Doesn't that just say it all?

How far I've come by opening myself up

Rather than closing myself off.

How perfectly ironic that

the day I saw the two eagles

was within the same day my journey --

this part of the journey--

began.

These two eagles were not circling in blue sky

or flying over a river.

There were calmly sitting on the roof next door,

looking around, for quite a while,

as I prepared some things in the kitchen.

Little did I know they were the 

harbingers of what was to come:

The Power of Spirit saying

look. listen. see.

6. New Growth

New orchids on my lanai inspired this piece

 #66Challenge

4th Eagle (a monolith)

 Yesterday I saw my fourth eagle within a month -- two this week alone!

This is a monolith about yesterday, a day I resisted, but that set me on the right path.

I came out of a bit of confused

darkness yesterday, when I

allowed myself to get in the

car and drive out of this

county, not all that far away,

and enjoy a shrimp and

crabcake lunch with a 

friend, celebrating her new

book of poems published,

and clearing my mind from

the dross that had been

clogging it, allowing me to

see clearly my direction,

and experiencing joy at

seeing an eagle fly.

Labyrinth of Love (7 Lines/ 7 Days #32)

 #108Weeks

 

December 20-26, 2020

 

Photo by Kara Vereen

 

Take a line from someone else's poem and carry it forward

"It is necessary to come back and work in the world"

Wonderful dinner at Origami. Christmas Star bright. 

The dawning of the Age of Aquarius

Art & lunch & labyrinth & ice cream 

on a perfect weather day

Yesterday was stellar. My writing partners are writing again!

This is the time to be loyal to myself and do the things that nourish me,

including exercise and sitting Zazen

What a lovely Christmas!

Jim and I * Christmas 2020 * Bunche Beach

 

Quote from Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master's Lessons on Living a Life that Matters

 by Bernie Glassman and Rick Fields

Another Tough Week (7 Lines/ 7 Days #31)

 #108Weeks

December 13-19, 2020

 

 

 

I am happy to return to Zen, something that has drifted away.

I saw a beautiful eagle flying rather low -- a great reminder that Spirit is always with me.

Ricky's band concert was livestreamed and I loved everything about it!

I worked on non-attachment, especially with my 6th graders.

If I want my students to enjoy writing, I have to provide a light environment. 

I love hearing their laughter as they put their ideas together.

 

I had to shut down a 7th grader's assertion that being required to go to school was like slavery. 

Uh, no. Not ever.

 

Yesterday morning I had a sad reminder of all we've lost. Really choked me up.

All Is Not Lost

 This is the first time I've felt inspired to write in my blog in a very long time.

The school year has been strange in so many ways. Usually by this time the classes are in a groove and doing well. And that has happened -- not exactly in the ways I'm used to, but I'm seeing it.

It is Spirit Week at our school, and yesterday was Red, White, and Blue day. So when I saw this picture from Pexels, I felt it represented what occurred on Wednesday.

3rd period was its usual quiet self. It is my largest in-person class, mostly girls, and is always super quiet.

5th period is my toughest class -- mostly boys, and lots of off-task behavior.  But yesterday was a bit different.  They had an assignment to do (which usually barely gets done), but they were working. And helping each other. And suddenly it was 15 minutes before lunch, and they were ALL DONE (except for one kid who was admitting he was just being lazy.)

So I let them go out into the courtyard on this beautiful November day and play. I have a stuffed fish (Nemo) they used as a football. They had the time of their lives.  It was so fun to hear them playing, to see them being kids and not staring at a computer. It did my heart good.

7th period came, and they got the job done. Then 9th was buzzing along until the last 15 minutes -- fire drill!

We came back in just in time to clean the desks and leave for 11th period. But the internet had gone down!  I couldn't get a Zoom session opened for my online kids. Admin came on the PA and it sounded like they didn't know when it would come back up, so I had to scramble for something for my kids to do that was not computer-related. Lo and behold, I was already set up for a back-up activity on Friday, with card-making supplies ready for them to write Thank You notes to people in their lives.  The kids had a blast making the cards, getting creative, piling notes on my desk, and eventually going outside to play tag. I didn't have to deal with online kids. I sat and relished what we had -- a chance to have school like "the old days" -- making things by hand, playing together, and not staring at a computer screen. I didn't have to worry that the online kids weren't getting the same experience because, well, there was no connection.

I was exhausted by the time I got home, for it had been a real roller coaster ride. But I realized all has not been lost. The kids are finding ways to be successful, to support each other, to be kids and have fun. It reminded me again of all the reasons I am a teacher -- to experience joy and learning and spontaneity. 

As tiring as it was in the end, my heart still feels full and happy.

48. Gentle Measures

#64Challenge

Inspired by the poem "Gentle Measures" by Terrance Hayes, that itself was modeled after a book of the same title from 1871.

Chapter 1: Three Modes of Management
Make the assignments short and easy to follow. Give them a solid way to report back -- easier for them and me. Use visuals.

Chapter 2: The Art of Training
Getting everyone going in the same direction is never easy. Train them to follow their own mind, approach things their way. Then let it synthesize.

Chapter 3: Faults of Immaturity
Even with safeguards and prompts, they are kids. They will resist. Forget. Obsess. Hide. Fail to comprehend. It's okay.

Chapter 4: The Activity of Children
My father once wrote to me in a letter that he was often "in awe" of what his children could do. I feel the same. I've been moved by their responses at times. Somehow this is enhanced by the distance. This is a gift -- a wonderful, strange gift, unexpected and grace-filled.

13. Today Was a Good Day

#64Challenge

Today was a good day.

I felt it when I left, and as I reflected on my drive home, and as I thought of something that happened at the end of the day. And I simply could not dismiss the idea of writing about it while it's fresh.

The Underground Rebellion

You know of my struggles with 2nd period, but today I decided to just be as chill as possible as they proceeded to work on an individual project. They have to create an invention or a business that takes care of a problem they see in the world, then they have to create an Elevator Pitch for it, or an advertisement, or bring it in front of a Shark Tank.

I am finding my 2nd period is the most creative when it comes to this project. They are coming up with things I'd really wish COULD be invented (it doesn't have to be realistic -- they just have to identify the problem, what the invention would do, and who would buy it.)  There is a girl who created the "black hole broom" -- just sweep anything you don't want into it and it disappears forever (Good for the environment!)  There are the "massage shoes" for people like me who get very tired and ornery feet as the day wears on.  As the kids were bringing me their invention ideas, I was begging some of them to invent the darn thing!

On the way home I started to think about two of the inventions I read about. For context: there is a small table of four 7th graders who are situated between the "color battle" I have previously written about. I think they have heard more of their fair share of exchanges between these two factions.

This table represents a mix: a black girl, a Hispanic boy, a white boy, and an Indian boy. I see a couple of them staging an underground rebellion on what they are seeing.  One invented the "anti-racist zapper" -- something cities would have to install so when a racist comment or act was committed, the offender would be "zapped."  Another boy invented the "racist puncher" -- much the same.  Racist remark?  PUNCH!

I simply cannot wait to hear the response when they present these ideas. Seriously.  I'm pumped.

Three Minutes

This year I created a sequence of some of the best practices in unlocking text structures that I've learned along the way.  My partners in crime -- Debbie and Wendy -- are using this sequence of activities as well, and we are all finding success. This sequence features students close reading text, analyzing words in context, and finally writing a summary that has a focus question. We have been through the process once, and are now on the second text.

Meanwhile, I was a bit dissatisfied with  a part of it. Then we had a faculty meeting when we were told that we were to be implementing a thing called "Mean, Say, Matter" the ELA Dept. has been using for years, and I've tried to use but never fully found it effective.

So I took the part of the sequence that was called DID (Details, Imagery, Diction) and I spontaneously reduced it to Details and Imagery. Then I added Why does it matter?

Magic.

We divided the text into three sections, and in each section we find an important detail, then an important piece of imagery. So already, they have revisited the text twice after an initial reading: once through for details, and a second time through for imagery.  By the way -- they were the ones who said they wanted to do all details first, then imagery. Gotta love that, as they volunteered to go through the text twice all on their own!

The magic came when we took each detail and imagery from each section, looked at them together and asked Why does it matter?  It is self-evident. It writes itself. And when done with this simple 9-part process, the students could be ready to write a summary. Everything is right there -- the entire piece, specific text evidence, as well as why each piece matters.

This worked beautifully when I spontaneously did it in 5th period yesterday. It worked even better in 8th when I did it with more purpose, and then again in 10th. In fact, in 10th period -- the end of the day -- we were rushed at the end because our discussions had been so productive. The office came on the PA saying it was time to turn on the news and go home, and we weren't quite done.  And that is when the unimaginable happened:  A girl said, "But we still have three minutes left. Why are they coming on so early?"  Each kid wrote every last thing down before I was allowed to go to the news.

WWWHHHHHHHAAAAATTTTTT????

I know this will probably never, ever happen again. But DAMN.  DAAYYYYAAAMMMM.

Top Six Live Music Moments 2018

 Live shows weren't as plentiful in my life as some previous years, however the ones I did see were some of the best ever.  There are some musical moments that stand out in my mind, so here is recap of my top six. I've included videos to share either the magic of the song, or the artist, or both!



6. "Have It All" performed by Jason Mraz. Fort Myers. March.
Jason is the type of performer you can enjoy even if you don't know his music. In an evening that stretched nearly three hours, there were many to choose. This was his final song and a new one he was releasing, and it inspired me greatly. I played this song on the first day of school for all of my classes, and I went to see his film about making the music video. Fun, fun, fun!

5.  "Don't Miss Your Water" performed by Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Clearwater. December
This song was written by the fabulous soul artist William Bell, which I never realized until that night. Of all the songs performed that evening, each one a classic, this was the one that moved me the most. I'm putting a live version by Bell here, just because it's so great!

4. "Tomorrow Is My Turn" performed by Rhiannon Giddens. Tampa. April.
I first got into the music of Rhiannon Giddens when I was suffering a health issue. Her music was incredibly healing, and her version of this Nina Simone song was life-changing for me during that particular part of my life. Hearing it live intensified its healing magic for me.

3. "Dear Theadosia" performed by Jin Ha as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. Chicago. June.
Jin Ha was my favorite performer in the production of Hamilton; the emotion he brought to this song was unforgettably moving. I understand he has moved on to another show. I count myself lucky I got to see him in June.  I first saw Jin Ha in the televised live production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and he impressed me then as well.

2. "Everything That Glitters is Not Gold" performed by Balsam Range. Sanibel Island. January.
The vocals. The heartbreak. Buddy Melton's amazing tenor voice. Seeing Balsam Range was a night of humor, music, and artistry. This is one of the best examples: a story of a woman that leaves her family behind for the rodeo. When he hits that pause near the end, my eyes never fail to fill with tears no matter how many times I've listened.

1. "American Tune" performed by Paul Simon. Sunrise, FL. September
The second last song in a two hour concert, the lyrics and Simon's introduction encapsulated everything that needed to be said about our  lives during this era. It was delivered with just Simon on the stage, one spotlight, no screens. Tears flowed. This has always been a favorite of mine, and he gave it the honor it deserves in the American songbook.

AWE #2

Air is cool, flowers blooming, trains and the

Windmill house on Gary Street, Wheaton

enticed us with her charms. On to the Big City!

AWE #1

Last year on vacation I wrote a series of REST poems. This week I am focusing on awe. I know no better way to keep my focus than to write.

Here is first entry:

Attached to the teaching life, I release

Windy City, here I come. My

entrance to a new time, a new direction.