tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963853027853331952024-03-15T21:11:21.635-04:00Hedgehog LoverA hedgehog lover muses.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364752277483354507noreply@blogger.comBlogger1096125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-47078239438716477032023-08-08T00:00:00.019-04:002023-08-08T00:00:00.144-04:00Influencer<p></p><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3ZnyUihRtLjvC5ulNSz975WxpNuLAN3R1xvjqtRhq7Ez7zuojSjsZ1-rm77fkvdUNJDKwj1B49DJcUM7Q02XT1-wiaK_0Q7bKpcJKYlJzNNTialxtHQOz2PUjT6NeUc8h8VgOYvWJLx8fj9565PUDhioASnu8FvUIYXHQOgp3406Ae_cDT0TPj3lVKR5/s4182/lavi-perchik-5gHdYqpALTY-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Photo by Lavi Perchik of child looking through a camera lens" border="0" data-original-height="2788" data-original-width="4182" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3ZnyUihRtLjvC5ulNSz975WxpNuLAN3R1xvjqtRhq7Ez7zuojSjsZ1-rm77fkvdUNJDKwj1B49DJcUM7Q02XT1-wiaK_0Q7bKpcJKYlJzNNTialxtHQOz2PUjT6NeUc8h8VgOYvWJLx8fj9565PUDhioASnu8FvUIYXHQOgp3406Ae_cDT0TPj3lVKR5/w320-h213/lavi-perchik-5gHdYqpALTY-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Have you listened to yourself lately?<p></p><p>Other people have, and you have made a difference in their lives.</p><p>Years ago, I helped my young friend get ready for bed. When he brushed his teeth, I suggested he also brush his tongue with his toothbrush. (Gently!)</p><p>He thought it was a crazy idea. I assured him I wasn't teasing him: my dentist had approved the practice for me. My friend tried it and shrugged. I tucked him into bed and read him some books, then tucked away that memory.</p><p>Two months later, my young friend's mom said, "The dentist asked my son to show him how he brushes his teeth. He brushed his tongue, and told the dentist that Miss Chris taught him to do that."</p><p>My heart sang: my friend took to heart a suggestion I made one random night.</p><p>You, too, have peppered random comments and suggestions in conversations throughout your life to people you may not realize were paying attention. Listen, watch, and realize how important you are in the lives of others.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-5558138265247804532023-07-20T00:00:00.010-04:002023-07-20T00:00:00.154-04:00Hello, Friends<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rouwwUdRPsBhJeos6I6lJxTrQpDwGeG75MyTvX6MYsOwWL6WLUvFH-7CSIueOOAU5x6wcZuJF18_nm_gSCz4M0NWZ2q24vXztyxLXHMek1YZTHmiU9Dc0TnzVEYS6F_EE0LSC5n2AwCQ0HGh5mSEXqrLpGmcnazk1CSfYiNBz1p9FMFtdskAX-0mrEuV/s1000/hello.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rouwwUdRPsBhJeos6I6lJxTrQpDwGeG75MyTvX6MYsOwWL6WLUvFH-7CSIueOOAU5x6wcZuJF18_nm_gSCz4M0NWZ2q24vXztyxLXHMek1YZTHmiU9Dc0TnzVEYS6F_EE0LSC5n2AwCQ0HGh5mSEXqrLpGmcnazk1CSfYiNBz1p9FMFtdskAX-0mrEuV/w320-h192/hello.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Hello, friends. It's been a while.<p></p><p>I wasn't around because the Internet is not always a friendly place. </p><p>I wasn't around because the world felt like a Dumpster fire in an active volcano in an A-bomb explosion.</p><p>I wasn't around because of that colorful, deadly virus that stopped the world. There was plenty to do to attempt to keep my little corner of the world safe. I stumbled, righted myself, and kept on going like I knew what I was doing. It was exhausting — but like you, I managed.</p><p>I have been slow to return to "normal." I spent three years trying to help keep myself, my family, and my community alive, and caution is a hard habit to break. </p><p>I still follow some smart practices around public places. I'll continue to do my best to be a good fellow human. I may stumble, but I'll right myself and keep on going like I know what I'm doing. </p><p>So will you. I know you will, and you have. I am so proud of you. Keep up the good work.</p><p>If you need me, <a href="mailto:chattingwithchris@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>let me know.</i></a> You're not alone.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-26458314609010547722020-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:002020-02-19T00:00:12.959-05:00Poetry Wednesday: Sink Your Fingers into the Darkness of My Fur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aEHeJ_Dpwlc/T6iGD-OkUmI/AAAAAAAAAYI/zD-ju8SdxZQnN8YWroMpISyDIwuVqyF8gCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/poetrywednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1500" height="80" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aEHeJ_Dpwlc/T6iGD-OkUmI/AAAAAAAAAYI/zD-ju8SdxZQnN8YWroMpISyDIwuVqyF8gCPcBGAYYCw/s400/poetrywednesday.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Sink Your Fingers into the Darkness of My Fur</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Up until this sore minute, you could turn the key, pivot away.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But mine is the only medicine now</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">wherever you go or follow.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The past is so far away, but it flickers,</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">then cleaves the night. The bones</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of the past splinter between our teeth.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is our life, love. Why did I think</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">it would be anything less than too much</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of everything? I know you remember that cheap motel</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on the coast where we drank red wine,</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the sea flashing its gold scales as sun</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">soaked our skin. You said, This must be</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">what people mean when they say</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I could die now. Now</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we’re so much closer</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to death than we were then. Who isn’t crushed,</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">stubbed out beneath a clumsy heel?</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who hasn’t stood at the open window,</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">sleepless, for the solace of the damp air?</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had to get old to carry both buckets</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">yoked on my shoulders. Sweet</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and bitter waters I drink from.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let me know you, ox you.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want your scent in my hair.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want your jokes.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hang your kisses on all my branches, please.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>by <a href="https://www.ellenbass.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ellen Bass</a>, courtesy of <a href="http://poets.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Academy of American Poets</a></i></span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-11796229292397900542019-10-31T11:03:00.002-04:002019-10-31T11:04:25.336-04:00Halloween Poetry: Bats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lu_ZpwmJ8ig/WdGrsYsAcJI/AAAAAAAAHeQ/7clVMs6PSOAxuGsuwOzcFOvJ-oCbNWW_ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/halloween%2Bpoetry%2Bbanner%2B17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="1600" height="118" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lu_ZpwmJ8ig/WdGrsYsAcJI/AAAAAAAAHeQ/7clVMs6PSOAxuGsuwOzcFOvJ-oCbNWW_ACPcBGAYYCw/s640/halloween%2Bpoetry%2Bbanner%2B17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Celebrate Halloween properly with this amazing poem, courtesy of <a href="https://poets.org/poem/bats" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">poets.org</a>.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Bats</b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">unveil themselves in dark.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">They hang, each a jagged,</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">silken sleeve, from moonlit rafters bright</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">as polished knives. They swim</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">the muddled air and keen</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">like supersonic babies, the sound</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">we imagine empty wombs might make</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">in women who can’t fill them up.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">A clasp, a scratch, a sigh.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">They drink fruit dry.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">And wheel, against feverish light flung hard</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">upon their faces,</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">in circles that nauseate.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Imagine one at breast or neck,</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Patterning a name in driblets of iodine</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">that spatter your skin stars.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">They flutter, shake like mystics.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">They materialize. Revelatory</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">as a stranger’s underthings found tossed</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">upon the marital bed, you tremble</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">even at the thought. Asleep,</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">you tear your fingers</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">and search the sheets all night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><i>by Paisley Rekdal, from The Invention of the Kaleidoscope, 2007</i></span></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-75168099074693300072019-09-09T00:00:00.000-04:002019-09-09T00:00:03.031-04:00Rita Dove Wins Wallace Stevens Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--zbgSbkTUYY/XQuPvI-etiI/AAAAAAAB_KQ/4jL2dkE_bZIETOnFCPHzgkfkbIEcFDDiwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Poetry-Word-Cloud.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="903" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--zbgSbkTUYY/XQuPvI-etiI/AAAAAAAB_KQ/4jL2dkE_bZIETOnFCPHzgkfkbIEcFDDiwCPcBGAYYCw/s400/Poetry-Word-Cloud.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Congratulations to Rita Dove, who received the annual <a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets-announces-recipients-2019-american-poets-prizes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wallace Stevens Award</a> last week from the Academy of American Poets</i></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In celebration, let's enjoy her poem praising something I hold near and dear to my heart. (With special thanks to Ron Charles at the Washington Post). </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Chocolate</b> </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Velvet fruit, exquisite square<br />
I hold up to sniff<br />
between finger and thumb—</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">how you numb me<br />
with your rich attentions!<br />
If I don’t eat you quickly, </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">you’ll melt in my palm.<br />
Pleasure seeker, if I let you<br />
you’d liquefy everywhere. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Knotted smoke, dark punch<br />
of earth and night and leaf,<br />
for a taste of you </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">any woman would gladly<br />
crumble to ruin.<br />
Enough chatter: I am ready </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">to fall in love!</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">by Rita Dove</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">From <i>American Smooth</i>, 2004 (W.W. Norton)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-67228267426544148932019-08-03T14:52:00.003-04:002019-08-11T18:28:58.186-04:00Gone Reading: See You in September!<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">August is the time to bury yourself in books.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you need recommendations, <a href="mailto:chattingwithchris@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">feel free to contact me</a> or ask your friendly neighborhood librarian for ideas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you really miss me, visit me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cfowcohen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/cfowcohen" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>: </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">@cfowcohen</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">See you soon!</span></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-22296883431679530172019-07-31T00:00:00.000-04:002019-07-31T00:00:07.924-04:00Reading Challenges: Going the Distance With Book Recommendations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is no shortage of reading "challenges" that encourage readers to expand their horizons with deliciously </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">random criteria that forcibly inject variety into their book choices. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While some readers may take this lawlessness as a command to find new books for their shelves, I instead see this as an opportunity to more deeply peruse my TBR shelves, Kindle, and Audible selections. (If I told you I had a thousand books on my Kindle Fire, I'd be lying. I have 1,554.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Take the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1602" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goodreads Challenge for Beginners</a>, a reader favorite, where the challenge includes:</span><br />
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<ol><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iX4BG8uN11I/XOn23XNcpLI/AAAAAAAB_GA/OacohpMTgv4PAQvNTeGFEcsrJaDjWPWtwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/crawdads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iX4BG8uN11I/XOn23XNcpLI/AAAAAAAB_GA/OacohpMTgv4PAQvNTeGFEcsrJaDjWPWtwCPcBGAYYCw/s200/crawdads.jpg" width="132" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goodreads community-voted favorite</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1582" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goodreads community popular read</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a book that has been on your Goodreads Want to Read list for a year or more</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a book being adapted for film or TV this year</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do I have any books on my to-read list that would fit those criteria? Why, yes I do:</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Children of Blood and Bone</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Where the Crawdads Sing </i>or<i> Daisy Jones and the Six</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Behind the Scenes at the Museum</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Where'd You Go, Bernadette?</i></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two of the books above fit selections in the <a href="https://modernmrsdarcy.com/reading-challenge-2019/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Mrs. Darcy 2019 Reading Challenge</a>: </span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book I've been meaning to read: </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Where the Crawdads Sing</i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book from a favorite author's backlist: </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Behind the Scenes at the Museum</i></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then there's the <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Reading-Challenge-2019-45450968" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">POPSUGAR Reading Challenge</a>, which has dozens of options, including books with the words "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title. Three books I have chosen above can meet a few POPSUGAR criteria:</span><br />
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<ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ly8-tzk0MmQ/XSahM0gFlpI/AAAAAAAB_NQ/ACRojYTYHkc3G4uNM4UqciRcsV_Oj1hygCLcBGAs/s1600/gingerbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ly8-tzk0MmQ/XSahM0gFlpI/AAAAAAAB_NQ/ACRojYTYHkc3G4uNM4UqciRcsV_Oj1hygCLcBGAs/s200/gingerbread.jpg" width="132" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Celebrity recommendation? <i>Where the Crawdads Sing</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Debut novel? <i>Behind the Scenes at the Museum</i> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book with a question mark in its title? <i>Where'd You Go, Bernadette?</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book told from multiple POVs? <i>Daisy Jones and the Six</i></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay, that's kind of cheating, so I'll branch out wider on <a href="https://hedgehoglover.blogspot.com/2019/05/2019-summer-reading-begins-join-club.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my</a></span><a href="https://hedgehoglover.blogspot.com/2019/05/2019-summer-reading-begins-join-club.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>summer reading list</a> with POPSUGAR suggestions<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book I meant to read in 2018: <i>The Bear and the Nightingale</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book published in 2019: <i>Gingerbread</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book about someone with a super power: <i>The Power</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A book with a two-word title: <i>Wolf Hall</i></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Challenges can be fun, as long as the end result is an ample, fun, and rich reading list. While it's fun to flex your reading muscle and try something new, never lose sight of the real reason for a challenge: to make reading more fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the summer progresses, I'll try a challenge or two, but it looks like I can always come back my own shelves for my selection. As Dorothy said, there's no place like home.</span><br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-48501264462588071352019-07-13T00:00:00.000-04:002019-07-13T00:00:03.797-04:00Summer Reading: The TBR of Intrepid Reader Karen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xy572CUQebI/XSfr-vMVyYI/AAAAAAAB_Nk/K1q_9DCLSpgqu9qsKJPpVki5w4j4gE0SgCLcBGAs/s1600/summer-reading-1.2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="650" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xy572CUQebI/XSfr-vMVyYI/AAAAAAAB_Nk/K1q_9DCLSpgqu9qsKJPpVki5w4j4gE0SgCLcBGAs/s320/summer-reading-1.2.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Intrepid Reader Karen has published her summer reading list, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say, "I approve!" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As we all can agree, TBR List Approval doesn't matter. We The Readers read what we want, and we support reading freedom for others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, we are inordinately pleased when we see books we recognize — either read or to read — on someone else's summer reading list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, without further ado, I present Intrepid Reader Karen's 2019 Summer Reading List:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Psychology of Time Travel </i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Girl With a Pearl Earring</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Relative Fortunes</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Lost City of Z</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Women of the Bible </i>(selected readings)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Ruby Red</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Sapphire Blue</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Emerald Green</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Dream a Little Dream </i>trilogy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Finding Fraser</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Ghost Studies</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Pirate</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Iliad</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Stealing Time</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Released by the Highlander</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Holy Bible </i>(selected readings)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You will notice <i>The Ghost Studies</i> is on her reading list. We hope you will join us for this group read! <a href="https://hedgehoglover.blogspot.com/2019/06/ramp-up-your-summer-reading-with-ghost.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Personally, I am excited about a couple of books on this list,that have been in my sights for a while. Now that Karen is reading them, perhaps I'll pull them down from the shelf and read them, too. I love getting ideas on what to read from my fellow readers. I hope I can do the same for you in return.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do you have any of Karen's books on your TBR list? Let us know in the comments below, or <a href="mailto:chattingwithchris@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">drop me a line</a>, and maybe we can read them together!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy reading!</span></div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-55601974146809197672019-07-11T00:00:00.000-04:002019-07-26T11:15:06.822-04:00Creatures in Books: The Stories, the Memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2gDvZwilCA/XPnFjwQfnZI/AAAAAAAB_IM/ARAOiRbzjtwo4ZPnk5wvUS1CJ89_DaZswCLcBGAs/s1600/Summer_Reading_Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2gDvZwilCA/XPnFjwQfnZI/AAAAAAAB_IM/ARAOiRbzjtwo4ZPnk5wvUS1CJ89_DaZswCLcBGAs/s200/Summer_Reading_Logo.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
When it comes to animals — in books, in movies, even in pop songs — I approach with caution. I worry that the poor beasts will be mishandled, will befall some terrible fate, or be sacrificed as a plot complication. Who among us can say with complete confidence that they have recovered from Old Yeller? Or Shannon? (Looks around.) I thought so.<br />
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On Memorial Day weekend, I began an Audible book as I walked to the library to return a few print books. I loved the sound of Sy Montgomery's voice in my ears as she read <i><b>How to Be a Good Creature</b>. (</i>Full disclosure: I took a few days off when Tess started showing signs of old age. I can say it was because I didn't want to blubber like a fool on the elliptical — but the truth is, I wasn't brave enough.)</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5szxxKHvTGE/XPnS7cb7NiI/AAAAAAAB_Ig/o3Dnlyn9nn87V_5_ImDGhJSY5F_gQ7C4gCLcBGAs/s1600/how%2Bto%2Bbe%2Ba%2Bgood%2Bcreature.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="760" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5szxxKHvTGE/XPnS7cb7NiI/AAAAAAAB_Ig/o3Dnlyn9nn87V_5_ImDGhJSY5F_gQ7C4gCLcBGAs/s320/how%2Bto%2Bbe%2Ba%2Bgood%2Bcreature.jpeg" width="212" /></a>I thought of Cisco and Khan, my cats who died within days of each other in October 2011. The brothers had entirely different types of cancer, but each fell ill suddenly, and died within days of their diagnosis. I was so grief-stricken, I shocked my stepdaughter Valerie when she asked about my birthday plans a couple of months later. The sadness in my voice was palpable: "Nothing. I don't really want to do anything, hon." My house was quiet, my heart was broken, and I couldn't think beyond the next day.<br />
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The next week, when we drove down to North Carolina for a major Christmas shopping event, Valerie handed me a small orange and white kitten. I just looked at the kitten and thought, "Can I do this again?" That night, as the newly named Ginger curled up in bed between my husband David and me, I lay awake looking at her: was I brave enough to love her? Now, I can't imagine my life without her, or her little sister Elsie who makes Ginger emit a particular sound when she catches sight of her. I knew Sy would get there, too, and I was with her until she did.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8pQpB-KnjCQ/XPnboLB_fiI/AAAAAAAB_I0/dOOZYTYov7gVdis9mrpgcPCc_l0F9LcsACEwYBhgL/s1600/dogs%2Bof%2Bwar.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="418" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8pQpB-KnjCQ/XPnboLB_fiI/AAAAAAAB_I0/dOOZYTYov7gVdis9mrpgcPCc_l0F9LcsACEwYBhgL/s320/dogs%2Bof%2Bwar.png" width="211" /></a>Just the title <i><b>Dogs of War</b> </i>caused me a bit of concern. I wanted to know more about these brave canines, but I worried about their well-being. Three dogs represented canine troops in three wars: Boots, a collie in the trenches of World War I; Loki, a husky in Greenland during World War II; and Sheba, a German Shepherd in the jungles of Vietnam. No dogs were harmed in the writing of the book, nor were they hurt in their stories. The author's note, however, explains that dogs were considered "equipment" and left behind after the Vietnam War, which breaks my heart (and contributes to Lanford's state of mind when we meet him). </div>
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My childhood companion — and my only dog — was a cockapoo named Frisky. My family drifted to German Shepherds when I was in high school, but Frisky was always "mine." She was a tough little dog who loved me fiercely and protected me fearlessly, loved adventure, and put up with my teen shenanigans. She was my cross-country running partner, my hiking and walking partner, and my park buddy. When we were on vacation in my 10th summer — a rare vacation without Frisky — my family received news that our house had been burgled. My only concern was for my dog. Thankfully, Frisky was asleep at the neighbor's house, safe and sound.<br />
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When I was a teen, Frisky would sit at the bottom of the stairs that led to my bedroom to tell me when my date was over. My dates would laugh, but her word was law. (The ones I liked who came back were worthy of my time.) As her muzzle grayed and her steps slowed, I would carry her up the stairs and settle her on the bed. She grew blind, deaf, and arthritic, but remained loyal and loving: when she recognized the vibration of my footsteps, she would come out from under the side table in the den and greet me every day of her 15 years. One day, even that was too painful. She died in my arms at the vet's office. She shaped my understanding of animals, and I am grateful to this day for her love and patience. How anyone could think an animal, a dog, was equipment is beyond comprehension, and I grieve with every soldier whose animal companion remains in the field of battle without them.<br />
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I love animals, and well-placed animal characters are a great addition to any story. I prefer they be well-treated, but as long as the story ends up well, I can forgive perilous storylines (as with <i>A Man Called Ove</i>). Non-fiction is perilous, but I will do my best. My reading companions alert me about how they think I'll respond to an animal storyline, and often encourage me to read books I might otherwise eschew (like <i>Water for Elephants</i>). I will try to extend the same kindness and awareness to my fellow readers — and I hope you will, too.</div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-37200282989582332192019-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:002019-07-04T00:00:01.659-04:00Declaration of Independence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QBpJvvhM1h8/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QBpJvvhM1h8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have you ever read the U.S. Declaration of Independence? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let these memorable performers bring the document to life and help you understand the history behind the words that mean so much to so many people in this nation.</span></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-33992792667310592752019-06-27T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-27T00:00:10.439-04:00Ramp Up Your Summer Reading With The Ghost Studies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do you want to ramp up your summer reading? Join your fellow book-clubbers in reading a fascinating book selected by Intrepid Reader Karen.<br />
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Karen has discovered a <i>phantastic</i> book titled <i>The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives on the Origin of Paranormal Experiences</i> by Brandon Massullo.<br />
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<i>The Ghost Studies, </i>according to Google, provides scientific explanations for paranormal occurrences, including:<br />
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<ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LiT1PlrOTqo/XPXbR4ui2pI/AAAAAAAB_IA/3okP4TvsQg8JhyxMNOVuBex9yKHN9-hugCLcBGAs/s1600/ghost%2Bstory%2Bbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LiT1PlrOTqo/XPXbR4ui2pI/AAAAAAAB_IA/3okP4TvsQg8JhyxMNOVuBex9yKHN9-hugCLcBGAs/s320/ghost%2Bstory%2Bbook.jpg" width="212" /></a>
<li>New and exciting scientific theories that explain apparitions, hauntings, and communications from the dead</li>
<li>The latest research on the role of energy and electricity in hauntings</li>
<li>The role that emotions, bioenergetics, and the environment play in supernatural phenomena</li>
<li>New research into why some individuals are more prone to ghostly encounters</li>
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I am as skeptical as the next person, but I have had some inexplicable experiences that make me wonder what else there is in heaven and earth, and I'm willing to find out what Mr. Massullo has to say on the subject.<br />
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Readers, let's begin discussing the tome on September 2.<br />
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Oh, and start planning for our Autumn Read: <i>The Iliad</i>, a new translation by Caroline Alexander.<br />
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What books would you like to read together? Offer some suggestions in the comments below, or <a href="mailto:chattingwithchris@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">email me</a> and I'll share your ideas with the rest of the group!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-15070375183669047952019-06-20T09:57:00.002-04:002019-06-22T11:07:09.393-04:00U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo: Eagle Poem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In honor of the new U.S. Poet Laureate, <a href="https://guides.loc.gov/joy-harjo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joy Harjo</a>. </i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Eagle Poem </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To pray you open your whole self</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To one whole voice that is you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And know there is more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That you can’t see, can’t hear;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can’t know except in moments</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Steadily growing, and in languages</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That aren’t always sound but other</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Circles of motion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like eagle that Sunday morning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In wind, swept our hearts clean</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With sacred wings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We see you, see ourselves and know</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That we must take the utmost care</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And kindness in all things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Breathe in, knowing we are made of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All this, and breathe, knowing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We are truly blessed because we</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Were born, and die soon within a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">True circle of motion,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like eagle rounding out the morning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inside us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We pray that it will be done</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In beauty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In beauty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Joy Harjo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From <i><a href="http://joyharjo.com/book/in-mad-love-and-war/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In Mad Love and War</a></i></span><br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-88618026903260273232019-06-02T00:00:00.000-04:002019-06-22T11:28:02.015-04:00Time Travel: When You've Gotta Go, and How Annie's Crew Managed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Polar Book Club book took me a little bit longer to read than I anticipated— so thank you for your patience. Let's discuss <i>The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster</i> by Scott Wilbanks!<br />
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Intrepid Reader Karen suggested the book for our Polar Book Club because it sounded amazing: a young woman in San Francisco wakes up one day to discover a 19th century Kansas wheat field in her backyard, along with a letterbox that contains a letter addressed to her — from the year 1890.<br />
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The wheat field appears soon after Annie takes delivery of an old red wooden door purchased from a local antique shop. After a little digging, she discovers the door was once owned by the magician David Abbott, who was killed only days before it was sold at auction more than a century before. Her new "neighbor" Elsbeth dated her letter only days before the magician's murder. Can the crime be prevented and a life saved?<br />
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From the beginning, I wasn't sure what to make of the characters: Annie, a recently orphaned, terminally ill woman who speaks, dresses, and acts like a 19th century woman; Christian, her contemporary who survived a terrible accident and lives with the horror every moment of every day; Elsbeth, a widowed, retired schoolteacher who doesn't suffer fools and is all-business about everything in life; and Edmond, a gardener and friend of Christian's who is the key to this mystery — or is he?<br />
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Throw in David, an other-worldly magician doing the impossible with an ordinary-looking door; the good-natured but wary street urchin Cap'n who leads a perfectly oiled team of hungry, homeless kids; and truly evil, remorseless henchmen — and you have the motley crew who make up the story.<br />
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The book's characters seemed to embrace the outlandish premise too quickly. What would a time traveler need to do to convince you of their story? Would you travel across the country at the drop of a hat upon request and receipt of a pre-dated news article? What would you do for a virtual stranger: risk your life, your health, your future — or your present?<br />
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The book started a little slow for my taste, then began throwing in one bizarre vision, connection, and coincidence after another. In the end, it amounted to one too many coincidences, misjudged pop culture references, an implausibly violent scene in a rather soft-edged story, and an improbable ending that tidied up every conceivable loose end. However, I'd still consider it a three-star read: it is good time travel, and it presents an interesting premise, and a pretty intense ride full of surprises and familiar themes.<br />
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Polar Book Clubbers — and other readers of the book — what did you think? <a href="mailto:chattingwithchris@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Send me a note</a>, or comment below!Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-6707561118250333502019-05-26T14:29:00.000-04:002019-05-30T08:44:00.051-04:002019 Summer Reading Begins — Join the Club!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o0KdokoVPSQ/XOmr6wr8VMI/AAAAAAAB_Fw/6aTnKGHbWAMJCRVhMsvHZxTnU-Ou5cx0QCLcBGAs/s1600/2019%2Bsummer%2Breading%2Bboys.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="800" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o0KdokoVPSQ/XOmr6wr8VMI/AAAAAAAB_Fw/6aTnKGHbWAMJCRVhMsvHZxTnU-Ou5cx0QCLcBGAs/s320/2019%2Bsummer%2Breading%2Bboys.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When Memorial Day comes around, my mind goes to two thoughts: gratitude for those who have given their lives to defend my rights and freedom, and summer reading.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first book of the summer will combine both: <i><a href="https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/dogs-of-war-by-sheila-keenan/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dogs of War</a></i>, a graphic novel I discovered at my library.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After that is anybody's guess. Oh, I make a list, check it twice, and read some of the titles — but most summers, I stray from the list because the next new book captivates me, and I lose track of all of the books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The best part? It's the beginning of the 2019 Summer Reading Club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Summer Reading Club lasts from the Friday before Memorial Day to the first day of autumn — so, this year, from May 24 through September 23.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To join the club, just <a href="mailto:chattingwithchris@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">send me a message</a> or comment below, then read as much as you wish. Spend long summer days lounging with a book and a cold drink. I want you to be so immersed in your books that you forget about lunch. The club member who reads the most will receive a book from me. You get a book you like, I get to give it to you: that's a win-win!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUHt9iZ5JgU/XOn3R03gtfI/AAAAAAAB_GE/iu8eoybSRyYmH2IVZHB-00jyuQd4qCSzQCLcBGAs/s1600/bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="640" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUHt9iZ5JgU/XOn3R03gtfI/AAAAAAAB_GE/iu8eoybSRyYmH2IVZHB-00jyuQd4qCSzQCLcBGAs/s200/bear.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In return, I ask that you give back. For every book read, I want you to pledge time or money: donate to the public or school library, little free library, or literacy program of your choice. Choose cash (a buck a book, or the cost of all books read, or even a copy of the books themselves) — or find out how your library or literacy program prefers its donations. Remember: volunteer hours are an excellent way to give back, whether it's to the library or another organization of your choice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, back to the matter at hand: <b><i>books</i></b>. Right now, I foresee a Summer of Sequels, which includes (in no particular order): </span><br />
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<ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvh9LTEkutU/XOn3jYz3d5I/AAAAAAAB_GM/e6rwuO9jrtQKzITU55VPg5hE5ln4zfXnACLcBGAs/s1600/storm%2Bof%2Blocusts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvh9LTEkutU/XOn3jYz3d5I/AAAAAAAB_GM/e6rwuO9jrtQKzITU55VPg5hE5ln4zfXnACLcBGAs/s200/storm%2Bof%2Blocusts.jpg" width="133" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Of Blood and Bone</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Map of Days</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Waking Gods</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Wolf Hall</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Lady Cop Makes Trouble</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Time's Convert</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Bear and the Nightingale</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>As Chimney Sweepers Turn to Dust</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Map of Time (re-read)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>After the End of the World</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Storm of Locusts</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Mary Poppins Opens the Door</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Peril in Paperback: A Bibliophile Mystery</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Probable Paws: A Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery</i></span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dVbgyJ2_qms/XOn380MNVAI/AAAAAAAB_GY/cWwt2Doa20gYhvbRNcTuneiXFvdUAlVaQCLcBGAs/s1600/mary%2Bopens%2Bthe%2Bdoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="362" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dVbgyJ2_qms/XOn380MNVAI/AAAAAAAB_GY/cWwt2Doa20gYhvbRNcTuneiXFvdUAlVaQCLcBGAs/s200/mary%2Bopens%2Bthe%2Bdoor.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="145" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Oddly enough, I am not really a fan of book series. Under most circumstances, I rarely continue beyond the third or fourth book, especially if there seems to be no end to the series or there are large gaps between the installments. I will pretend I waited until now to start the Cromwell series because Hilary Mantel has a publication date for the final book of the trilogy; thank you for playing along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here are a few other titles on my nightstand I'll add to the mix:</span><br />
<br />
<ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph-fID9Axv8/XOn4EQa7d1I/AAAAAAAB_Gc/V6XJ87PezCM1W7GPgBpC0dQR_EEPsFEfACLcBGAs/s1600/severance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1043" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph-fID9Axv8/XOn4EQa7d1I/AAAAAAAB_Gc/V6XJ87PezCM1W7GPgBpC0dQR_EEPsFEfACLcBGAs/s200/severance.jpg" width="130" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Severance</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>No Visible Bruises</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Children of Blood and Bone</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Where the Crawdads Sing</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Small Great Things</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Empire of the Ants</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Gingerbread</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I was Anastasia</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>One Day in December</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Book of the Unknown</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Lilac Girls</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>We Were Eight Years in Power</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Behind the Scenes at the Museum</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Keeper of Lost Things</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>4 3 2 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-55ZsG5EceXQ/V0xoUUUPGWI/AAAAAAAAD94/IgbpMC4xPi4WUc_pAZYDd5_XMIGMdkw6wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/just-mercy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-55ZsG5EceXQ/V0xoUUUPGWI/AAAAAAAAD94/IgbpMC4xPi4WUc_pAZYDd5_XMIGMdkw6wCPcBGAYYCw/s200/just-mercy.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Anything is Possible</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Norse Mythology</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Power</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Hamilton: The Revolution</i></span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;">The Intuitionist</i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Ready Player One</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Book of Harlan</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Lost City of Z</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Gun Seller</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Lowland</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>And the Mountains Echoed</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter </i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Sixth Extinction</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Bellman and Black</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Just Mercy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPL19jmAq60/XOn4LYb_FfI/AAAAAAAB_Go/JMEkauVZfA8VRwMnyh7--fQyQVVfYeLhQCEwYBhgL/s1600/no%2Bvisible%2Bbruises.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="420" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPL19jmAq60/XOn4LYb_FfI/AAAAAAAB_Go/JMEkauVZfA8VRwMnyh7--fQyQVVfYeLhQCEwYBhgL/s200/no%2Bvisible%2Bbruises.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
</i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Warning: my "finished" list will most likely look very different than the list above. That's fine. Your list probably will, too. If you share your STBR (Summer To Be Read) list with me, I am glad to share it with your fellow clubbers — or you may post it in the comments below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AaW8RYWR1k/V0xeaGzeH2I/AAAAAAAAD9o/_XZvBc857XQUfTojY8lAhbsrbBC9jMxjwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hamilton_book_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="437" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AaW8RYWR1k/V0xeaGzeH2I/AAAAAAAAD9o/_XZvBc857XQUfTojY8lAhbsrbBC9jMxjwCPcBGAYYCw/s200/hamilton_book_cover.jpg" width="167" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We are all friends here. We do not judge each other's reading choices or media. Enjoy your E.L. James or your <i>Encyclopedia Brown</i>. Listen, or look at a page or pixel. Your fellow readers may ask questions, maybe offer suggestions for other similar reads or good book resources, and we always appreciate reviews or feedback. Reader to reader, we can have fun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Best of all, no pressure! No matter how many books you read (or don't), you are still a reader and we're glad you're in the club.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, who's in? <a href="mailto:chattingwithchris@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Let me know</a>!</span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-45110138358306405462019-04-30T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-30T00:00:06.629-04:00Perdu • National Poetry Month<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Perdu </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-548e73e8-7fff-92b1-a193-4d002520752a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I no longer appear</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in photos. No one pictures me </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in the moment. Poolside, red </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">plastic cup in hand, smiling faces, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a dripping child on a grandmother’s </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">damp lap, squinting into the sun. Bride </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and groom in white, surrounded by </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">well-dressed pastel-flocked crowd </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on the dark parquet dance floor. Groaning </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">picnic table, red and white checkered </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">tablecloth, tanned patriarch flanked by </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">children and grandchildren biting into </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">crispy black hot dogs, crunchy pickles,</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">sticky pink watermelon. Around </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the dining table, goofing in the mashed</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">potatoes, a selfie with Dad. Adorable, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">adoring stealth shots: watching tv, nothing </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">special, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy Days</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> reruns, teens in </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">identical superhero t-shirts, stuck in time. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are no gaps, no holes, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">no negative </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">space unfilled. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">redacted. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">I </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">am </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">naught.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Chris Fow Cohen</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">with permission of the author</span></i></span></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-86166936743902920002019-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-29T00:00:07.986-04:00Spoken Word Poetry: I Think She was a She • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I Think She Was a She by Leyla Josephine</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FQhkEpT-n5c/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FQhkEpT-n5c?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-58265585671753624772019-04-28T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-28T00:00:01.094-04:00Tattered Kaddish • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tattered Kaddish</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Taurean reaper of the wild apple field</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">messenger from earthmire gleaning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">transcripts of fog</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in the nineteenth year and the eleventh month</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">speak your tattered Kaddish for all suicides:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Praise to life though it crumbled in like a tunnel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on ones we knew and loved</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Praise to life though its windows blew shut</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on the breathing-room of ones we knew and loved</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Praise to life though ones we knew and loved</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">loved it badly, too well, and not enough</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Praise to life though it tightened like a knot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on the hearts of ones we thought we knew loved us</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Praise to life giving room and reason</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to ones we knew and loved who felt unpraisable</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Praise to them, how they loved it, when they could.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Adrienne Rich</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">courtesy <a href="https://exceptindreams.livejournal.com/458315.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">exceptindreams</a></span><br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-28466603030620073962019-04-27T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-27T00:00:12.143-04:00How to Leave the World that Worships Should • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">How to Leave the World that Worships <i>Should</i></span></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let faxes butter-curl on dusty shelves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let junkmail build its castles in the hush</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of other people’s halls. Let deadlines burst</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and flash like glorious fireworks somewhere else.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As hours go softly by, let others curse</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the roads where distant drivers queue like sheep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let e-mails fly like panicked, tiny birds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let phones, unanswered, ring themselves to sleep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Above, the sky unrolls its telegram,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">immense and wordless, simply understood:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you’ve made your mark like birdtracks in the sand -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">now make the air in your lungs your livelihood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See how each wave arrives at last to heave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">itself upon the beach and vanish. Breathe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Ros Barber</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">courtesy <a href="http://rosbarber.com/how-to-leave-the-world-that-worships-should/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RosBarber.com</a></span><br />
<i>Visit the website and get bonus material!</i>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-27832245390972516482019-04-26T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-26T00:00:09.018-04:00A Visual Poem in Honor of Arbor Day • National Poetry Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>A Visual Poem in Honor of Arbor Day</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T5pbbsjxu1U/XL-GvEa4_aI/AAAAAAAB-_M/6KIPnluHZbkjXNgKOC_dnmz-Ro2V3WugwCLcBGAs/s1600/tree%2Bpoem%2Bwhat%2Bthe%2Bhell.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="527" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T5pbbsjxu1U/XL-GvEa4_aI/AAAAAAAB-_M/6KIPnluHZbkjXNgKOC_dnmz-Ro2V3WugwCLcBGAs/s640/tree%2Bpoem%2Bwhat%2Bthe%2Bhell.png" width="468" /></a></div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-25349797600061922932019-04-25T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-25T00:00:07.013-04:00 The Wound Before the Tomb of Walt Whitman • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Wound Before the Tomb of Walt Whitman</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You who saw the vast oceans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the peaks of the mountains,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">who communed with all the sailors of the world</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and you who saw Christ eat the bread of his last supper among the young</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the elders,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you who saw the executioner of Europe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">with his ax soaked with blood,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You stepped on the scaffold</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the fields in which mothers cried to their dead children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tell me if it is still</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">possible to announce triumphant justice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and deliver the lessons of the new world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m going to kiss your lips,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">they are cold and taste like the word America.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Fernando Valverde</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Translated by Carolyn Forché</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">courtesy <a href="http://poets.org/">poets.org</a></span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-9613746468019580782019-04-24T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-24T00:00:04.730-04:00Coming • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Coming</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Coming : </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On longer evenings, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Light, chill and yellow, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bathes the serene</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Foreheads of houses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A thrush sings, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Laurel-surrounded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the deep bare garden, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Its fresh-peeled voice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Astonishing the brickwork. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will be spring soon, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will be spring soon—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I, whose childhood</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is a forgotten boredom, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Feel like a child</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who comes on a scene</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of adult reconciling, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And can understand nothing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But the unusual laughter, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And starts to be happy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Philip Larkin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">courtesy <a href="http://www.english-for-students.com/coming.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">English for Students</a></span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-8069954037737951902019-04-23T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-23T00:00:09.786-04:00A Fairy Tale • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>A Fairy Tale</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When my father was nine years old, his mother said, “Tommy, I’m taking you to the circus for your birthday. Just you and me, and I’ll buy you anything you want.” The middle child of six, my father thought this was the most incredible, wonderful thing that had ever happened to him—like something out of a fairy tale.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They got in the car, but instead of driving him to the circus, his mother pulled up in front of the hospital and told him to go inside and ask for Dr. So-and-so. After that they’d go to the circus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He went inside and asked for Dr. So-and-so. A nurse told him to follow her into a room where she closed the door and gave him a shot. My father fell asleep, and some hours later, woke up crying in agony with his tonsils gone. A different nurse got him dressed, and sent him outside where his mother was waiting in the car with the engine running. He couldn’t speak on the way home to ask her, “What about the circus?” Days later, when he could, he didn’t. They never mentioned it again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fifty-eight years later, he tells this story to his wife, his only explanation, when she asks him, “What are you doing home from church so early?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He’d walked out in the middle of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," never to return.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jennifer L. Knox</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">courtesy <a href="http://poets.org/">poets.org</a></span><br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-44587950985540762532019-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-22T00:00:02.161-04:00Solemnity • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Solemnity</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the mosque’s entrance 3:30 a.m. Syrian</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">women beg wearing black gloves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your father’s grandmother was Syrian</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">before the country was ash. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before the government turned </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to kill its people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What incites that internal blaze?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What says it is me I will take</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">or not me but those whom I claim?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are claimed after meditation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are walking an empty street </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">after pretending to play drums.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After I recognize the heather in air</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">after we swim in a pool surrounded by azaleas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">after your mother smiles observing us</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">after we sleep in her house fields</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of sunflowers. I’m on a bus</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">watching them sway. I’m forgetting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the distance the inevitable loss</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will hold warm as snow whitens the green. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What will you hold?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What will you see beyond your hands?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Streets lined with jacarandas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that morph to pines to a self beneath</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ice that wolves trample silently? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Someone still begs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Someone still believes in our</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">innate generosity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You are waiting for me but refuse to say it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You believe in returns.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You believe in the planet’s roundness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You believe in gravity’s inaudible assurance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You believe in what I doubt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Myronn Hardy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">courtesy <a href="http://poets.org/">poets.org</a></span><br />
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-54067683798839317152019-04-21T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-21T11:56:41.753-04:00i thank You God for most this amazing • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i thank You God for most this amazing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">which is natural which is infinite which is yes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(i who have died am alive again today,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">day of life and love and wings and of the gay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">great happening illimitably earth)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">how should tasting touching hearing seeing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">breathing any-lifted from the no</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">of all nothing-human merely being</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">doubt unimaginable You?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(now the ears of my ears awake and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">now the eyes of my eyes are opened) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> by e e cummings </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">courtesy <a href="https://interestingliterature.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Interesting Literature</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996385302785333195.post-4321553713559691942019-04-20T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-20T00:00:04.799-04:00The Truth Machine, As Demonstrated by Judge Judy • National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="900" height="283" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TjEi2_cJG0Y/XKQVfeLGY_I/AAAAAAAB-8c/hZgfWkddBxw2cfmRePjLis-Yunc8zqM-ACPcBGAYYCw/s400/NPM%2Bfeather.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Truth Machine, As Demonstrated by Judge Judy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She is not a polygraph, does not cuff</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the accused to take their vital signs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">display their heart rates, breathing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">patterns, systolic and diastolic pressures,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the perspiration a swipe of Secret</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">can’t control volleying on a monitor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">like the radar of a storm no one can</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">escape, state of emergency that preempts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">even this daytime television show</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">every thirty minutes as required</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by station policies. Instead the Truth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Machine uses her senses to gauge</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">theirs. She feels their bladders fill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and shift like they’re her own, feels them</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rage-clench their fists, cross their arms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in defense or defiance. The Truth Machine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sniffs their bacterial sweat from her bench,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">through each impermeable screen. She hears</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">their tongues un-vivify, dry out</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">like cellophane, their words sticking</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to the plastic of their palates. A latter-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">day Medusa, she forces them to look</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">in her eyes—not over there, not down—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and freeze themselves in the lake effect</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">reflection of their lies, even the ones so</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">far removed from hue that they are liquid</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">paper. The Truth Machine is a goddess</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">sorting out every bit of human mishegoss,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">deconstructing the tzimmes, but sometimes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">as deities and devices can, she happens</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">on a Perseus so practiced in his terrifying</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">deceptions that he gets off a shot at her head.</span><br />
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by <a href="https://jwa.org/blog/author/jen-karetnick" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jen Karetnick</a><br />
courtesy <a href="https://jwa.org/blog/two-poems-about-judge-judy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jewish Women Amplified</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09213197326957514375noreply@blogger.com0