Some Days

I just want to get on my bike and ride, ride, ride...

In the Genes?

The baby in this photograph is my biological mother. Black cats appear to be in the genes. I hope her kitty was kinder than mine, less prone to biting.

Lo Siento

Lo Siento

My father share-cropped a dry land west Texas farm
scratched out a living for a family of four
Hired braceros to hoe weeds in the summer
pull cotton in the fall
Housed twenty men in a two-room shack
with no running water, a two-burner propane grill
and army surplus blankets for beds
Convinced himself they didn’t really mind
Lo siento

He never learned their language
except si and no and andale! andale!
Shook his finger in their faces
if they rested too long
or weighed-in with too many green bolls
Lo siento

On paydays he parceled out dollar bills
and silver coins as if they were gifts
instead of hard-earned cash
for ten-hour days—no overtime
Saturday afternoons he drove the men
in the back of a pickup truck to the nearest town
where they bought food and clothes and money orders
with their sixty cents an hour
Lo siento

My father was not a bad man, only
fearful for his own survival, trying to please
the man who owned those red clay fields
He never thought about the families
who waited for their husbands, brothers, sons
Lo siento Lo siento
Por favor perdonenlo para que yo tambien lo pueda perdonar
Please forgive my father that I may forgive him too

Too Cute

OK, so this is cheating. Cindy sent it in an email. But I love it so much I just had to post it so I can look at it when I need a smile.

Famous Americans from Massachusetts

So, looking for a really cool portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson (it's his birthday), I came across this adorable collection of artworks from Mrs. Natagiacomo's 3rd Grade in Newburyport, MA. It's definitely worth a browse.

www.newburyport.k12.ma.us/~ccase/famous/index.htm

In Memoriam

August 23, 1918-February 11, 2004
I lived with my father less than ten years but few days pass that I don't think of him one way or another: the way I save everything, convinced that I'll use it someday, the many ways my son favors him, the pleasure he took from playing with the cat.

He served 12 years in the Army-Air Force, taking an early discharge rather than ship off to England without my stepmother and stepsister. So, he never collected a pension. But he did remain proud of his service to his country. And I am forever proud of him.

Just Put Your Lips Together

Tying the knot 64 years ago, they tied themselves to the heartstrings of America forever.

East Timor Independence Day

On May 20, 2002, following 25 years of violent domination by the Indonesian military which was aided and abetted by the US under Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger, East Timor became an independent nation.

I first heard about East Timor from Watsonville activists, Pam Sexton and Curt Gabrielson. The work there is not over. For current status and more information, check out ETAN.org.

Malcolm X 1925-1965

"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it." Malcolm X

Reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X opened my eyes to a deeper political reality. I always wonder what influence he could/would have had on the larger fabric of our society, had he survived the assassin's bullet.

Artwork by Joseph Rosnato

VOTE!

OK, so it's a confusing, sometimes redundant, What the heck is this? ballot, but do vote. If nothing else, vote for a pay freeze for politicians in times of budget deficit.

Happy Birthday

217 years ago today, a bunch of suits met for coffee and organized the New York Stock Exchange. Legend has it that the first transactions were made under a tree on Wall Street. Given the current debacle, maybe they'll try that again.

Thanks to Leroy Neiman for the only interesting representation of this famous (infamous?) institution.

Another Beautiful Day in Paradise

Sometimes it's enough just to be alive. 

Hunka Hunka Love

I love elephants and populate my small space with a herd of them: elaborate wood carvings, cheesy plastic, gorgeous brass twins, a tiny herd of carved marble, a green plush one given to my granddaughter when she was an infant. Outside, waiting to take her place in my future front yard, a metal live-sized baby elephant.

It's a Mystery

I bought this undated, untitled, unsigned collage from an LA street artist back in the 70's. It's done on masonry board and there's an author bio for Ozz Franca glued to the back with a studio address. Franca, a Brazilian artist who died in 1991, is best known for his Native American paintings which currently sell for $4000 and up.

I've always loved this piece, though you couldn't tell from looking at it. It's beat up around the edges and has a big dent in it (they just don't make masonry board the way they used too :) Does make me curious...

Waiting

drifting between malaise and euphoria
waiting, impatiently waiting
for completion, sanctuary
masking anxiety with mindless activity

Happy Birthday May

One of my great honors as a publisher was the opportunity to help bring From May Sarton's Well into being. Edited by Edith Royce Schade, the book combined Edith's photographs with her personal selections from May's poetry and essays.

It did quite well and remains in print today. One of my treasures from that time is a handwritten postcard from May, assuring me that she too was pleased with the volume.