Ready or Not in Everyday Ramblings

This is from January 27th a number of years ago when I was out wandering about this city that I live in. I haven’t been taking that many pictures this year. It is a combination of the gloomy cold foreboding weather and not walking as often with Mrs. Sherlock. Also, this is the slowest I have ever seen the spring bulbs begin to come up. We are usually full on first crocus here at this time of year. So far just shoots in all the reliable places.

I am trying to be patient.

And stay warm. We are heading into a deep freeze this weekend and may or may not have snow.

Yesterday I got all my stitches out. Yay. There were many. My doctor says everything looks good. I have to be careful eating for a few more weeks and he wants me to continue to use the hateful antiseptic wash until then as well. Then I wait four months and he puts on a healing cap and does some gum grafting.

But for now, I am free.

Before I went to the dentist I went over and met with the old guys again. Walt had worked hard at recruiting another woman and we had two, in a shift change, both who I know slightly from our book group.

There were more guys this time. Including this incredibly charming guy, who is a storyteller. Very well known in the community. I have never seen him perform, except maybe years ago at church but he also travels in the orbit of the local well-known poets. Those with a reach outside the area. I can see why he is so popular.

We were sitting in a public side room and the acoustics are bad and last week there were two restauranteur guys who were talking loudly almost the whole time right next to us. The geezers, many, like me have diminished hearing.

The storyteller and the paddle board guitarist guy were joking about how we could keep people out of the room this time and it was proposed that if they started taking off their clothes it would be so horrifying that anyone would leave straight away.

That got me talking about a poem called Bonfire Opera by Danusha Laméris, which I heard on Poetry Unbound from December 22nd. It is about an opera singer who when it gets late and there has been drinking takes her clothes off and sings. It is a beautiful poem and funny and spiritual in its own way.

I read it to my class on Monday and we had a lively lively discussion about it.

Walt looked it up online and shoved his laptop over to me and had me read it to the group. Eek. I again, was the only one wearing a mask. They were cool with that, more power to them. Walt also sent a email copy to all 36 people in the group.

Then the storyteller, who is putting together a show for Valentine’s Day asked us each to share one specific thing we love. They were… A song by Guy Clark, A Rembrandt portrait in the National Gallery. Mt Hood, the map of Texas, a wildflower meadow, a painting of dogs in San Francisco, Pt. Reyes National Seashore. And a 4-month-old grandson, a late wife, six years gone, another painting, Mary Madelyn with a skull and candlelight, and the premier Butoh dance group in Japan.

Listing them here doesn’t do the stories folks shared justice but it was a delightful exercise and at moments quite touching.

I wrote a poem this last week. I read it to my class yesterday in the context of reading them a couple of poems generated by artificial intelligence, one with the same ostensible subject matter. We had a great discussion about AI and where we are all headed. One of my students told me this morning that she was quite touched by the poem I wrote. We are both going to a local poetry reading in a couple of weeks in my neighborhood and it has an Open Mic feature so I will read it then.

Other than in class or to my book group on zoom, it has been many years since I read a poem in public. I feel like things are coming to life here after the worst of the pandemic. Ready or not.

Mrs. Sherlock was saying this morning that this group loves me because I am “new blood”. I kind of feel that way in the way the League is absorbing me as well.

We get to meet the new City Auditor today in our Action Group. The League is going to be heavily involved in the implementation of the new City Charter we voted to approve in November. And we have a new Governor, and she is serious about the unhoused and living marginally population. I hope with all my heart we can finally do something to make these people’s lives better instead of shunning them, which most of us do now.

Last updated January 27, 2023