Life In The Moment -- poetry & other riches

Finished and Beautiful

2011-11-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

The sixth edition of the VoiceCatcher anthology is out and captures new writing and art from women in the Portland/Vancouver region. Along with my Co-Editor, Kristin Berger, and the entire VoiceCatcher editorial collective, let me say, "we're damned proud!"

Below is a list of our upcoming readings - please join us:

Dec. 8, 2011 - Cover To Cover Books, Vancouver, WA
February 2012 - Broadway Books, Portland, OR
March 31, 2012 - Central Library, Portland, OR
May 13, 2012 - Stonehenge Studios, Portland, OR

See www.voicecatcher.org for more information.

Hope to see you at one of these.
toni

Almost Back

2011-08-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Nine months later and the VoiceCatcher anthology is the baby. The book is in the final round of proofing and then, off to the printer. It has been a wild ride! I knew it would be a tremendous amount of work. Yet, being in the middle of it put it in perspective.

I just completed two art pieces for the September "Chair" show at Angst Gallery in Vancouver, WA. Soon, after relaxing I'm back to writing and art.

Life In Ghost Town

2011-03-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm ready to break free of winter and fly headfirst into spring! It's still grey, damp, and chilly outside, but I am filled with great hope that things will improve over the next month. I have evidence.

All around the yard there are green shoots emerging from early blooming bulbs. Soon there will be color. Not to say that green isn't a color -- right now it's the only color.

Last year I bought a Forsythia plant and plunked it in a big pot. I have babied it all winter and to my surprise, it has long, willowy branches with buds. The buds are still closed tight, but soon they will bring me a rousing shade of yellow.

It will be at that point when I clip several (not all, I hope) and bring them inside. I have a beautiful, tall, multicolored glass vase and a spot on the table picked out. When this happens I'll know that spring has just about arrived. I imagine that I'll immediately feel warmer. I'll see the possibilities in things. I'll get ready to emerge from the "hibernating me" that I've endured all these winter months.

Today, I will watch the sky for a moment of sun. I'll count the birds brave enough to dip in the cold rainwater collecting in the birdbath. And, I'll whisper a few more words of encouragement to the delicate yellow friend who lives in my yard.

2011-02-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

"Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake." - Wallace Stevens

Can it be this simple? I can hear you say, "No way!" I get it.

I've been considering the amount of time we spend on conflict and misunderstandings. It seems right to count the hours spinning inside our minds when we examine it this way, then that. We try to frame the words another way, decipher facial expressions, or dissect an email or text. What do they mean by that? How would I have said it? How should I respond? It's exhausting.

As I was pondering this I came upon the words of Wallace Stevens. It is easy to imagine the connections between our emotions and nature. Studies have shown that nature photographs conjure strong emotional responses. As well, think of the last time you experienced a strong feeling while you were in a "natural" setting. For me, the sound of geese flying above provokes a strong sense of joy. Can you think of your own example?

I wonder if a deliberate action to sort out the truth in something personal (work, relationship, goals, etc.) would seem less tedious if I did it in a natural setting. I thought back to the times the beach or forest was the specific destination for my poetry writing. There is a spot at the Columbia River that I drive to when I'm upset or confused. Perhaps Stevens knew something when he chose the word, truth. When something is upsetting or confusing it is usually because I have masked the truth.

It takes clarity to see the truth. It takes more clarity to understand what you see. Was Stevens leading us around the lake as a metaphor for the process? Was he envisioning the open air, wide expanse, and soothing sounds of water as a way to break down complexities? Was he telling us that without distractions we can find what we seek?

As any poet will tell you, lines that mean one thing to the writer may resonate differently with the reader. Mr. Stevens wrote a line that connected the significance of truth with a natural setting. This makes complete sense to me. The next time I'm seeking the truth it would be wise for me to get out of my usual setting and into a natural setting. It's a good thing I live in the beautiful Pacific NW where a drive in any direction will take me there.

SEND VOICECATCHER SUBMISSIONS NOW

2011-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Send us your best work!!
VoiceCatcher 6 Prose and Poetry Submissions by Portland/Vancouver area Women Writers will be accepted by mail Jan. 15 - Feb. 28, 2011 (postmarked deadline)and in person at our January & February readings.

Visit www.voicecatcher.org for full guidelines.

Art Submissions will be accepted March 1- March 31, 2011

If you are in a writing group or taking classes with other women whose work may be a good fit for VoiceCatcher, pass this information on to them.

Help us expand our creative community!

2010-08-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Screen Play

I can write about
anything but you

It’s always too early
or too late to incarcerate
my senses
uncoil thoughts into words
drawn from the infinite vat
of language

Can I forgive the
melodrama before you?
I lived around the
corner from despair

This time, despair is the
invisible man and you are
Bogie, Tracy, or James Dean
and I write about them
until I can write about you

Of Crows and Things

2010-07-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

From this vantage point it is easy to watch three crows drink from the birdbath. They are huge and shiny. In between sips they chatter - back and forth - cawing loud and louder.

I want to join the conversation. Listen to them brag about the last worm or the cracker I set out this morning. I want to shout with them; tell them about the things I've found. The broken compass inside an old shoe at the thrift shop, a red plastic barrette I wore in 4th grade, love letters from my first crush, and five nickels as I prepared the soil for roses.

I imagine crow's don't make lists. In fact, I think they're only concern is the last find. There is no way I could live like that. I'm too connected to those little things that remind me of someone close, a great trip, an unpredicted event, or a walk that began innocently and ended with a pocket full of rocks.

Some people are collectors of things. Some, collectors of people. Everyone is talking about simplicity, clearing out the stuff, minimizing. This is supposed to clear your mind and release potential for new endeavors. I understand the logic in this and must admit, I do feel renewed when I clean out the closet or garage. Yet, my collection of precious finds gives me renewed energy. At any moment I can pick up a paper fortune from Chinese take out, a rock from the Sierra's, or a lucky penny found on my street. I can remember the moment and the reason I kept that treasure.

Still, those crows seem so free and unencumbered. I'd love to talk with them, just once, about the greatest thing they ever found. Now, wouldn't that be a moment? Perhaps they'd let me take a feather home.

As The Grass Grows....

2010-07-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

we sit
sip dew from honeysuckle
reminisce
stare into the distance
beyond the weeds
and fire-bright lilies
you stretch
I yawn
toes touch before
eyes meet

The Short Reprieve

2010-05-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

the moments stretch
time extends like
capsules filled with
liquid tenderness, open
to rain upon them

they are unable to sleep
without touch
reaching in the
night and
morning

in passion there is no
before, no after
just a roiling sea
to carry them on waves up
the crest
then down,
land softly on the sand
to rest
briefly
in each other’s arms

*************************
It's spring although you wouldn't know it by the storm that blew through yesterday. Still, I am hopeful. Slivers of sunshine, new growth out back, the lilacs that have come and gone - each a reminder - pay attention they say.

Soon, I will sit still, let the sun warm me and write of all that is good.

Constantly Reflecting

2010-04-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of combining natural images with human behavior. Humans are perplexing creatures prone to getting in their own way. Many of my poems offer a social commentary and certainly, some are autobiographical. I believe this one is a little of both. Hope you enjoy!

Redemption

the day her wings were clipped
balance evaporated
like dew on citrus
the waltz, impossible

when her wings were clipped
clouds enveloped the groves
encapsulated their oranges
hardening juice to wax

with clipped wings
she fell prey to raptors
hair wound by long talons
brittle skin at edges

clipped wings
sold at market
for soups and potions
remind her of fairy tales
a cottage of ginger
viewed upside down

her wings were clipped
on a full moon
watched with yellow eyes
tendrils for arms
sand for feet

shoulders once bare
sprout wisdom
grow plumes between blades
feathers along spine

she feels the weight of mistakes
unable to fly home

Connections

2010-03-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Kudos to the Women's Empowerment Coalition for their Women in Art, Academia, and Community event on March 24th at WSU Vancouver. Their full day of great speakers, music, and thought provoking discussions was the best I've attended in a very long while. I was honored to be asked to read from Wind Wing and humbled by the connections I made with several interesting women. Below is a poem read that day by Cherry Muhanji that inspired all of us.

This Is My Beloved
By Walter Benton

Because hate is legislated . . . written into
the primer and testament,
shot into our blood and brain like vaccine or vitamins

Because our day of time, of hours --- and the clock-hand turns,
closes the circle upon us; and black timeless night
sucks us in like quicksand, receives us totally ---
without a raincheck or a parachute, a key to heaven or the last long look

I need love more than ever now . . . I need your love,
I need love more than hope or money, wisdom or a drink

Because slow negative death withers the world and only yes
can turn the tide

Because love has your face and body . . . and your hands are tender
and your mouth is sweet ---- and God has made no other eyes like yours.

Coffee Will Save Me

2010-03-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Free Market Blend
By Toni Partington

Somewhere south
in groves of beans
the flavor is born

everywhere here
in cups of paper
the flavor is tasted

it reaches your nose
travels right to
the brain
roasted beans so rich
they can connect
olfactory to saliva
without touching the lips

this is glory
the mother lode
the sweet spot
the perfect pose
the long kiss
the found penny, head’s up
the best seat in the house

this is your favorite song
the shoes on sale
the winning ticket
the snow day
the smell of lilacs
the dog’s greeting
the unexpected hug

this is the first sip
the half and half
the sugar
the cinnamon

This is morning.

Please Join Me on Thursday, April 15th, 7pm
I'll be reading from my book, Wind Wing
Paper Tiger Coffehouse
703 Grand Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661

Catching Up

2010-03-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

I know it is time to play catch-up --- yet, finding the energy to get things done eludes me these early days of spring. I would much rather curl up under a blanket to watch a movie or read as my list of tasks grows more crowded around me. Can one smother under a list this long?

Still, the sun peeks and I move outside to be warmed. Shock! It is cold and the sun can't seem to penetrate my skin to thaw these bones. I slump back inside and find the blanket waiting, still warm from me and the dog.

Last year was ten years long. I would be content to deal with 12 simple months.

The dog curls up to fall asleep on the blanket which has formed a cocoon around my legs. I'm stuck right here for a while longer.

PLEASE JOIN ME THIS SATURDAY

2010-02-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

I will be reading from my new book at 2pm
St. John’s Booksellers
2pm, Saturday, February 20, 2010
8622 N. Lombard St.
Portland, OR 97203
503-283-0032

WIND WING
Poems By Toni Partington

Upcoming Readings

In Other Words (special reading and free workshop with Eileen Elliott, author of Prodigal Cowgirl)
2pm, Saturday, April 10, 2010
8 NE Killingsworth St.Portland, OR 97211
503-232-6003

Paper Tiger Coffeehouse
7pm, Thursday, April 15, 2010
703 Grand Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661
541-400-8389

WIND WING is a collection of poetry inspired by the lives of women. The poems provide a glimpse into life on the edge of mental illness, transition and discovery. In three chapters, the poems expose the life of an only child with a mentally ill mother, the transitions of life, love and loss, and the societal and personal observations that lead to self discovery. Partington wrote the book over the past ten years as a way to reveal the stigma associated with mental illness and its impact on families.

At Frenchman’s Bar

Egrets assemble
levitate in slow motion
perfectly
above the Columbia’s glass top
framed by fifty-foot twigs
upright to the sky

in silhouette

parked barges resemble a life
stopped abruptly
await permission to dock
unload the steerage of this long journey

when will it be time for you
to sail toward unknown ports
where women gather in flocks
lean into each other and
beckon you to land

BIO:
Toni Partington is a poet, editor, and life/career coach. Her poetry has appeared in the NW Women's Journal, Selected Poems of the River Poets' Society, The Cascade Journal, VoiceCatcher (editions 3 and 4), OutwardLink.net and others. She is the author of a poetry chapbook, Jesus Is A Gas (2009). Her latest book of poetry WIND WING (2010) is now available for $10. She also serves as an Associate Editor for VoiceCatcher, an annual Pacific Northwest anthology of women writers.

As a life/career coach, Toni loves to work with writers and artists interested in exploring ways to integrate lifestyle and work. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from Chapman University, an MA in Humanities with a major focus in Literature and Literary Editing from the California State University, Dominguez Hills, and post graduate work at the University of Oregon to become certified as a Global Career Development Facilitator. Before embarking on other adventures Toni spent over ten years teaching and advising women in transition returning to college.

Toni is involved in promoting poetry, writing and art in Vancouver, WA with a lively group of friends and peers. She facilitates Life In The Moment, Poetry & Other Riches, which can be found on the web at www.poettone.blogspot.com. Her circle includes poets, friends, family, and dogs, not in any particular order.

Book Announced in The Columbian

2010-01-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

WIND WING
By Toni Partington

Women inspire Vancouver writer

Vancouver’s Toni Partington has been writing since she was 10 years old and has helped others with their books. Now the Vancouver resident has a book of her own, “Wind Wing.”

Partington launched “Wind Wing” during a Thursday open mic poetry night at Cover to Cover Books in Vancouver, where the book will be sold for $10.

The book of poetry has three sections. The first explores the experience she had being raised by a mother with mental illness. “It was rough,” Partington said, noting that at the time mental illness wasn’t openly discussed and many people didn’t understand it. The second section reflects the women in transition that Partington met through her social work; the third represents some of her
observations.

“The book has been a long time in the making,” Partington said.

BOOK RELEASE

2010-01-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

WIND WING
By Toni Partington
Poetry $10 US

WIND WING is a collection of poetry inspired by the lives of women. The poems provide a glimpse into life on the edge of mental illness, transition and discovery. In three chapters, the poems expose the life of an only child with a mentally ill mother, the transitions of life, love and loss, and the societal and personal observations that lead to self discovery. Partington wrote the book over ten years as a way to reveal the stigma associated with mental illness and its impact on families.

Bio
Toni Partington is a poet, editor, and life/career coach. Her poetry has appeared in the NW Women’s Journal, Selected Poems of the River Poets’ Society, The Cascade Journal, VoiceCatcher (editions 3 and 4), OutwardLink.net and others. She is the author of a poetry chapbook, Jesus Is A Gas (2009). She serves as an Associate Editor for VoiceCatcher, an annual Pacific Northwest anthology of women writers. Toni is a regular columnist for Writing The Life Poetic, an online zine that complements the print version of the book by Sage Cohen, http://writingthelifepoetic.typepad.com.

As a life/career coach, Toni works with writers and artists interested in exploring ways to integrate lifestyle and work. Toni is involved in promoting poetry, writing and art in Vancouver, Washington with a lively group of friends and peers. Her circle includes poets, friends, family, and dogs, not in any particular order.

WIND WING

Sweet breeze
scented with orange blossoms in early summer
caress my face pressed against the
open wind-wing in her Impala.

These rides; a secret time to talk
while we forget she is crazy –
top down, headed home with drippy cones
Her – strawberry
Me – maple nut

Just enough time to adjust the wind-wing
while the red leather seats grow warm
she lets me push buttons to find
the right song for our sing-along.

These are the times I remember now
in melancholy middle age –
her hair cut short, dyed blonde
shoulders tanned above the halter-top
while shorts sprout bare legs
down to bright red toenails.

I picture this as her departure from upstate New York
and Catholic School rules
when California set her free
and took her down.

I watched her ricochet between two worlds –
safe home or padded room
delicacies or dry-mouthed delirium
green lawns or barred doors
Sunday Mass or shock treatments

her sanity – barely or not at all.

I long for the Impala
it is easier than longing for her –
a drive along Victoria Avenue
lined with orange groves and old songs
while we drift between dark nights and darker days.

Her life, like the wind-wing
unlatched slowly, one inch at a time
till the wind arrives at high pitch.

Throw it wide open and watch everything fly away.

Holiday Greetings and Second Chances

2009-12-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

I hope you will take a few minutes in this rush of holiday preparations to reflect on the past year. What were the highs and lows? Who did you want to talk with, but couldn't find the time? What did you want to do for yourself, but never got around to it? What did you accomplish and how did it feel?

I don't subscribe to the notion of New Year's Resolutions. I guess that's because I've set up so many over the years and felt the disappointment of not following through. Somehow, this seems like an excellent way of feeling bad about myself. Now, I just don't do it!

Instead, I think about the prior year and the the actions I took and didn't take - and imagine how I could have done it differently. This is my launching point for the New Year -- and it is the best holiday gift I can give myself - that second chance, not wrapped up in guilt or failure, instead, wrapped up in "doing things differently".

Wishing you the joys of second chances. toni

Please Join Me December 4th

2009-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Join me in celebrating First Friday in Vancouver with a reading from VoiceCatcher's fourth edition. Come and hear a magnificent line-up of this year's authors reading selections of their work.

Readers will include:

Nancy Flynn
Constance Hall (Penname: M)
Christi Krug
Carolyn Martin
Darlene Pagán
Toni Partington

Location: Angst Gallery
1015 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660
Telephone: 360.253.1742
Date: December 4, 2009
Time: 7:00 pm

This reading is being held in conjunction with The Women's Empowerment Coalition of Washington State University Vancouver’s Silent Auction. Proceeds both from the auction and a portion of the VoiceCatcher book sales at the event will benefit the Vancouver YWCA – a primary source for services to women

My Favorite Chef Makes The News

2009-11-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Haven't heard of Brittany Baldwin, yet? Now's your chance to read a profile in the article 40 chefs under 40. Brittany's Portland Home Chef is number 3!

Brittany makes food that tastes great, is healthy, and follows her belief that utilizing the local food source is an affordable and sustainable option to mass produced foods. What the article doesn't say is that Brittany's poetry is as tasty as her recipes. The best moments occur when tasting a perfectly crafted meal and listening to Brittany read her poems for dessert.

Her book of poems, Broken Knuckles Against Knives Cutting The Food To Feed Me Through This (2005) is a rich collection that takes the reader into the kitchen, garden and heart of the writer. It may be time for Brittany to consider a second printing or to offer us a new collection.

Like her poems, Brittany doesn't do anything halfway. Portland Home Chef can provide you with a relationship to the chef, her recipes, and her garden. Brittany wants to know what you like, what your kids will eat, what your schedule demands and how you imagine dinners that magically appear each evening. This allows her to craft a menu customized to your lifestyle. She lovingly prepares the meals in your kitchen and stores them in the fridge or freezer with written instructions for heating and serving.

It sounds simple because Brittany does what's needed to keep it simple for you. Imagine, you don't have to order take out, decide where to dine out, or slog through cupboards to assemble a meal. And, these aren't bland, microwave dinners. They are healthy magnificent meals that can't be mass produced. How do I know? Last year I gave my daughter the gift of Portland Home Chef meals for her birthday week. The result, rave reviews!

Enjoy....

http://www.mnn.com/food/cooking-recipes/stories/40-chefs-under-40

Brittany Baldwin
Portland Home Chef
503-228-0937
portlandhomechef.com

2009-11-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

VoiceCatcher 4, Women's Writing, Is Here!

2009-11-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

VoiceCatcher 4
Available Now!

Mark your calendars and come prepared to be thoroughly entertained.

Wednesday, November 11, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Lloyd Center

As part of the Poetry and Prose for the People reading series.
Hosted by Sage Cohen and Tomas Mattox

1317 Lloyd Center // Gift section
Portland, OR 97232
503-249-0800

VoiceCatcher exists because a collective of women -- editors, authors, artists, poets and teachers -- who love to read and write wanted to collect the voices of local women and offer them to the community.

Featuring new and emerging writers of diverse perspectives, voices, ages, orientation and experience, VoiceCatcher offers a panoramic view of literary life in Portland through the poetry and prose of more than 40 local women writers.

Join us in celebrating the publication of VoiceCatcher's fourth edition and hear a magnificent line-up of this year's authors reading selections of their work at two events this month!

Featured readers:
· Favor Ellis
· Naomi Fast
· Heidi Schulman Greenwald
· Constance Hall (pen name: M)
· Christi Krug
· Toni Partington
· Wendy Willis

DON'T MISS THIS

2009-10-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Friends:

Neeli Cherkovski will be reading at Cover to Cover Books and giving a talk on Charles Bukowski the following day.

WHEN AND WHERE -
7:00pm Thursday, October 29, 2009
Cover to Cover Books
1817 Main Street, Vancouver
McLoughlin Blvd. & Main Street

The following afternoon, Friday, October 30, at 2:00pm, he will deliver a free talk (donations welcome) entitled: "BUKOWSKI, THE BEATS, AND OTHER REBELLIONS.”

Neeli Cherkovski is a longtime contributor to the West Coast literary scene. Emerging from the LA underground of the Sixties, Cherkovski, is an applauded poet, critic and literary biographer. He has written ten books of poetry, including the award winning Leaning Against Time, Elegy for Bob Kaufman and Animal; he is
also the author of two acclaimed biographies, Bukowski: A Life and Ferlinghetti: A Biography; his book, Whitman’s Wild Children (a collection of critical memoirs), has become an underground classic.

In the late 1960s Cherkovski co-edited the poetry anthology Laugh Literary and Man the Humping Guns with Charles Bukowski. Since 1975, Neeli has lived and worked in San Francisco. For ten years he was writer-in-residence at New College of California, where he taught literature and philosophy.

Neeli will read from Whitman’s Wild Children and his memoir in progress. He will also have two works available for sale: From the Canyon Outward ($12.95) and a limited edition, lettered A to Z, with tipped-in original acrylic drawing, ($35.00, not available from publisher).

Here's What's Going On

2009-10-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

NEWS FLASH:

VoiceCatcher4 is out - just released and about to be distributed to local bookstores in the greater Portland/Vancouver area. This book is packed with exceptional writing (short prose and poetry) that will grab your attention. For several writers, this is their first publication and they deserve notice. I'm proud to be affiliated with the Editorial Collective and this year's book.

Four of my poems can be found online at www.outwardlink.net - a new literary site for poetry and creative writing.

I'm just about to run a second printing of my chapbook - Jesus Is A Gas, available for $5.

A Few More Postcard Poems - 2009

2009-09-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sent To Farmington, NH
Reunion – 6

my longest, shortest job
100 p-nut butter sandwiches
bleached hands
red, swollen
give two weeks notice the first day
by then, all I
want to know of work
stings my pride

Sent To Bronx, NY
Reunion – 7

vacation sex
hotel sex
life without a care
welcomes tired bones
battered spirit
a salve so well earned
we’d book a room
for the memory

Sent To Sante Fe, NM
Reunion – 8

this place, so changed
left home before I
grew permanent teeth
sought freedom and
a new climate

today, I return
unencumbered
quotes from my uncensored
life will appear on
the billboard
across the street
from the Dairy Queen

Sent To Anchorage, AK
Reunion – 9

pathetic poets
a west coast tour
on the cheap
imagine DNA on
every surface
hope meditation
garlic fries and Ganesha
can stave off bed bugs
claim they won’t stay here again
when they’re famous

Sent To Pablo, MT
Reunion – 11

never knew the
true meaning of BEAR
big, burly men who
like other men
outdoors
more like Paul Bunyan
than Robin Hood
not the image of Disney
barely tolerated
nonsensical judgments
don’t hold up when
a few of God’s creatures
are still hunted
for sport

Sent To Barneveld, WI - inspired by returning home

wine tasting
break dancing
a summer party
on a cool
september eve
three old friends
and a nine year old
laugh at the dog
until bedtime

Sent To Concord, NH inspired by memories of San Francisco then and now

most things
then and now
disappoint me
never as I remember
or imagine
but you
forty years later
still make the
blood rush
to my head

Sent To Chicago, IL inspired by the importance of friends and the final decisions some people make

one year of tragedy
frays the fibers that
surround my heart
I seek a respite
from turmoil
why do some give up
jump from bridges
without screaming
I’m certain they lack
one strong friend
to hold their ankles

The Day Didn't End Well

2009-09-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday of this week, Gordon Patterson was struck and killed by a hit and run driver while riding his bike home from work along St. Johns Road in Vancouver, WA.

Hit and Run

4 pm
September 15, 2009
St. Johns Road
Gordon Patterson
Age 50

should not happen
one too many stricken
in hapless ways
by thundering herds
underneath hooves of
inflated rubber
two tons or more
steel and glass
crush their smaller cousins
accidental swerve
clipped by a side mirror
maimed, flattened
killed
in a narrow lane
off the sidewalk
in a neighborhood
like ours
like yours

plant a ghost bike
on the spot
wear a helmet
say “be careful”
to loved ones
ride the risk

this is a bike town
that lacks respect for
two-wheeled friends
reflected by high beams
in moonlight

it wasn’t Gordon’s time
not on a Tuesday afternoon
neither late summer nor early fall
just a beautiful afternoon
when an 18 year old driver
lifted him to the sky
phantom wings carried him home
up the hill
a final time

POSTCARD POEMS - YES, I DID IT !

2009-08-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

POSTCARD POETRY 2009
I did it - after two years of excuses - I made the commitment to write a poem a day in the month of August - a poem just postcard size, and sent to others who've made the same commitment. It's a challenge, the instructions say to write an original poem, write it on the postcard and mail it to the next person on my list. It forces me to stop editing, stop fussing and get it done! I've yet to receive any - but have great expectations that there will be one in today's mail.

Here are the first few I wrote and their destinations:

sent to Walkerton, IN and based on the postcard picture

posts of sunflowers
command notice
angle hours and minutes
for commuters
at Akard Street Station

northwest of Dallas
tall stalks lean
into sprinklers
neglect time in favor
of afternoon naps

sent to East Providence, RI and based on the postcard picture

~ the path ~

there is order in imperfection
cracked rocks aligned by hand
wood mossed by time
and persistent drizzle

moments before
I wept at the opportunity
to do nothing but breathe

sent to Hoboken, NJ and based on the postcard picture

tomorrow
August arrives
her room is ready
shriveled petunias
dried raspberries
brown thatch
and me, mercury 105°

the local news suggests we
fry eggs on asphalt
instead, I imagine
Yuki Zuri in January
and more ice
in my glass

sent to Vancouver, WA and based on the poem on the front of postcard

waiting

behind the shed
night’s crescent cousin deems
her waning fire a
sign
an invitation to inflate points

gray triangle becomes
ginger circle
alters the margins of the sliver
to mingle day and night

sent to Far Rockaway, NY

clay pots gasp
their contents already dead
wait til grief sinks in

feel a drop carried by wind
from a sprinkler, out of reach
longs for the inevitable crack
of winter

Another Issue of the Poetry Zine

2009-07-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the latest issue of Writing The Life Poetic Zine edited and published by Sage Cohen. I am especially drawn to this issue for its reminder to take time. Sage's words about slowing down and relaxing, enjoying, and creating truly hit home. Sure, we all are busy - one way or another - and time for doing less slips from our grasp. For me, both June and July roared by - and now, nearly August and hotter than hell and wondering, how will I ever catch up. Reflecting on Sage's advice I believe we can get more done when properly rested and refreshed.

Check it out - www.writingthelifepoetic.com

People On The Street

2009-06-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather has warmed - - and I drive around town - - I can't miss the sometimes blank and often pleading stares of our brothers and sisters standing on the the small concrete ridges that separate lanes of traffic. Most hold signs - - broke, hungry, can you help, god loves you....I'm not your standard believer, and most times I think god has little to do with the needs of folks on the street.

Still, I can't help but remember back to the Reagan era when thousands were released from hospitals with plastic bags that read, Patient's Belongings in big blue letters.

I've included the following poem for Arvy - who lived the good social work and helped others all she could during their darkest days.
----------------------------------------------
when we cease to care
by toni

there are whispers
underneath clanging
screams
when the lights go off and come on again

misery incubates
like rabies in
a different mammal each spring

it started in the 60’s
mental wards closed
by 2007
three hundred thousand poor souls
warehoused in US Prisons
no treatment and no hope

discarded souls
left behind
with hollow eyes
and thick tongues
filled up with starch
wait like prey for the vultures

they exist in the dullness
a grey zone
numb
oblivious to
day or time

they are shapes
in a Thorazine haze
mornings fueled by nightmares
nights by fear

alone
among thousands
some profound
profane
left in purgatory

what happened to the
Calypso music and
overripe fruit
of their youth

gone
left behind like the last day
of vacation
quick and unremembered

When I woke...

2009-05-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

This morning I'm thinking abut John Trudell -- perhaps because I'm thinking about the events in life that motivate poets. Some are harsh, brutal - some are striking, touching - the challenge for a poet is to capture these moments with words. Make them into something and if inspired, share them with others.

A Reason for Corn
By Toni

John Trudell is following the lines
as a mandate for his life
since the day of the fire

before following the lines
there was Vietnam and Alcatraz
Wounded Knee and the BIA

he warned us on the day he burned the US flag
in 12 hours
smoke and flames
claimed all he loved in this world

for now, his love’s are embedded in the land
he knows that five bodies
in boxes
below dirt
will surely grow corn

so, John Trudell will follow the lines
as any poet must
until the day the land swallows him whole
and corn grows in lines
where he once stood

John Trudell is a poet and activist.His outspoken ways and probing questions have made him a major element in the American Indian Movement. He lost his wife and children in a suspicious house fire. He may not see himself as a hero – because frequently, a hero moves through the world with the best intentions, this alone is heroic.

What's The Reason?

2009-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not a believer in the age old refrain, "everything happens for a reason" - in fact, I lean in the opposite direction. Sure, there are many things that happen randomly, many beyond our control. Wisdom is the ingredient that helps us understand the difference.

By examining various aspects and events in life we can begin to see patterns in thought and behavior. We can see how we respond to certain things in the same way, or have reactions and make choices we told ourselves we wouldn't repeat. Sometimes we are able to predict what will happen because the behaviors and emotions are so familiar. We might even say, if I do this, that will happen -- so, what can we do about it?

Maybe the answer is simple: responsibility and the courage to admit one's mistakes. The first step is to think about our part in things - what did we do or not do? How did we contribute to the outcome? Did we exhibit behaviors that led to the very place we are in right now? How is this scenario like something in the past? What could we have done differently?

The essence is in taking responsibility for our part rather than the blame we load on others. This takes courage and maturity. It's worth it!

For A Friend Who Is Gone

2009-04-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

It is never easy to lose a friend. For me, there was beauty in being at his side and seeing peace return to his face. I am grateful.

By October
By tone

for chuck

Opening day
you don’t watch a game
instead, blue eyes stare
listen to I love you and goodbye
by Sunday, breath labors
you ride the slow slip
into unconsciousness

you’d say, I’m in a slump this season
on lime green sheets
soft flannel
in a favorite T-shirt
reads, “Baseball is Life, the rest is just details”
ironic
no homeruns
no bases loaded
you’re still running
caught between second and third
here and there

soon enough
reluctance will melt
you’ll take the tag

you wanted to slide home
after a smack of the bat
pitch right in your wheelhouse
run the diamond
waving
extend your body
and slide
no pinch runner for you
this inning yours
earned
fans cheer
take your time
no clock rules this game

closing in
I rewrite the slogan
“Life is Baseball”
it’s all you need to know
the record books
paint stories with endings
photos grace the walls beside your bed
Lou Gehrig and Satchel Page
prized pencil sketch of Zeke Bonura, a
student’s gift in ‘95

once you said, I don’t collect baseball cards
after buying the one of
Ferris Fain
American League’s 1951 Batting Champ
first baseman challenged
carnival fighters before
the majors
a little like you
before college smoothed the rough edges

April now
spring training over
time for dogs and beer
sun on skin
daily stats and
flippin’ off the umps

you’d say
everything about it is good,
except artificial turf
you’d say
ballparks are the real cathedrals

there won’t be a next season
so the guys, John
Lou and Mark and all
staunch fans of other teams
Cubs, Yanks, even Dodgers
steadfast and in unison
will secretly cheer your Halos

you’ll count the W’s and L’s
from a place inside the park
eyes glued to the field for the full nine
hoping to witness
one more dog pile on the mound
you always said
Ferris would’ve beat their asses
given the chance

make a wish, love
for hummingbirds in pairs
for a series title
forget about
rain delays
the DL
splintered bats

take the 7th inning stretch
others will keep your seat warm
by October
you will ride
on the shoulders
of Angels

RADIO POETRY

2009-04-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Monday April 20th, KBOO FM will celebrate the poetry of VoiceCatcher3 on Talking Earth with host Barbara LaMorticalla. I will be an in-studio reader - so if you are inclined to be up, give a listen to the voices of Portland area women writers.

The details are below.

Monday, April 20th
10 - 11 p.m. PST
90.7 FM
or on the web at www.kboo.fm (streaming audio)

Q&A with Author Sage Cohen

2009-04-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

Q&A with Sage Cohen
Author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry, a new book from Writer’s Digest Books

How does poetry make the world a better place to live?

I think poetry fills the gap left by the so-called objective truth that dominates our media, science and legislation. Many of us want to comprehend and communicate the complexity of human experience on a deeper, more soulful level. Poetry gives us a shared language that is more subtle, more human, and—at its best—more universally “true” than we are capable of achieving with just the facts.

How has integrating the reading and writing of poetry into your life impacted you?

I will risk sounding melodramatic in saying that poetry saved my life. I stumbled into a writing practice at an extremely vulnerable time in my early teenage years. Poetry gave me then, as it does today, a way of giving voice to feelings and ideas that felt too risky and complicated to speak out loud. There was a kind of alchemy in writing through such vulnerabilities...by welcoming them in language, I was able to transform the energies of fear, pain and loneliness into a kind of friendly camaraderie with myself. In a way, I wrote myself into a trust that I belonged in this world.

Do people need an advanced degree in creative writing in order to write poetry?

Absolutely not! Sure, poetry has its place in the classroom; but no one needs an advanced degree in creative writing to reap its rewards. What most people need is simply a proper initiation. I wrote Writing the Life Poetic to offer such an initiation. My goal was that everyone who reads it come away with a sense of how to tune into the world around them through a poetic lens. Once this way of perceiving is awakened, anything is possible!

Why did you write Writing the Life Poetic?

While working with writers for the past fifteen years, I have observed that even the most creative people fear that they don’t have what it takes to write and read poetry. I wrote Writing the Life Poetic to put poetry back into the hands of the people––not because they are aspiring to become the poet laureate of the United States––but because poetry is one of the great pleasures in life.”

Who is Writing the Life Poetic written for?

Practicing poets, aspiring poets, and teachers of writing in a variety of settings can use Writing the Life Poetic to write, read, and enjoy poems; it works equally well as a self-study companion or as a classroom guide. Both practical and inspirational, it will leave readers with a greater appreciation for the poetry they read and a greater sense of possibility for the poetry they write.

What sets Writing the Life Poetic apart from other poetry how-to books?

The craft of poetry has been well documented in a variety of books that offer a valuable service to serious writers striving to become competent poets. Now it’s time for a poetry book that does more than lecture from the front of the classroom. Writing the Life Poetic was written to be a contagiously fun adventure in writing. Through an entertaining mix of insights, exercises, expert guidance and encouragement, I hope to get readers excited about the possibilities of poetry––and engaged in a creative practice. Leonard Cohen says: “Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.” My goal is that Writing the Life Poetic be the flame fueling the life well lived.

Is it true that your book and your baby were conceived and birthed at the same time? What did you learn from this process?

Yes, I often refer to my son Theo and Writing the Life Poetic as my multi-media twins! I found out I was pregnant with Theo about two months into the writing of the book and I was making final edits to the book in layout two weeks after he was born. It was fascinating to have two of the most potent creative processes I’ve ever experienced happening in tandem. What I learned is a great respect for the birthing journey; it is one that has completely rewritten me along the way.

I am writing a monthly column this year for The Writer Mama zine titled “The Articulate Conception” which chronicles my journey of becoming an author and a mom. Through the course of ten essays, I am exploring this double-whammy birth trajectory--from the twinkle in my eye to the bags under my eyes. The first column is available here: http://thewritermama.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/the-articulate-conception-planting-seeds/.

What makes a poem a poem?

This is one of my favorite questions! I’ve answered it in my book, but it’s a question that I’m answering anew every day. And that’s what I love about poetry. It’s a realm where invention is not limited entirely by definition; there is room enough for the endless possibilities of the human. Every time we try to draw a line around what a poem is, something spills over into the next frame, shifting the point of view and demanding new names: olive, token, flax, daffodil. A poem is all of these, or none of them, depending on the quality of light and how the blade in the next room stirs the night.

What do you think people’s greatest misperceptions are about poetry?

I think the three greatest stereotypes about the writing of poetry are:
1. That one has to be a starving artist or deeply miserable to write great poetry.
2. That reading and writing poetry are available only to an elite inner circle that shares secret, insider knowledge about the making of poems.
3. That poetry does not fund prosperity.

I hope very much that Writing the Life Poetic helps offer alternatives to some of these attitudes and perceptions.

Let's conclude with one of your poems. Would that be OK?

Of course! Happy to!

Leaving Buckhorn Springs
By Sage Cohen

The farmland was an orchestra,
its ochres holding a baritone below
the soft bells of farmhouses,
altos of shadowed hills,
violins grieving the late
afternoon light. When I saw
the horses, glazed over with rain,
the battered old motorcycle parked
beside them, I pulled my car over
and silenced it on the gravel.
The rain and I were diamonds
displacing appetite with mystery.
As the horses turned toward me,
the centuries poured through
their powerful necks and my body
was the drum receiving the pulse
of history. The skin between me
and the world became the rhythm
of the rain keeping time with the sky
and into the music walked
the smallest of the horses. We stood
for many measures considering
each other, his eyes the quarter notes
of my heart’s staccato. This symphony
of privacy and silence: this wildness
that the fence between us could not divide.

About Sage Cohen
Sage Cohen is the author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry (Writers Digest Books, 2009) and the poetry collection Like the Heart, the World. An award-winning poet, she writes four monthly columns about the craft and business of writing and serves as Poetry Editor for VoiceCatcher 4. Sage co-curates a monthly reading series at Barnes & Noble and teaches the online class Poetry for the People. To learn more, visit http://www.writingthelifepoetic.com. Drop by and join in the conversation about living and writing a poetic life at www.writingthelifepoetic.typepad.com!

Irradiated Retirment

2009-03-31T05:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended a retirement party -- not your usual end-of-a-long-career celebration - but a retirement party for the Irradiated Poets. For those who don't know, this group held poetry gatherings out at the old Trojan Nuclear plant before that relic was sent into retirement via demolition. With Trojan as the focal point, and with poetry as a way to unite, the group created an unusual form of its own energy.

The "retirement" party was a way to connect with folks, say, "what's up for you these days" and talk about old times. What I didn't see was any retirement going on. The group took a bit to warm up - after all, this wasn't a meeting at Trojan, but at a local pub -- and after a short while of socializing and eating, poets began to read their stuff. We took turns reading old and new poems, laughing, giving raucous rounds of applause and genuinely celebrating some sort of retirement.

For me, the best part was in the recognition that most poets never retire from poetry. Somehow, the words, the lines and the opportunity to bring them alive by reading aloud removes any thoughts of retirement. Bravo for groups like the Irradiated Poets who bring folks together for the sake of poetry. Cheers for group leaders who know when it's time to end an era, and thank god for poets who keep writing long after everyone else retires!

Is It Time For A Change?

2009-03-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked recently how a Life and Career Coach can assist their writing and art projects. I've been having individual conversations and decided to post the key points for all who are interested.

My coaching relationships are personal and specific. I work from a 'strength' based approach - in other words, where would you like to be in your life, right now - and what resources (internal, external) do you already have and which do you need? We look at the practical while recognizing the emotions attached.

I believe in integration of work, daily life, relationships, etc. I think we slip into compartments to ease the demands of our busy lives. Yet, some of these compartments feel restrictive and unsatisfying. Most clients seek relief from chaos. I think the practice of integration can get them there.

It starts with an honest evaluation of your lifestyle. What is working for you? What is burdensome? What are you willing to change - what is fixed in stone? Start there, at least you will determine what's driving the chaos and what's creating peace.

To continue the conversation contact me at tpartington@earthlink.net

Thanks All

2009-03-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came out on that rainy Monday - February 23rd for the Three Friends reading. For those who couldn't make it, or if you were there and want to hear it again, the LINK is listed in the left column under LOOK, LISTEN, READ.

A big thanks to Melissa and Luke of Show and Tell Gallery for hosting us. My friends for the evening (and beyond) - Eileen Elliott and Constance Hall brought great poetry and art and presented with grace and talent.

February has been a busy month with several readings including the one for VoiceCatcher in Vancouver, WA. Don't miss the submission window for VoiceCather 4. You have until March 31st to submit poems, fiction, creative nonfiction and more. Check out the website for details www.voicecatcher.org.

YOU ARE INVITED TO AN EVENING OF POETRY AND ART

2009-02-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

Three Friends Coffee House
201 SE 12th Avenue (at Ash)
Portland, OR
Date: February 23rd, 2009 - Monday
Time: 7 PM
Cost: FREE

On Monday, February 23rd I will read poetry from my series, For The Love Of Agnes, and some new poems at Three Friends Coffee House in Portland. That night will be a 3-friends adventure -- I will be joined by two remarkable women, Eileen Elliott (poet and visual artist) and Constance Hall (writer and editor).

Eileen will display glass and fiber art pieces and read poems written or inspired by these specific pieces. Constance will read poetry from her book about the Italian immigrant experience. We will conclude with a poem for three voices that will be performed for the first time.

I hope you will be able to join us at 7pm. Three Friends Coffee House is an intimate setting that is well suited for poets and artists - and they have great coffee, tea and sweet treats.

Melissa Sillitoe is our Host/Producer
You can see all of the great things she is doing on her website.
Show and Tell Gallery: "Art. Caffeine. Collaboration. Good times."
www.showandtellgallery.org

See you soon!

As life unfolds....

2009-01-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

....one can never be ready for those events that knock you to your knees. I've learned that this past month. After so many years as a practitioner, I really thought I knew what it was like to face the kind of sadness that is so unbearable. I felt that my empathy for others, understanding of emotional processes, and realistic view of life was enough. Now, I'm humbled by the suffering of another - and for me, the one who can tackle most anything, I'm humbled at what I can't do to make it all better.

The lesson for me is another reminder of why I've titled this blog, Life In The Moment. It is all we have. All we can claim and grab onto. This moment, this day, these people that are dear to us. I won't squander it - not for another minute.

Matinee

in the dark theater of strangers
silence prevails

only coughing survives
and the hush is deafening

unexpected, my mouth
tastes the salt of tears

Everything Is Your Life

2008-11-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

- Dogen (AD 1200 - 53)

"Whatever you encounter, day and night, is your life; you should therefore give yourself to each situation as it arises from moment to moment. Use your life energy towards that purpose, so that from the circumstances that befall you, you may create a harmonious life with all things in their rightful place."

Seems like simple wisdom. We all know that simple wisdom is frequently hard to implement. Try as we may, we get hung up along the way.

Caught in the Cross Hairs
By toni

"you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first"

it is incumbent upon you
to relish life
not live the colorless
regimen of the fishwife
ransomed by fractal proportions
with no gallantry in matters
utilitarian and dreary

run headfirst
along baselines
let home float
on sensations

wisdom is unforeseen
wonder is surefire
when tomorrow is indefinite
today can be remarkable

Wondering What's Next

2008-11-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

Just this week, three friends told me they have lost their jobs or been put on temporary leave while the business adjusts. On the news, two local employers are closing down a major part of their operations after decades of production. Like these and other folks impacted by this volatile economy, I'm wondering what's next?

The pressure of waiting for the other shoe to drop is hard on people. It brings on anxiety and fear. These two emotions cause short tempers and frequently, the urge to withdraw from others. It's natural to feel alone when it seems the roof is falling in.

Most people will tell you this is when you need people the most. Really, this is just common sense. But, how many of us isolate? Sure, take some time alone to think through these changes, to ponder your options, and to gather information. Then, talk to others. You may think others don't want to hear your troubles, and that might be true - but other people have life experiences that can shed light on your current situation.

Remember, there's strength in numbers - don't tough it out alone.

West Of Town

2008-11-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

It’s above fifty degrees and bright outside, not at all the November of last year. I still wear mittens, a cap, and oversized turtleneck sweatshirt, but leave my jacket in the car. The dog can’t contain his excitement after traveling with the back window halfway down and his nose savoring every smell along the five-mile drive. Now he paws at the door, he would yell, “let me out” if he could talk. Some days I think he does talk, but I keep this to myself, mostly. We cross the parking lot, already three-quarters full on our way to the river view. I must see the water before doing anything else. He pulls me along, forgetting to heel, forgetting to sit. I almost don’t care, then remember what I paid for obedience training and feign interest in keeping him alert to my commands. Today, commands seem outlandish. It’s much too nice outside to care about rules. Swallowing up as much blue sky as I can and watching the sun dry out dozens of giant, soggy leaves is enough. I’m content with this moment of me, dog, sky, sun, and crisp freshness all around.

Today I came out of the cave for this. Left the fire and my blanket, my satellite movies and microwave popcorn. Today I don’t worry about the cost of gas for an afternoon drive. I don’t hear the cars race by, or little kids tell parents to pedal faster on the bike trail. I don’t hear the young freckled girl cry into her cell phone, or the big trucks cough up fumes. I don’t hear any of it, not today. Today I can see Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens, and a tiny bit of Mt. Adams. I can smell the pavement warming and imagine dime-size rain puddles receding under fallen leaves.

At first I hear them far away, then closer, and then I see them, hundreds of geese like dots of peppercorns in the western sky. They are all heading my way, all honking and flying in my direction. My heart speeds up, I’m excited and thrilled, I’m ecstatic. I sigh and coo, caught up in this magnificent sight. Then, I’m crying. Full, I feel full. What a glorious event overhead, free and unexpected. Loud. Alive. Mine.

The dog sits, looks up, too. We wait for the last formations to pass and turn toward the parking lot. I don’t want to go because I don’t want the full feeling to leave. As we walk slowly toward the car the dog automatically heels - without a command. I know how much he wants to please me. He can’t possibly know that positioning his small, furry self right next to my left leg makes the full feeling last much longer. Sometimes the beauty of things is simple. This simple.

It Takes More Than Being Female

2008-11-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Presidential Politics 2008: The Search for Estrogen
By toni

for karen

It’s a search for roe, the eggs or egg-laden ovaries of a fish.

an overcast day
Alaskan streams are late summer cold
not many swimmers
no fish to speak of
maverick techniques will get you nothing
there won’t be grandiose stories tonight

fly fishing requires a long rod and
miles of line
keen eyesight, patience and
a flexible wrist

stand for hours in
waste deep waters
endure dead drifts
watch the hand-tied lure spin, shiny

today they fish in
the vagina pool of nominees
a few old sturgeon swim past
they won’t survive the fight
November is a long ways off

the waders search the shallows
no northern pike
no carp
cast the line further
make huge rippled circles
reel in
cast again
troll

the pool is nearly empty
no brilliant colored minnows on
its clear bottom

cast wider
there must be one bright fish
in this enormous pool
one symbolic fish
ready to lead the school
scatter her eggs
in controversy
and defend
them at any cost

she’s frisky
reel her in
convince Fish and Game
that the license makes
up for experience

too small to keep
yet, this fishing party can’t throw her back
she’s a light snack
not a hardy meal
but the only one hooked by the artificial fly

this catch is not worth
the time it took to tie the lure

she flops on the bank
with a few sharp scales
behind the gills and

they do not notice
the rest is undeveloped
and still too soft
to eat

It's cold and damp outside, the heater in the car works fine, time for a drive...

2008-11-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

At Frenchman’s Bar
By toni

an assembly of egrets
spaced perfectly low
levitate above the Columbia’s glass top
framed by fifty-foot twigs
upright to the sky

beyond
parked barges resemble a life
stopped abruptly
waiting for permission to dock
to unload the steerage
of this long journey

is it time to sail toward unknown ports?
where women
gather
in flocks
perfectly spaced
arms beckoning
you to land

There's So Much To Write About...

2008-11-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

OK - time to pick up my pen. Can you believe how much there is to write about? Walk outside, look around, listen - it's all there. The most recent political changes, the way people feel hopeful in the middle of financial chaos, the yellow and red leaves everywhere.

I went to buy dog food the other day and the clerk commented on the sunshine - it is rare, I know. Then she launched into the terrible task that awaited her at home that afternoon. She would use this rare sun-filled afternoon raking the leaves from her neighbor's trees that breached her fence and now fill her backyard. She outlined her strategic plan last fall when she had three Maple's removed from her backyard, leaving just one and trimming it all the way back so as not to gift her with any unwelcome droppings this year. She let me know that at the same time, she had trimmed the branches of her neighbor's trees that spilled over her fence. But now, she is upset to have miscalculated the rapid growth of these interlopers and must spend this, the only sun-filled day she will see this fall, raking these damn fence jumpers. I nodded a conspiratorial nod that her big plan was foiled and suggested she make hot cider and invite the neighbors over for a leaf raking party. She looked at me perplexed, scowled and said, "well, at least enjoy YOUR afternoon."

A Poem About Life and Career Coaching

2008-11-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

one to one
By toni

enter the sanctuary
through poetic gates
where a bath of truth serum
is drawn for you

a vast stillness awaits
worry not
the order here will heal
unwelcome calamities

find your perch
receptive of gifts to come

resonant serenity
drench the body in lowlight

lilacs bloom out back
find the words
speak them
tell me now

your most daring dream
and all the reasons
you cannot sleep

BOOK RELEASE - VoiceCatcher 3

2008-11-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Great Book News:
VoiceCatcher 3 - the third edition of VoiceCatcher, an anthology of Portland-area women's writing is now available in local bookstores and New Season's Markets. This year's edition captures the work of 62 local poets and prose writers. It is a lovely collection and just the right book for your fall and winter reading.

I'm pleased that the VoiceCatcher Editorial Collective selected my poem "Wind-Wing" for VoiceCatcher 3. Also, I'm truly honored to be featured alongside so many talented women.

If you have a chance, catch this VoiceCatcher reading:

Powell's City of Books
This reading will feature work by Emily Kendal Frey, Sarah Bartlett, FeLicia Elam, Sandra Sakurai, Tiel Aisha Ansari and Patricia Kullberg and will be hosted by VoiceCatcher3 editor Sara Guest and members of the editorial collective.

Powell's City of Books - Downtown Portland at 10th and Burnside
Monday, November 17 at 7:30pm

VoiceCatcher grew out of a community of women writers and is an offering to the wider community of readers. Please come show your support for the project and join in celebrating local artists! For more information visit www.voicecatcher.org

What Is This Blog About?

2008-11-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Life In The Moment is a collection of poetry, prose, thoughts, and ideas designed to keep us connected to the present. I find it helpful to remain engaged in what's going on today, in the moments as they unfold.

I think it's important to be aware of the past and its impact on the choices we make. But also important is the knowledge that the future is beyond our basic control. Things happen, sometimes randomly. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't plan or set goals, but not to the extent that we are over planning everything and not experiencing these moments.

Slow down, look around, take a few minutes to enjoy the nuances of being alive, being connected to the living, and experiencing all that is available to your senses.

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Life In The Moment will bring you poems, prose, observations, and announcements of daily life - sometimes rich with joy, sometimes grim reality - hopefully thought provoking and daring to get you thinking about yourself, your relationships and your connections in this vast world we share.

Check in now and then - there just might be something you find useful.

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realization, a long time coming
By Toni

the Coen Brothers new film
Burn After Reading
stole the title from
the foes of DH Lawrence
who cringe at raw
language since they forgot
about the First Amendment
Carlin had eight words
liberals have hundreds
poets have thousands
no speech is free
you learn this in the first grade