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LadyFest New Orleans
LadyFest New Orleans is a non-profit music, spoken word and arts festival organized by local women to showcase, celebrate and encourage activism through the arts for and by New Orleans women. It also serves as a benefit for local organizations that support women.
The festival runs for five days at five different venues. It will begin on Wed., Nov. 4, 6 pm at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, 1313 Esplanade, New Orleans, with a Homily by Deacon Joyce Jackson, the first and only black woman Episcopal deacon in New Orleans. This will be followed by gospel music from Tonia Scott and the Anointed Voices who were the featured choir in “Skeleton Key”. The Queen Clarinet of Louisiana, Doreen Ketchens, will close out the evening with lots of hot music from Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans.
The festival moves to Snug Harbor on Thur., Nov 5 with two shows 8 and 10 pm at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, 626 Frenchmen, featuring Cindy Scott, Leah Chase, Megan Swartz on piano, Cori Waters on drums and Cassandra Falconer on bass.
On Friday, Nov. 6, Sweet Lorraine’s, 1931 St. Claude is the place to be with Charmaine Neville, David & Roselyn, Estelle Compagne on flute, GaBrilla Ballard, Lynn Drury & the Pfister sisters accompanied by Amassa Miller on Piano, Cori Waters on drums and Cassandra Falconer on bass.
Poet Valentine Pierce will be reading from her work also.
Sat, Nov. 7th the show moves to the Marigny Theatre, 1030 Marigny at St. Claude to enjoy blues with Beth Trepagnier, hear Gina Forsyth, dynamite on guitar or fiddle, and be amazed by Kayne Reznick‘s lusty irreverent folk songs, Lindsay Mendez performing music from her new CD, Olivia Greene bringing a fresh slant to jazz accompanied by Cori, Cassandra and Estelle. Then Some Like It Hot tears up the evening.
Sun., Nov. 8th, LadyFest New Orleans 2009 has its final performance at the Ashe’ Cultural Arts Center 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., from 11 am to 6 pm with 30 X 90, Dixie Rose, Hazel and the Delta Ramblers, Kelcy Mae, Margie Perez, Olga and Troi Bechet with Mimi Geste on Piano, Cori Waters on Drums, Cassandra Falconer on Bass and Estelle Campagne on Flute.
For more info, including some great photos, visit LadyFest New Orleans.org
Valentine’s New Blog
Head ups, New Orleans!
One of my favorite local poets, Valentine Pierce, has begun a personal blog Poet Sense and Sensibilities. I’ve written here about her since I first discovered her poetry back in 2007 with the publishing of her book Geometry of the Heart. Here is a sample of her work and one of my favorite poems of hers:
Rivers of My Soul
by Valentine PierceMy soul has grown deep like the rivers, he said:
Euphrates, Congo, Nile, Mississippi.
I close my eyes, repeat the words
over and over and over.I know these waters;
my spirit has lingered in these waters.
my soul understands
even though the only river I’ve ever known
is the muddy Mississippi.I loved my first love there and remember
the world pausing in the sweet joy of it;
shared my secret dreams with a friend
as we sat on the jagged rocks of it’s banks;
cried my life’s sorrow on it’s shoulders
as the sun rose and danced on tugboat waves;
got lost in the saxophone solos and guitar strings
of sidewalk musicians at twilight.The muddy Mississippi —
It’s bittersweet rememberances
will linger in my soul for all eternity
and my soul, too, will grow deep like the rivers.
(Published with the author’s permission.)
Valentine participated on a writers panel at Rising Tide 2 in 2007 that discussed how their experience of Hurricane Katrina had affected their work. Maitri wrote her impressions of the writers panel here. (Speaking of Rising Tide, click here for information about this years’ conference coming in August.)
I hope you’ll visit Valentine and give her your support in the newest work from her heart.
Valentine and me at Rising Tide 2
Attention: NoLA Writers!
Via Valentine Pierce comes this news:
Funds are available for literary events in New Orleans, though the
Readings/Workshops Program at Poets & Writers. We need to spend out
these monies before the end of our fiscal year, which is June 30th.
Applications and guidelines can be downloaded at www.pw.org/ Funding for
Events.
If you have any questions about our application process, please don’t
hesitate to contact me. We look forward to funding your event in New
Orleans!
Sincerely,
Bonnie Rose Marcus
Director, Readings/Workshops (east)
and Writers Exchange
Poets & Writers
LADYFEST NEW ORLEANS NOW!
Celebrating, Showcasing and Supporting the Creative Women of New Orleans
Besides Music and Spoken-Word Performances, there will be Art, Jewelry, Crafts, Photography and more displayed at
St. Anna’s Episcopal Church Hall,
The Musicians’ Union Hall,
Sweet Lorraine’s Jazz Club,
Ashe’ Cultural Arts Center
and at 3 Ring Circus Big Top.
LadyFest New Orleans began tonight and shame on me for not having posted it sooner. Well, I do have a bit of an excuse since my laptop was in laptop hospital for the past week. This is a quick cut ‘n paste job from an email….I have my friend Valentine’s reading time in bold for Friday night. Unfortunately, I’ll miss her reading because of prior plans. However, if you can go, please do so – her work is amazing. For a little taste of her talent go here where I posted one of my favorite poems of hers.
So here’s the schedule:
>Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008 — St. Anna’s Episcopal Church — 1313 Esplanade Ave.
>
>6:00 pm: Mass by Father Bill Terry. ‘Women in the Bible’ is the message.
>7:00 pm: Community dinner, and Ladyfest entertainment in the Church Hall
>7:00 pm: Gina Forsyth (music)
>7:40 pm: Madeline Vann (poet)
>8:00 pm: Doreen Ketchen’s Jazz New Orleans (music) www.doreensjazz.com
>8:40 pm: Andy Young (poet)
>
>[Mass, dinner, 2 musical performances, 2 poets]
>
>ARTISTS AND ARTISANS EXHIBITING: Camille Buckley – Abstract Paintings and Olivia Greene – New Orleans and Music-themed Laser Print Postcards
***
Thursday, Oct. 16 — The Musicians’ Union Hall — 2401 Esplanade Ave.
>
>6:00 pm: FILM
>6:20 pm: Frank and Cindy Mayes (music) www.mayes2music.com
>7:00 pm: Beth Patterson Trio (music) www.myspace.com/bethpatterson
>7:40 pm: Trista Douglass (poet)
>8:00 pm: Karen Konnerth & the Calliope Puppets (puppetry) www.calliopepuppets.net
>8:40 pm: Lee Grue (poet)
>9:00 pm: The Pfister Sisters (music)
>9:40 pm: Delia Tomino Nakayama (poet)
>10:00 pm: Charmaine Neville (music) www.charmainenevilleband.com
>
>[1 film, 4 musical performances, 3 poets, 1 puppeteer]
>
>ARTISTS AND ARTISANS EXHBITING: Camille Buckley – Abstract Paintings, Renee Dodge – Jewelry, Elyse Hackett – Glittered Paintings on Canvas, Kristin Fouquet – Fine Art Photography, Maria Gatti – Acrylic Paintings on Canvas
***
Friday, Oct. 17 – Sweet Lorraine’s Jazz Club — 1931 St. Claude Ave.
>
>6:00 pm: FILM
>6:20 pm: Frank and Delia (music)
>7:00 pm: Olivia Greene (music) www.oliviagreene.com
>7:40 pm: Roselyn Lionhart (poet) www.davidandroselyn.com
>8:00 pm: Margie Perez (music) www.myspace.com/margieperez
>8:40 pm: Valentine Pierce (poet)
>9:00 pm: Betty Shirley (music) www.bettyshirley.com
>9:40 pm: Omaira Falcon (poet)
>10:00 pm: Estelle Campagne (music)
>10:40 pm: Sunni Patterson (poet) www.sunnipatterson.com
>11:00 pm: Sunni Patterson (music) www.myspace.com/sunnip
>
>[1 film, 6 musical performances, 4 poets]
>
>ARTISTS AND ARTISANS EXHIBITING: Laura Bruno – Fine Art Photography, Kathy Connolly – Small Sculptures and Unique Crafts, Jean Jordan – New Orleans Themed, Wearable Sewing and Embroidery, Trish Poynot – Various Media Paintings, Photography, and Sculpture, Lesley Wells – Archectectural Photography
***
Saturday, Oct. 18 – Ashé Cultural Arts Center — 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
>
>6:00 pm: FILM
>6:20 pm: Slewfoot and Cary B. (music) www.songkick.com/artist/slewfoot-and-amp-cary-b
>7:00 pm: Some Like It Hot (music) www.somelikeithotband.com
>7:40 pm: Kay Murphy (poet)
>8:00 pm: Anais St. John (music) www.facebook.com/people/Anais_St_John
>8:40 pm: Gina Ferrara (poet)
>9:00 pm: Hazel & the Delta Ramblers www.tunesource.com/hazeldeltaramblers.htm
>9:40 pm: Alex Mercedes (poet)
>10:00 pm: Topsy Chapman and Divine Harmony (music) www.topsychapman.com
>10:40 pm: Mo’Lasses — New Orleans’ (mostly) Womens’ Brass Band
>11:20 pm: Michaela Harrison www.myspace.com/mothertongues
>
>[1 film, 7 musical performances, 3 poets]
>
>ARTISTS AND ARTISANS EXHIBITING: Allison Allison – Laser Prints, Laura Bruno – Fine Art Photography, Kathy Conolly – Small Sculptures and Unique Crafts, Ze’ da Luz – Handmade Knited Clothing Accessories, Meredith Harper – Colorful Woodcuts and other Graphic Art, Jean Jordan – New Orleans Themed. Wearable Sewing and Embroidery, Linda Rosamano – Folk-art Paintings and Jewelry, Melinda Kelly – Photography
***
Sunday, Oct. 19 – 3 Ring Circus Big Top — 1638 Clio St.
>
>4:00 pm: FILM
>5:00 pm: The Pinettes Brass Band (music) www.myspace.com/thepinettesbrassband
>5:40 pm: Elizabeth Garcia (poet) members.tripod.com/~LizGarcia/index.html
>6:00 pm: Zion Trinity (music) www.myspace.com/ziontrinity
>6:40 pm: Susan Cowsill (music) www.susancowsill.com
>7:00 pm: David & Roselyn, with Rosalie ‘Lady Tambourine’ Washington (music)
>7:40 pm: Patrice Fisher (music) www.geocities.com/patricefisher/resume.html
>8:00 pm: Manwitch (music) www.myspace.com/manwitch
>
>[1 film, 6 musical performances, 1 poet]
>
>ARTISTS AND ARTISANS EXHIBITING: Allison Allison – Prints, Note-cards and Postcards, Melisa Cardona – Mixed-media Collages, Kristin Fouquet – Fine Art Photography, Maria Gotti – Acrylic Paintings on Canvas, Elyse Hackett – Glittered Paintings on Canvas, Meredith Harper – Colorful Woodcuts and other Graphic Arts, Pat Jolly – Fine Art Photography, Cultural Documentation and Digital Color Experimentation, Trish Poynot – Various Media Paintings, Photographs and Sculpture, Linda Rosamano – Folk-art Paintings and Jewelry
***
SUPPORT OUR WOMEN ARTISTS, NEW ORLEANS!
NoLA Authors Read at Dillard Wednesday – Free to the Public!
(Photo’s of the Mississippi River from my Flickr)
Rivers of My Soul
My soul has grown deep like the rivers, he said:
Euphrates, Congo, Nile, Mississippi.
I close my eyes, repeat the words
over and over and over.
I know these waters;
my spirit has lingered in these waters.
my soul understands
even though the only river I’ve ever known
is the muddy Mississippi.
I loved my first love there and remember
the world pausing in the sweet joy of it;
shared my secret dreams with a friend
as we sat on the jagged rocks of it’s banks;
cried my life’s sorrow on it’s shoulders
as the sun rose and danced on tugboat waves;
got lost in the saxophone solos and guitar strings
of sidewalk musicians at twilight.
The muddy Mississippi —
It’s bittersweet rememberances
will linger in my soul for all eternity
and my soul, too, will grow deep like the rivers.
(Published with the author’s permission.)
Hear Valentine’s poetry in her own voice:
Reading, Book signing, Reception
Dillard University
Stern Hall Amphitheater
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Free & Open to the Public
Details and agenda here.
4 NoLA Women Talk New Orleans
(My remarks follow this notice.)
Dillard University
Black History Month
Literary Event
Lyceum Committee
Black Books by the Numbers:4 Books on New Orleans Culture
4 Black Authors
4 Women2 Novelists:
Alice Wilson Fried & Dedra Johnson2 Poets:
Valentine Pierce & Mona Lisa SaloyReading, Book signing, Reception
Dillard University
Stern Hall Amphitheater
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Free & Open to the PublicDedra Johnson’s novel: Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow
Alice Wilson Fried’s novel: Outside Child
Valentine Pierce’s collection of verse: Geometry of the Heart
Mona Lisa Saloy’s collection of verse: Red Beans and Ricely YoursFREE & Open to the Public: for more information contact Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy
504-816-4354, or 816-4450
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting two of these remarkable women personally in the past year. I highly recommend both their books, Geometry of the Heart by Valentine Pierce and Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow by Dedra Johnson.
I wrote here a while back about Valentine’s book when she graciously allowed me to post two of her poems, Perfect Friend and On The Fourth Day. Maybe she’ll let me post another one soon….(hint,hint).
I love the authenticity of Valentine’s voice and her way of pulling the reader into her world. Her poetry for me is so expressive and powerful as to almost be a physical entity. If you’re into poetry, you must get her book.
Dedra Johnson’s Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow was not what I’d call enjoyable. That’s not a criticism, it’s a compliment. I read it a month or so ago with the intention of blogging a review here but…..what to say? The story of Sandrine could be the story of many young girls who grew up under challenging and less than optimum circumstances, with a tweak of a detail here and there. Much of what’s in the book certainly hit home for me – dragging forth memories long buried – willingly and intentionally buried. In that sense, it was a difficult read for me but it has prompted me to examine the coping mechanism I’ve had in place for many, many years. Self-examination can be a good thing. To those who read this book and lived a difficult childhood I would say, be prepared. But do read it. For those who lived over the rainbow, read and learn. This book is a must-read.
I haven’t had the pleasure of reading or meeting the other two featured authors but I hope to remedy that omission!
Related Links:
Valentine Pierce is interviewed in The Times-Picayune
Valentine is interviewed in the T-P about Geometry of the Heart
New Orleans Buzz
The Thursday Photo Day subject on CAC is “UNIQUE”…….that’s EZ!!
I took the photo above of my city of New Orleans, the most unique city in America! aaaiiiiii!!
Next week marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and, consequently, the second celebration of the resiliency of the Crescent City and her children including US!
This post illustrates the “uniqueness” of the people here and how we will be remembering 8/29/05 this week-end. But, I confess, this post is mostly cut and paste…..hey, I may be blonde but I ain’t dumb enough to mess with what’s already well done!
RISING TIDE 2 CONFERENCE – Friday August 24 – Sunday August 26
Rising Tide 2 is a conference, a party and an opportunity to learn where New Orleans stands two years after the failure of the federally-built levees following Hurricane Katrina. The weekend schedule of events is organized and presented by New Orleans bloggers in an effort to bring real-life activism to their online visibility. This year, Rising Tide will present author Dave Zirin, engineer Timothy Ruppert ,“Fix the Pumps” author Matt McBride, and panel discussions featuring New Orleans bloggers, authors, community activists and political muckrakers. Naturally, there’s a party, and on Saturday we’ll have lunch from legendary New Orleans restaurant Dunbar’s.
For the schedule and detailed information, please visit The Rising Tide Website
If you are unable to attend in person, check out the official RT2 Blog for live blogging from the conference on Saturday.
I am especially excited about the Writer’s Panel (being a writer groupie and all)….
Here’s a blurb from the blog:
Joshua Clark (Heart Like Water and French Quarter Fiction), Dave Brinks (17 Poets and The Caveat Onus Books 1, 2 and 3), Valentine Pierce (Geometry of the Heart) and Sam Jasper (contributor to Louisiana in Words) will all be on the Writer’s Panel which will be facilitated by the one and only Greg Peters, Grand Poobah of Graphics and the creator of Suspect Device. The topic will be generally “How Katrina has Changed the Way We Write.”
All will have their books for sale, and will hang around to sign them for you. There will be no credit card availability, so please make sure you bring your cash!
REVACUATION BY Brad Benischek – Book signing and reading
Saturday August 25 10:00 – 12:00 am Sound Café 2700 Chartres Street
Saturday August 25 7:00 – 9:00 pm Funky Monkey 3127 Magazine Street
Friday August 31 7:00 – 9:00 pm Faubourg Marigny Books 600 Frenchmen Street
“(This is a story) of the great grief and adaptability we all found
swelling inside us.” Gambit Weekly
NEW ORLEANS – REVACUATION (Press Street; ISBN 978-0-977681-1-0;
$15.00), the new graphic novel from New Orleans-based Press Street press.street@gmail.com,
is the most imaginative rendering of the year following Katrina yet. A
combination of fantasy and social commentary, the book follows
anthropomorphic animals and blockhead government employees as they try
to create a new New Orleans. The kick-off for this round of events
takes place at the Sound Café on a Saturday morning, the place and
time the author worked on the book over the period of a year.
“After we evacuated, when it was obvious we wouldn’t be going home for
a while, I started REVACUATION as a visual journal, an imaginative
response to what was happening,” says artist Brad Benischek, who lives
in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans with his wife and two sons.
REVACUATION twists through the post-Katrina landscape, pausing to
investigate the newspaper headlines, the onslaught of outrage, the
heated mayoral race, and the day-to-day troubles of the “people” of
New Orleans—but in the world of REVACUATION, the people are birds,
rabbits, cats and dogs.
“When I started, I didn’t have a conscious plan. I just started
drawing these animal characters enduring our circumstances. We were
all in flight from the storm, so maybe recreating our story as birds
made sense.” REVACUATION began as sketches in a notebook Benischek
carried with him as he migrated with his family during the evacuation.
“New Orleans is diverse, and each neighborhood has its own issues
now, but in those early days, everyone was connected by some sort of
loss and fear,” says Benischek. The published version of REVACUATION
retains the original notebook’s sense of improvisation, scratch-outs
and all, reflecting the messy and often anxious work of the
Reconstruction. While seemingly surreal, many of details strike close
to home: nest insurance covers only light wind and breezes; friends
abandon the city to relocate to Functionburg; the government sends
giant helping hands; the radio broadcasts the Daily Calamity Report
and bureaucrats are represented by scarecrows.
AGAINST THE TIDE: THE BATTLE FOR NEW ORLEANS
Airing Sunday, August 26 at 9:00 pm Central on CNBC
“….an original CNBC one-hour documentary analyzing how the New Orleans business community has recovered from the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina two years later, will be broadcast Sunday, August 26th at 10PM ET, on CNBC, First in Business Worldwide.”
I’ll be going to Rising Tide 2 so check back here next week for some more buzz……..
meanwhile….listen to Fats, for Flashback Friday, singing Walking to New Orleans (natch!)
Perfect Friend / Perfect Poem
Perfect Friend
by Valentine Pierce
Your beauty is as a summer day,
From the first glimmer of life upon the earth
To the peaceful twilight of a summer’s eve.
As I watch your half-turned body
Illuminated in the light of a distant street lamp,
I am awed by it’s intricate beauty.
What moved His mighty hand, I wonder,
When He molded you from damp clay into perfection.
Perhaps He considered His own magnificence in our eyes
And desired to give the less faithful
Something more tangible, more real
Than the mere image of His omnipotent grace,
Which sometimes fades from our hearts;
Perhaps He wanted to make the glory of heaven
More comprehensible to our feeble minds.
But such exquisiteness is still beyond us;
Such artistry is still beyond the hands of mortals.
For looking at you, it is as though God sculpted you
From the pearls and golds of His great paradise.
It seems He gathered in His palm,
All the splendors of this world,
Every fine feature of his winged angels,
And shaped them piece by piece –
Each gentle curve, each sinewy muscle.
He fashioned the furrows of your brow
With more tenderness than a mother’s touch;
And delicately carved the structure of your face
With a golden chisel.
As I reach out to touch you
To assure myself you are real, and
Not the fabrication of a dream,
I am amazed at the softness of your skin.
It is as though you were kissed
With the curls of a spring breeze
That tells of new life upon the land.
I want to trace your body with my hands,
Feeling every hollow and groove
As I try to absorb the beauty of it into my soul.
I would like to touch you forever.
Seeing you, I know it is with infinite wisdom
That you were made yet human
So that I may behold you in wonderment and be filled,
That I may know my place in this world has purpose
As I struggle to form you with words
As graciously as He did with His almighty hand.
Your beauty inspires me and I am reassured
That the fruit of His labor, mankind,
Is not in vain after all.
Posted with permission from her new book Geometry of the Heart, available for purchase and published by Portals Press.
Additional links:
A little blurb
OK – I had a fairly decent post written and lost it. So quickly:
Still no internet/cable connection — aargh!! It’s putting a serious cramp in my blog-reading and commenting. Opening emails is exceeeeeedingly slow. The city wifi is sometimes worse than dial-up! But at least we have it – yay!
Will try to post Valentine Pierce’s second poem later……afraid to move right now since I’m getting a signal!
Reported for jury duty today…..my 3rd time in the jury pool. The make-up of the pool is quiet different from my previous 3 experiences. Particularly, there are way more professional people in the pool than I experienced previously…..lots of lawyers and professors. A local celebrity – who shall remain nameless – is in the pool and we had a nice chat. I’m thinking the change in the make up of the pool is due to so many New Orleanians still being in exile in other states. ‘Tis quite interesting and nice to see a good mix of people doing their civic duty!
Storms past & present
The daily thunderstorm has stopped and I’m able to access the city’s free wifi so, hopefully *fingers crossed*, I can get a post out. I’m still without my high-speed cable internet access and the wifi is sensitive (can you say bee-yotch!). My life has been a thunderstorm itself lately….I barley mentioned a few things in my last posts. Well more and more and more has come — throw it at me, LIFE!! More opportunities to practice meditating!
So I have promised to post poems from Valentine Pierce’s new book Geometry of the Heart published and available for purchase by Portals Press.
The poems in this book encompass a variety of subjects and feelings.
She talks about having the blues in How The Blues Hits and in Blue, Blue, Blues, two that spoke to me personally.
She talks about community in Community Effort, about the victims of violence in our city and Public Affairs, an angry indictment of society’s blind eye to violence in the black community. It will make you angry too.
I love Handmaiden, a poem that really grabs and shakes me. I’m not sure I’m interpreting it in the way she means but it is so very powerful, to me.
She writes about love and sensuality such as in You Never Know and Presence of Mind, two of the most sensual poems I’ve ever read.
And the reason I bought the book in the first place, she writes about Hurricane Katrina and The Federal Flood – about the days of not knowing, the days of despair and the long, long days of exile. This is the reason I bought the book but in the reading I’ve come to realize all of her poems are strong, intuitive, heart-felt and balance the book very well.
I had a dilemma in deciding which of her Katrina poems I wanted to post. I emailed her and discussed my favorites: Gone Too Long II, Body Bags, End of Forever and On the Fourth Day. We agreed on the last which is the one I’m posting today.
The reason I was drawn to this poem was the subject, her mother, and her decision not to evacuate. Valentine told me she hopes this poem will explain to people why so many of our elderly didn’t evacuate for Katrina. Sadly, 64% of storm/levee breach related deaths were 61 and older.
On The Fourth Day
By Valentine Pierce
……and on the fourth day the sun rose
and my son called
and my mother was alive
my mother is a hardheaded woman, doesn’t listen.
they tell me I am hardheaded too and my daughter, my son;
we joke — where did we get it from?
that old woman pissed me off
told her to leave;
my son called her after midnight,
grandma, he said, you need to leave
but she is a stubborn old woman –
lived through camille, through betsy,
through all the ones that came in the days when
the wetlands protected us,
before the swamps were swallowed up by progress.
that old woman scared her grandchildren —
my daughter most of all,
who said she didn’t want to know until we knew;
and when we knew my daughter said it was good
because she was starting to get upset about it,
starting to have problems with it.
finally, we knew and we were happy,
lord, so exceedingly happy, and angry
with her in Arkansas and us everywhere but home.
she said she was okay, being taken care of,
didn’t want for anything
and I thought, how funny:
for the first time in her life
my mother doesn’t want for anything.
I guess, at that moment, hearing her voice,
I didn’t want for anything either.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next post (whenever that may be!) will be Perfect Friend
.
Men with Toolbelts and 20-Somethings
This is a quick and dirty version of my world lately.
Today at work I switched my radio from the usual rock station to………yes, NPR.
In Charlotte’s World NPR = Red Alert! It means do not talk to, touch nor in any way disturb this woman. It means Charlotte is experiencing too much aural stimulation…..she needs quiet…..she is almost to the end of her rope. Shut up already!
July 4th a pipe burst on the floor above us and flooded most of our office. Since then, men with toolbelts have been ripping out carpet, scraping, drilling stuff, hammering and doing all the noisy things men with toolbelts do. The moldy, damp smell is bad but not as bad as I anticipate the new carpet smell to be. Yeah, looking forward to a 3-day chemical carpet smell headache.
One of my co-workers is pregnant. Big pregnant. Grumpy pregnant. Touchy pregnant. She’s at the point that she cannot sleep, cannot get comfortable, this hurts and that hurts. Today she says – “is it selfish of me to want her out! I want her out!”
So do I.
Another co-worker has boyfriend problems. Each day is a surprise – are they together or did they split up? Play by play accounts of the fight last night or the latest……well, you know……the opposite of fight. In a manner of speaking.
I’m so glad I don’t have those 20-something problems anymore!
NPR was turned on when these two along with another newly-wed 20-something (some stories there!) all begin to chat. In unison, over each other, at the same time. Along with the hammering, banging, drilling and all the other noises men with toolbelts make.
I like these girls, I really do – we all get along great. I like the men with toolbelts just fine.
BUT SHUT UP ALREADY!
Time for Kriss Angel – gotta go!
Next post will be one you won’t want to miss. Valentine Pierce, a poet and New Orleanian, has graciously granted me permission to post two poems from her new book, Geometry of the Heart.
Trust me, you will love them.
