tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68214381315249375882024-03-13T12:11:21.822-07:00Anew, Dawn Till Dusk, Anew. In every moment there exists opportunity: to better yourself, your relationships with others, your situation, the world. Build on experience, starting anew. Be a part of your life's moments. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-52658657276706262682014-03-28T08:11:00.002-07:002014-03-28T08:11:20.609-07:00We are One
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are One<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Faces<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gaze upon new faces,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some that are familiar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some that were forgotten<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Others, we have found again, different somehow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though not-a-single-one-to be-considered foreign—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Subject to the same hand that feeds,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Borne of the same God that bleeds and bled life into us all
aren’t we<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trees in fields<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Behind the over-ah-tired suits in conference centers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Doing loop de loops in vacant parking lots <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between the lines of passages from classics found in high
school classrooms,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Always headed somewhere, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On a plane, over the sea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t these new faces say the same things we <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have all taken as truth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At one point or another in time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some moment in un-ticking space <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">((The same place we verbally deface<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And chastise as a suffocating chamber<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of many mortal dangers)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Filled with the collective divergences of memory and present)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sparks a universal truth like a shooting star across the sky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Colliding and converging with particles of openness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Turning and transforming into wisdom <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reframing this prism,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(That is only fine artwork,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A replica of something we all think is real)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crystallizing infinitesimal possibility, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No longer concealing our potential as a race behind a one
dimensional veil of unawareness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-19123651979347468142014-03-13T17:34:00.000-07:002014-03-13T17:34:01.629-07:00We Are Exactly Who We Tell Ourselves We Are
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we tell ourselves we are not
good enough we are instantly right. We have bought into what we perceive others
are saying, with their words or actions. Our perceptions of their renderings of
us put us back on our heels. The emotions we feel push us down. Our self-judgments
knock us out, cold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What we consistently tell ourselves
ends up being all that matters in this life. Action is routinely tied to
perpetual thought. As Rust Cohle of True Detective concludes with point blank
certainty, in terms of the human race: “Look, as sentient meat, however
illusory our identities are, we craft those identities by making value
judgments. Everybody judges all the time. Now, you got a problem with that,
you’re living wrong.” I am with myself every single day, 24/7. So are you. I am
solely at the mercy of myself. As are you. As we sidle and straddle, filter
through and flock to, different energies, good and bad, the tendency is to
self-judge. There is the energy of the environment in the absence of humanity.
There is also the environment we humans co-create and inhabit, arguably
dominate. Nowadays, this environment is nearly everywhere. Nowhere is humanity
unheard. Though, there are some that may argue, this isn’t humanity. Either
way, we are all affected by it. Every type of people is a person. Even the
grotesquely inhumane are in some truthful way representative of all latent
humanity. This is perhaps the best evidence of a greater dimension; otherwise
we would all fall prey to absolute evil. Nonetheless, we are good and we are
bad. It is who we choose to listen to that determines how we choose to act. The
one dimensional existence is full of lots of neat, fancy thoughts and notions,
standing atop tall buildings looking down on anyone that is not them. The voices
of these people are primarily full of shit. We all have been on top of these
tall buildings before. We have all been below the ground, unfit for breathing
the same air as our fellow humans. We have all been full of shit. Even when we
all walk side by side, our sense of self is rarely on par with what others
think of us. In short, we are thinking way too much about what others think of
us. What will they say? What will they think and not say? What would I say or
think if the roles were reversed? This last question is telling. Asking is in
short, an admission of guilt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all judge. I won’t deny that I
do. I will state matter-of-factly, if and when I judge, it is rarely malicious.
None of our thoughts are ever absolute. There is always redemption. I observe
and notice and sometimes infer. An inference about a person is a judgment. We
take sensory information and perceive that something about that person, based
on what we have seen through firsthand experiences and interactions with that
person is true. It is how the human mind functions. When we gather new
information, we formulate new thoughts. A judgment is not a conclusion.
Conclusions are final and high-stakes, condemning and damning. Most judgments
we make are forgotten by the end of the day. Yet there is a tendency to hold
onto self-judgments, as if they were written in stone. I am lazy. Tell
ourselves enough and we will sink into the sofa every single day and sleepwalk
through tomorrow. I am not smart enough. Tell ourselves enough and we will
settle for something less than what we truly want. I have bad genetics, I will
always be overweight. Tell ourselves enough and we will enlarge and atrophy, at
the same time. Sigh. I can’t show my true self because no one wants to see me
for who I really am. This is never the case! The world would be such a much
better place if we were all less afraid to be ourselves. We all need to just go
for it, hand in hand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can forgive someone one thousand
times over if they have good intentions and a good heart. However, I have
trouble forgiving myself. I have trouble accepting failure as something less
than final judgment. I have concluded, the following: We aren’t really living
if we aren’t failing, in the conventional sense. Life is paradoxical: it is
static movement. There are so many factors, nuances, and change in a fraction
of time that our unique, individual experience is ultimately impossible to
track. The graphing model is “anything goes,” within a range of personal
response that has much to do with individual personality traits and tendencies
established in our earliest years. Though we may very well hold onto the same
mannerisms and quirky behavior long ago structured, that makeup a part of who
we are, we can do something to redirect the energy encircling our insecurities,
stifling the negative thought patterns that are merely illusionary intertwinement.
Dead in their tracks, these negative thought cycles no longer exist. Our
insecurities are now just insecurities. In the absence of fear, these
insecurities no longer hold any real power over us. They no longer reverberate
throughout the spaces of our mind. They no longer control our actions. We are
free. To live fully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We become graffiti, or caution tape,
a faint outline of our true being when we habitually ignore that whisper from a
higher plane that tell us: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Get up. You
are good enough. Failure is necessary. Judgments are mortal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Fears are formed out of a singular primary
fear that we are somehow imperfect. And yet, we fail to see that imperfect is
an imperfect word, as are all words, and therefore each and every label we
ascribe to ourselves or place on others. After all, they are all human
constructs. We are all perfect, our true selves are all perfectly spherical.
This is our destiny, and to question is normal. We need to be careful though,
not to ascertain; for it is in vain. There is a higher plane a piece of each of
us is a part of. But where do we come from?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-73375645184881580242014-02-15T14:00:00.001-08:002014-02-15T14:00:02.612-08:00Elephant Journal PublicationPlease read and share.<br />
<br />
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/02/it-is-light-joseph-treubig/<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-37937859245765432082014-02-12T15:15:00.003-08:002014-02-12T15:15:29.478-08:00Father<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Pass away moment</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Returns in memory form-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Foam drips down, bubbles from a carwash </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
I give to my loved one’s transportation-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Transporting-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Transcending time, </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Holding so much more, life that I adore</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
In her belly before </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
This memory came knocking at the door<br /> Outside of you in blacktop basketball shoes shooting jumpers-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
You were the news, everyday they don’t report-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
You were the news, the stability and support</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Every family needs-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Actions unheeded, the quiet one</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Going about his business</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Fulfilling his duties of fatherhood and husband </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Good deed after good deed</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Godspeed, day and night</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Emotions out of sight if not for the occasional outburst-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
We were okay with it, in a way it reaffirmed that you cared</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
About how we fared </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Out in the cold air,</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Filling our hearts with love </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Giving sis and I a good start, and we’ve never grown apart-</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
These are the memories stored away I won’t ever part with, of you and mom </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Unconditionally giving,</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
We all go on living, extending this family</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
That grows with tender loving care, </div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
Nurtured and nourished, as it always was</div>
<div class="yiv4178478745MsoNormal">
And will be. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-1158714063929385562014-02-12T14:40:00.002-08:002014-02-12T14:40:08.395-08:00Freedoms
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Freedoms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The leaves of tall, mortal trees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Part of the landscape of every free nation,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Part of the immortal seed)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tumble helplessly,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Withered, bitten and stained<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like good, decent men—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Loyal to the roots<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Loyal to the birth of mortality,
our humanity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Loyal to the foundation and
structure constructed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By men who came before, standing
large and proud<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though none higher than our
mortal trees <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Part of the singular deity), <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bearing many different kinds of
sweet, juicy fruit in our time,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And for tens of thousands of generations
coming before,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">History tells us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If man were lucky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He might touch,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nest, nurture and grow for
himself<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A roundish piece of ripened
unique, maybe a few—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Taste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But will man ever ask himself if
this is worth going to war for?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Does man ever ask himself <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what </i>is worth going to war for?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are all instinctual animalistic things.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What do I preserve?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What do I protect?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who do I serve?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Questions go unasked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Am I more than this influx of adrenaline?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That which I have named,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That which I have observed. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are all freed men, those standing under unwavering flags
of “justice,” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yet all we do is fight amongst ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And every season men die faster<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then leaves already falling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Come to rest at the feet of grieving widowers—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many words on the lips of men and women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unspoken. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like those in captivity having no voice, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For we must be their voice,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And yet we turn a blind eye—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is no wonder,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For we stumble in search of our own<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clumsily interrupting the peaceful silence of dark. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We cannot see clearly the very truth,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That this is no dilemma, free against free—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is illusion, a perpetual, worldwide, drama-plagued
hypocrisy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That will rot and die with the unified enactment of a single
vision:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Uniting all of man<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With freedom,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ending suspicion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Or else each tree will fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is almighty fruit of this generation <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That can spell the end for us all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-72311086422361459142014-02-12T14:34:00.003-08:002014-02-12T14:34:55.338-08:00Now and Long Before Our Time That is NowIt’s starts with a poem,<br clear="none" />Sung before the stretches of lands<br clear="none" />And all other plans for seascape and life, daylight and night<br clear="none" />Crawl into focus under brushstrokes of right intention—<br clear="none" />Slowly birthing innocence beneath the hurried scrawls of adulthood signature on <br clear="none" />Every dotted line <br clear="none" />That account for all things material, <br clear="none" />Atonement for the debts of bets lost or won, chances taken or not<br clear="none" />Other avenues of existence<br clear="none" />Possibility, potential<br clear="none" />Thoughts and ideas minds might otherwise dwell on and use<br clear="none" />To formulate worry out of past folly and mortal foible <br clear="none" />Losing sense of the present, gifting life to the nonexistent <br clear="none" />Giving up rights to speak, scurry<br clear="none" />Once we have learned to listen to the good sense of our souls<br clear="none" />And behold the power inside the chambers of heavy hearts held hostage—<br clear="none" />Golden gates open, everything else fades<br clear="none" />Worries dissipate, embracing fate fully<br clear="none" />Left with nothing to do but honor what is true. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-77314906229098008472014-01-27T12:55:00.002-08:002014-01-27T12:55:29.816-08:00It is LightIt is light. She knew not what she would write. Sitting down. She began to let life speak for itself. It is the light guiding her from birth up to this moment, the only point worth making. The freedom is light guiding he who finds there is no meaning and that he can finally go and be no one. It is light in the darkest room beneath two thin sheets where there lie a body cold, shivering, surrounded by loved ones under one roof and those outside that sleep tenderly in the night, it is light under two eye lids shut that touch the cold and the warmth both, truly, and know the second can never end; not even death has that much power. It is light that leads her light steps, heavy hurt real, honoring heart, continuing to follow the energy of soul, a path she has committed to in full. It is light, the acknowledgement of weakness. It is light, a child’s cry for her mother at night, part of each’s path. This is the mortal life beside the immortal evolution. All that hear, listen for and honor the light know these sounds well. Light does have a sound. It can be a big seashell up to your ear whooshing openness, widening eyes to cascading memories of child life by the sea. Taken away, the sound lingers still, though the body might sway, the mind, consider. It is inside of every one of us. Certainly. Certainty. Constant. The shell is just one more reminder. There is no such thing as “for no good reason” when you honor the light. It is light, not the answer, after all; there is only your true path and the off road. What is reason, after all? It is not something that guides. It is something we use. It is light shining through the crackled ground illuminating the imbalance in the soles of my feet; someplace my mind has led me to. I wouldn’t define it by labeling it good or bad. Perhaps, that is a start. Light has a warm feel, likewise, in the coldest moments. Truth is the closest word I know to describe the light I know little of, yet feel. It is light pulsing, radiating through the chambers of my chest, touching this arrhythmic heart. It is light eroding the mind’s need to define signals. It is light that disproves anything tangible, ideological, reasonable, and/or realizable as something worthy of consideration. Anything chased after is illusion, a cloaked shadow of false promises. One must only follow the light. Pursuits in line with truth naturally emerge; some will bear fruit. Things obtained along the path of light are not successes. Things lost along the path of light do not signify failure. It is light, ironically that is the only signal. We are not to assess the worthiness of our pursuits. We are not to define our lives, our thoughts, or our brethren. We are to connect to the light that is everywhere, by letting light in, and most importantly, by honoring the light inborn. It is light, the voice of our souls, to be followed. It is our duty to let the light from a higher truth shine brightest on this mortal plane.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-72348739647473018022013-12-17T18:21:00.000-08:002013-12-17T18:21:31.117-08:00Conviction<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Lie two strangers</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">In a bed together</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">What led them to this chamber?</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">She who made the bed for he</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Who bought her dinner</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Deep down under</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Left alone to wonder</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">When will the winter end?</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">When will a break of sunlight bend me back to new beginnings and will you join me?</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">When will you seem familiar?</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">When will you be my supportive pillar?</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I know you ask of me the same,</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Left alone to wonder </span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">When will this winter end?</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">When will the harsh, cold wind blow favor on us both?</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Stranger things have happened dear friend, old lover</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Two lonesome broken faces, freshly fallen snow falls upon</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Risen sun looks upon, the frozen heat between us earthly friction</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I will wish upon our star, the one WE share</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Still not understanding, but knowing you care, as I</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">To keep intact this special connection between us, silent is the music of our two souls</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">together</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Separate, from these noisy worlds of difference we both have fed</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I will wish upon our star and let the trivial starve</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I choose to live here with you</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I choose </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">to grow old with you</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">In this current state, we find ourselves</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I trust that it is fate</span></div>
<div class="yiv931803024msonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I trust we are not too late.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-91723286949517141542013-11-27T18:52:00.000-08:002013-11-27T18:52:01.188-08:00A Thanksgiving PoemThank you Brother Wind,<br />
Blowing sins, far away<br />
Thank you Mother Earth,<br />
Giving shelter, to everyone<br />
Thank you Sunshine,<br />
Keeping daughters warm long after summer's gone<br />
Thank you Nightfall,<br />
Boys come home, the war is over<br />
Every year,<br />
Every year, you reappear<br />
Run through the forest<br />
Barefoot, bleeding hearts out into open arms<br />
The flag firmly in the ground, waives nicely<br />
Welcoming everyone that gathers round-<br />
It comes with the territory<br />
This place still a mystery<br />
Still full of surprises, disguises,<br />
Jesters and wises,<br />
A place where cries out loud of all kinds are allowed<br />
A place where soft, little lullabies can soothe a crowd<br />
And erase fakeness<br />
Saying bye bye to the fraud in us all<br />
Returning us all to grace after the fall <br />
For the higher stuff we ought to laud<br />
We rally, applaud<br />
United<br />
Hailing<br />
"Twenty four seven<br />
Earthen is heaven<br />
Authentically picking up the pieces<br />
Giving lives longer leases<br />
We live more,"<br />
Delivering us from the yearlong need to deceive<br />
Interweaving and succeeding at new, truer hellos<br />
The tone, a modest bellow<br />
We, the proud are mellow<br />
And "We eat together, today<br />
Move together, in the same way<br />
The message is clearly on display,"<br />
Appreciation,<br />
Thanks,<br />
Gratitude and romance<br />
In the good times we share,<br />
In the bad times we will care for one another,<br />
God made us this way today, amen.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-77005307351584233362013-11-26T14:03:00.001-08:002013-11-26T14:03:44.629-08:00Nature Observes
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He walks along the pathway<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a thoughtful way <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As if to say<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So what it’s only rain—<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The buds of bare tree tips <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Refrain from growth and coolly quip<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How light the </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Moisture drip—<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hardened ground <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Absorbs the pound<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Without so much as a peep</i>,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Noting consistency in sound<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All around<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coming from the streets,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peppered with ice, snow and sleet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Soft and weathered by the wayward sheets—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rain sleekly freezes over<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Begins to cover<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a second’s time, an earlier sentiment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rebirthing trust in the name <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We give to the end of every year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Elemental observance erasing fear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Believing in the old familiar signs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As they appear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-3638081129843061572013-11-23T03:58:00.000-08:002013-11-23T03:58:15.293-08:00The Beating Heart of Here<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a story<br /> In no hurry <br /> See like <span class="yiv1819559474yshortcuts">allegory</span><br /> World making meaning<br /> Keep believing<br /> In the feelings as they scurry<br /> To the bee bop skit scattering <br /> Sound <br /> Life all around<br /> Running rain drops through<br /> Suspension<br /> Of light </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Still frames' bright</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Smiles, not in a whiles</span><br />
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Layaway, for the dreary days </span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Undisguised</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Time how it flies<br /> Sights, these snippets<br /> Delight, in every tidbit</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Soft, in every sense of singing</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Each and every</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Happy, sad</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Somber, glad song</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">As each and every one comes along</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">As each and every one does belong</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">As all are allowed to flow </span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Without defining the knowing inside</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Of something deeper within resting</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Still, that cannot be described</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Where truth cannot hide, forever</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Within the peaks and valleys of different frequencies</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Embedded in the core, always something more </span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Bringing back stranded versions to shore</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Without fail,</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Right way breath set sail for the next</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Inhale, there are things we do control</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">The evolution of our souls</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Exhale, the world is a tossup</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">That never lets up<br />Don't let the teardrops, sneer stopping jeers, reappearing fears<br /> Here, hold you hostage</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Rather,<br />Clap to the energy</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Allow for synergy<br /> Open the cage up<br /> Each and every one</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Emotion<br />Feel Her light rays <br /> Of energy<br /> Lift you up in levity<br /> So that you are free, do not become what you see<br />For yours is a story<br /> In no hurry<br /> Reads like allegory<br /> Grounded by the sights and sounds of all around<br /> Bound to nothing<br /> It is glory,</span></div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">The beating heart of here. </span></div>
</span><div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="yiv1819559474MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"></span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-23762101367675725842013-11-20T16:46:00.001-08:002013-11-20T16:46:59.258-08:00Closer to the TruthHis pride is gone<br />
His eyes are dry,<br />
Who is this guy <br />
And does he come or go along <br />
Unconscious of his leaving?<br />
What tricks are up his sleeve?<br />
Does he believe or self deceive?<br />
The sentiment of bereavement<br />
Brought his heart into the present<br />
For all along his mind hath been repentant<br />
For the past part of him slithering off a serpent, never enough<br />
Backdrop to a third eye now fully open-<br />
All the while<br />
Not until now, without guile<br />
Recoiling in horror<br />
Taking cover<br />
In the unapologetic truth<br />
Of ruthless, couth emerging energy<br />
Of this manly stand<br />
That decides <br />
And weighs decisions<br />
Without fearing the future patchwork incisions<br />
Without needling with suspicion his own indecision-<br />
Rather, nurtures with patience<br />
Taking down the gates that fence in the self pressuring with self prophesizing demands<br />
No longer holding onto former plans<br />
And pipe dreams<br />
That like jail bait weights have shackled <br />
Not allowing for new free form to pick up steam,<br />
A side narrative slowly molding into<br />
Once upon a time a charming lad<br />
A bad caricature for the outside world <br />
To see<br />
And make a mockery of<br />
Someone less than a man sitting behind bars<br />
He himself locked up by the self deceit of scars<br />
Running through error with an empty heart,<br />
With an unfastened, frenzied mind, no longer<br />
For here stands a man<br />
That does not fabricate hope<br />
Nor falsify<br />
That does not laugh at life's greatest treasure<br />
From the loitered dust sparsely glittered with childish notion<br />
That has kept him holding onto<br />
Historically repetitive antics<br />
Desperately frantic <br />
Follow up <br />
Self deprecation<br />
Out of fashion,<br />
Here stands a man, now in season<br />
Picking up the pieces, seeing<br />
Glittering his life<br />
Feeling the <br />
Magic in his soul. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-90313362011656890472013-11-14T16:37:00.000-08:002013-11-14T16:43:29.445-08:00MuscleI lead with my heart,
<br />
The writer inside of me
<br />
No longer asks, “Is this art?” <br />
I lead with my heart,
<br />
The lover inside of me
<br />
No longer looks for the start,
<br />
Passion is the blood flow
<br />
That does not question—
<br />
I lead with my heart,
<br />
Submit to the transmission of truth, the only judge
<br />
I welcome this guidance,
<br />
Like those that lead with their hearts!
<br />
My heroes
<br />
Inspire
<br />
Inspiration from within comes on as
<br />
The secretion of inessential urges <br />
My heart to swell, beating louder
<br />
Slowly overcoming a heavy head used to speaking first—
<br />
My mind listens, all ears and no fear
<br />
Chambered muscle unshackling from the wear and tear of weighty overthought,
<br />
Together strengthening aura, softening
<br />
Surrounding the resounding sound of clear being inside of me now,
<br />
A truthful coo,
<br />
“This is me and
<br />
I Iove you for you.”
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-13234678903223880282013-11-14T14:36:00.001-08:002013-11-14T14:40:17.374-08:00Journal Article for School: How Do We Learn?The general movement of a learning community is upward. Otherwise, it is not a learning community. An individual can only learn so much on his or her own, in the absence of community. I like to think of all learners, myself included, as gradual ascenders up an imagined, “knowledge mountain”, open space for exploration on either side. Along the mountain’s path there are checkpoints, that to us signify successful completion of something tangible; in this example, all coursework specific to the content of a single class, 11th Grade ELA, for a given year. Along the way, learners may have to backtrack, if unable to demonstrate understanding of one or more crucial competencies; for upward trek, is, in these instances, contingent upon mastery. Occasionally, learners should be encouraged to reflect on ground already covered. This too, serves a purpose, easing the process of instructional scaffolding. Every step of the way, learners should have an open window opportunity for looking out over the horizon; scanning, touching, breathing, hearing, speaking the “space” communities “create,” with all five of their senses; allowing for the unbridled exchange of alternate perspectives regarding how we make sense of information as it is gathered and presented; some perspectives, of which, may drastically impact early learners’ growing, shifting, shaping voices the world will eventually come to know. The ELA instructor should select longer texts that ALL students can connect to, regardless of cultural, economic and social background. There are texts that fit the criterion: texts with clear cut universal themes anyone can relate to. Longer texts are not the end all be all for in-class instruction. Novels, rather, are “foundation layers”. The ideal classroom novel becomes a medium, allowing different minds, eyes, ears, and voices to come together in likeness, and discuss amongst themselves what brought them here, to this point in time. Commonality is a threadwork for unity, paving the way for open dialogue with respect to inherent differences; that allows for true growth and upward mobility in both traditional and nontraditional ways. To grow as learners in a communal setting, students must first come together. Supplemental texts and visual materials can be anything and everything on either side of the mountain, connecting back to the foundational text of the novel itself. This type of thought processes empowers students. By validating all students’ current knowledge, teachers encourage their students to go out and search for more. Students bring up other books and articles they have read that make them think of a particular part of the novel, maybe a side narrative, one of the major themes, or turning points. Students draw upon their extensive knowledge of movies, television shows and music lyrics, making connections. The learning community welcomes all of these artifacts as worthy supplements to the unit. Teachers also come forward and share (articles, videos, paintings, poems) supplemental resources, that perhaps, open students’ eyes to historically marginalized alternate viewpoints, with respect to the given theme, idea, or movement under examination. The hope, to open students’ hearts and minds up to the endless possibilities out in the world, and to inspire in them, the drive to look, is what keeps teachers going. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-12532553938642232552013-11-11T16:24:00.000-08:002013-11-13T07:42:24.754-08:00The Seasons and We ChangeI'm no better than anyone else,<br />
I just want to better myself,<br />
Save the judgments for some higher power,<br />
Create or die trying<br />
Breathe authenticity in<br />
Every breath<br />
Stand up right where I stand<br />
When I'm someplace true and have to,<br />
Sit and listen like the wind, quietly moving with the elements of conversation,<br />
Attuned to the stations of others' hopes and dreams<br />
Needs and good deeds<br />
With the ease and speed<br />
Of steady patience,<br />
Like a quarter turn<br />
Maintaining equilibrium inside<br />
Between life here on Earth lived <br />
And past life otherworld experience <br />
Up to this very point in time,<br />
Resting, as the autumn leaves of every color do,<br />
Each their own emotion<br />
Every one so beautiful and true<br />
And full of everything that there is,<br />
Fill the streets<br />
Come to meet other streets<br />
These leaves<br />
Pile up in front yards <br />
Where children leap for joy,<br />
Adults rake until their backs grow sore<br />
Just as our forefathers bent over backwards<br />
To give us the gift of a new world <br />
As we watched theirs grow old, as all worlds do<br />
But never these quarter changes,<br />
Always fresh in their every time of year,<br />
All of us enlivened by the kickoff spirit of new season<br />
No one passing judgment<br />
Everyone passing time<br />
As time gives us a pass, for now<br />
To live in harmony<br />
To be humble in our own authenticity<br />
To see clearly others as they are<br />
Near or from afar<br />
Our difference is our similitude<br />
And we are all together<br />
In these divergences. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-49851425071543874712013-11-09T18:21:00.002-08:002013-11-09T18:21:13.914-08:00A Deeper Love
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A
Deeper Love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It happens so fast. The labyrinth with
twists and turns, doorways, some half open, others blocked off entirely, some
frozen over after years of neglect, tingles with life. We step outside and look
through the ice. We are the captain of our ship, not unlike any other captain in
this way. What we see is as follows: natural light, to the point where it
begins to hurt our head. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It flashes like
artificial lights hanging from the sides and ceiling of an old battle ship
might if there was an announcement to be made. We take it as a warning. We have
forgotten that we have but one pulse. We start to remember past parts of our
heart, grown cold. The sensations overwhelm us all at once. We think, this is
it. But where to begin? We do not immediately find an answer. We are innately
aware on some level of the fact that we might not ever. Is there a starting
point inside the mind to hide the things we cannot let go of from the person
that we love? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Giving love is not receiving love
and how do we do it? The snow inside the labyrinth begins to melt on its own. We
do not pay this very much mind. We just smile and walk through these old,
familiar entrance points once more accessible. We re-familiarize ourselves with
the maze. We think that it is love at our doorsteps. Those of us that have
known love before find it easier to know when it comes knocking again. No two
loves are ever the same; a strange, exciting, threatening phenomena. We praise the
immense strength of this power in our presence and cherish the person we have
fallen in love with as much as our heart and theirs will allow, for the time we
are in love. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The magic of in love is a fade out
fact of all romantic relationships. Some end upon the emergence of this very
truth. Others soar to new heights, because they first are willing to dive into
great depths, trusting, entirely, in the love of another person and their love
for that person. Two people in love that trust in the phenomena that is love give
one another a chance to experience love in its deepest sense. Love between two
people that began as strangers and have come to know one another and accept one
another in full is the only true love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Often, one person might see something
in the other that the person didn’t ever know or dare to look at prior to their
union. Love is without trial. When we put either ourselves or our lover on
trial for something that cannot be changed we break the covenant. If we have an
opportunity to touch the bottom of an ocean, do we take the chance? Do we<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> really</i> take a chance? Or are we already
looking for the next beach after the shoreline shifts and we see things for
what they really are? There are rocks in every person’s ocean. Not one person
is above or below any other in this way. Can we sit with the rocks? If we
cannot, they will sink us. When we look to the sky it should be with wings to
fly. When we accept everything that cannot be changed inside of ourselves and
inside of our lover everything is within reach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two souls that start with the magic
of in love idealism can keep the candle lit, and let it shine brighter than
ever before, with simple, compassionate, open, unapologetic honesty, after the wizardry
has worn off. Real love needs only two willing, willful souls that are in love.
No one needs to fix anything. Once the natural light inside the labyrinth has
steadied and the mind has grown used to the added warmth from a loved and
loving heart there are still certain doors that remain closed. What is inside
is who we are, on a subconscious level. It should stay there where it belongs.
For true love is always conscious; nothing more, and nothing less. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-28286879470249792442013-11-08T14:59:00.002-08:002013-11-09T15:21:38.081-08:00A Song for Those of Us Loyal to the Starving Artist In Us AllEvery winter we return,<br />
Your wisdom setting in<br />
A sun, that burns<br />
A little less bright<br />
For a little less time—<br />
We reminisce, the<br />
Crowds get smaller,<br />
Outdoors a bigger<br />
Other number<br />
Flashes <br />
In crooked neon lights—<br />
Spite-filled eyes tonight—<br />
Light up this city,<br />
Light up this city,<br />
Backs’ turned to you,<br />
A moon howls back,<br />
Specters entering,<br />
A new day dawns,<br />
A sacrificial fawn,<br />
You always did it the same <br />
Until your heart fades out<br />
You always did it the same<br />
Until your heart fades out<br />
The band played on <br />
You went ahead<br />
We all moved on—<br />
Let’s pick up the pieces,<br />
Let’s pick up the pieces, on your birthday<br />
Together we’ll say that<br />
We’ll stay a while<br />
For old times sake,<br />
Talk about the big break<br />
That’s coming,<br />
The next gig,<br />
Soon,<br />
Sometime, maybe <br />
Yea?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-636141377670984082013-10-21T18:32:00.001-07:002013-10-21T18:32:00.190-07:00Without ShameWe do not say we are sorry<br />For size and stature,<br />We do not fracture a single limb<br />So that we can climb up higher, <br />Heaven is a beatitude of Nature’s daily grace,<br />We rise up tall and proud, stand still<br />As trees<br />Do not compete <br />Or feel the need to defeat <br />Any kind, as we all are kin—<br />If we sin<br />We say that we are sorry, for we are mortal<br />And it is the eternal Wind that blows these seeds in every which way—<br />Who are we to question<br />These gifts bestowed to us and those that aren’t ours given to others in our likeness?<br />Let that be the lesson,<br />Let us learn <br />To foster firmness of inner grounding<br />For it is the founding <br />On which we can finally rest<br />Our stretched out limbs and display these vibrant leaves of true beauty—<br />Let us come to know, with certainty<br />That it is this <br />And only this<br />That leads <br />To the sprout up of more tiny, little seeds of magic<br />That need only reach out and touch the source of all enchantment, before realizing their own—<br />An innate oath<br />Trees nurturing growth<br />Take seriously:<br />Feeling the upward pull of downward root<br />Between the soot of lineal ghosts<br />Coursing through the hardened hosts of communal soul that comes with age,<br />We feed the strength of perpetual, collective being that sits in meditation underground,<br />Pumping life into every vein, <br />Easing stirs in the windy misdirect of inner whispers inside of saplings not yet fully themselves,<br />When we are still and standup tall and proud<br />And do not say that we are sorry, for truth<br />We represent ourselves in full, individually and collectively<br />Providing shade where it is needed,<br />Allowing for the sitting seeds to come unseated,<br />Standup, tall and proud, <br />Defeat fear all by themselves and proclaim, with all their might<br />Their rights <br />To birth<br />Unearth <br />Self worth<br />And let in light.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-25168593614180284432013-09-29T09:25:00.003-07:002013-09-29T09:25:41.378-07:00Preemptive Education Lecture Reflection
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maxine Greene, Megan McDermott Lecture<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What a pleasure to attend such an
inspiring event! A lot was discussed by the panelists in a short while. In
addition, there were young poets displaying their unique talents to the room.
In freely expressing themselves, by creating their own verse, having their own
rhythm, and meter, these poets embodied the kickoff’s clear message: students
that tune in to their own unique frequencies and inner feelings, and then share
these perceptions, allow for others to build on and or find their own set of
beliefs, and enable them to make sense of their world (paraphrasing Dr.
Greene). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The lecture had a magnificent
impact on my thought processes in the days to follow. I found myself writing
poetry the next day while on my lunch break: a freeing and cleansing exercise,
in and of itself. However, while I have always felt that way about creative
writing in general, I will admit, in my many conversations with friends,
family, students and colleagues, I seem to be in the minority. Perhaps I could
never adequately articulate why the arts are so important, most notably in the
mental and spiritual sense. This is where Dr. Greene comes in, and why I feel so
blessed to have been in attendance. She helps put into words what all poets
feel. That there is no such thing as good or bad poetry (that all of it is
good) as long as it comes from the heart. That poetry is a medium with the
capacity to hold feeling and emphasis. That poetic words go beyond didactic
meaning. That poetry is an aesthetic response to the outside world that can overcome
aloofness and pacificity and allow for tangible change through the communal
voice of individuals seeking to better and improve the externality of our
existence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the pedagogical sense, the
lecture opened my senses up to, yet again (pfffff), the question we, as
educators ask ourselves over and over again: How do we bring out the voices of
our students? Leave it to a room of poets to sweep everyone up off their feet
feeling elated, everyone exiting the lecture on cloud nine, but no one with any
clear direction as a means to sustaining that high. This was the one thing I
found the lecture to be lacking in: specificity. However, in thinking about it
more, that is kind of the message, and also where preemptive education enters
the classroom. Maxine Greene says she “welcomes ambiguity,” and that she “hates
fixed anwers.” One of the questions asked in response was, “How do we teach
that to students, when the school system only wants to test us?” There is no
clear distinct answer to this question in my opinion. If we are asking our
students to find themselves, we as teachers need to do the same, and do it
quick, before students get used to responding in a way that is strictly what
they think we want to hear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I go back to the original message
of the lecture: that by tuning in to our unique frequencies we allow for others
to do the same. In the practical sense, we as teachers can be ourselves, first
and foremost. Also, we can design lessons that focus more on upfront individual,
student interpretation of the coursework and text, before honing in on
conventional or accepted beliefs surrounding an idea or theme. This paves the
way for assessment, more in terms of reflection and analysis, rather than
relying strictly on rote and recall. There is a critical connection for students
and teachers at every turn, readily accessible, assessment checkpoints for
teachers, built-in to this formulaic approach, as students are allowed to first
develop their sense of perception, and then hold that up to the canonical
interpretation and either challenge, agree, or meet somewhere in between. You truly
can allow students to learn on their own; as Megan McDermott said, it is our
primary duty as educators “to create space for children with a vision to do
THEIR best work,” and also believe they will arrive where they need to be in
the end, to pass our tests, but also end up at a place of individual
understanding, and come to make sense of what these exams and rubrics really
signify, rather than having their entire scholastic existence revolve around
what they have been told by teachers that come to fear the test. That is preemptive
education: doing something to make a change for the better, before it is too
late. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-87953429155162533292013-09-28T10:54:00.000-07:002013-09-28T10:54:03.310-07:00PoetryPoetry to me is<br />The best things in life are<br />Free as the wind,<br />To run-on like the<br />Ins and outs of the inside shouts<br />Do spread—<br />Souls, <br />Innocent and free<br />Like four month old foals’ guiltless folly,<br />Beyond the breakers that turn to plains inside the brains<br />Of little, Plain Janes and Average Joe beaus and other young women of land and sea<br />Who splay out dreams <br />With their net eyes’ <br />Vision of catch and release,<br />Transpose and disguise<br />Fishes and wishes of fishermen dishing out fresh, <br />Raw <br />Curvature<br />With every cast <br />Of shadow and light—<br />Doling out life,<br />Law<br />In overture <br />As the wind<br />Freely forms illusion,<br />The entire scene <br />Beneath the breakers, below the barge<br />Beyond the naked eye, more stretches of land,<br />A most, masterful confusion—<br />Running after foals,<br />Swimming with the shoals,<br />Soaring through the open sky,<br />Beyond the Heavens, below the Earth<br />Where between the lines<br />There is only<br />This <br />________________.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-3702712104999953252013-09-20T14:39:00.003-07:002013-09-20T14:39:39.955-07:00Oneness
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s all on you,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You know what you must
do</i>,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tiny cues, collectively, like inner ear whispers from the
brain growing you up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Telling you to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">get
going</i>, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Throwing you into the toss around<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every man for himself<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Churning the engine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Screeching out in sound<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Riding along on this merry go round<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Screaming at the body collecting signals<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Heart, the home<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boarded up with shingles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Melding, hardening with <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every little pang to the gut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shock to the skin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sledgehammer to the head,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back spasm—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spastic inelastic ideas of soldiers at war<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attacking your core<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Matching the physical, aging stubborn mind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Toughen up at any cost</i>
thoughts serve to remind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Until the sound of spirit becomes muffled<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And everything you are gets lost in the shuffle,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forgetting family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forgetting friends<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Losing touch with love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And the helping hands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The bonds you have and hold dear to your hear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not knowing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">where to
turn</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not knowing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how to
start<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All over again</i>,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Feeling alone and hopeless,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The needle and the yarn back to recovery in the weak,
shivering hands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That seamless threads of illogic govern<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like a dream gone bad in <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Standstill, the self stranded<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Troops disbanded<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overrun with fear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A deer in headlights<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You appear to the bright white<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stepping outside for a moment,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking in the footsteps frozen over from just before that
were forgotten,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seeing the others’ imprints,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Feeling the cold win blow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Smelling a bonfire burn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Somewhere off in the distance, coyote howls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Savoring the berries of winter,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coming to know again<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Truth and sense <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By virtue of the sensory,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The door always open,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To portal you back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-8685169846973001292013-09-17T18:26:00.002-07:002013-09-17T18:28:39.654-07:00Focused<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
In response to the suspicion of these seven deadly,</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Lyrical sweet medley,</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
In every color</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Balance beam walking dream visions</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Above the debauchery and derisions,</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Be you part undercurrent flail about nightmare</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Fattened by the many stares</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
That scoff at your share?</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
By rejecting the flares and self indulgent fares</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Of those that inhabit your Earth, this dirtied receptacle</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
That pays dearly for their spectacles </div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
In many ways</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
As you count down the days</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Tightrope tippy toe slow</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Wide open plain stroll without care</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
To climb up the ladder,</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Chew on your fodder, </div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
“But hey, you idiots, this is America!”</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Have ye no shame , </div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Have ye no inner honorable flame</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Be it famine or fame,</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
Squeaky clean surface or stain,</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
“How can you just stand there, </div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
We’re all going to die!”</div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
<i>They wrote it on their hands as kids,</i></div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
<i>Let it roll around,</i></div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
<i>And when that day finally came,</i></div>
<div class="yiv1826893500MsoNormal">
<i>Grace in the face of endless fire, reborn. </i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-53223283993569500032013-09-10T14:58:00.001-07:002013-09-10T14:58:40.421-07:00Education Journal EntryThere is a lot to think about in and around the world of teaching today. Diverse contexts have always existed. However, in recent years there has been more public awareness than ever before on the nature of these contexts and the implications therein. Administrative bodies and teachers are now turning their attention to the full scope of diversity and the widely-varied, stratified representations of the student populace, in which many grey areas do exist. As such, there is an increased need for a constructivist approach to teaching; the learning is hands-on, discovery, experiential and task-based, and is employed to bolster the acquisition of knowledge and to encourage the emergence of student identity.
What exactly is knowledge? It is hard to put your finger on it. It comes in many forms. We KNOW that standardized tests, state and national education boards will never recognize or emphasize the importance of each and every variant. We SUSPECT that administrative bodies are primarily concerned with measurable data as a means for sectionalizing the masses and fitting students into neat, little sub-categories to feed our American need to measure, compare and contrast.
It is certainly true that test scores and conventional methods of assessment are relevant data teachers can use. However, before data, there comes the students themselves. Teachers and parents see students as comprising our youth: bright-eyed and hopeful, exhibiting qualities and talents from time to time that are unique and special, difficult to quantify by any set of standards. And yet, teachers are told to assess in a very specific way, most of the time. It is part of their job. So the question becomes, how do we encourage the development of student talent(s) that fall outside the range of the conventionally assessable?
There is an entwining of ideas here. As we come to realize the plethora of grey areas of diversity and the vastness and openness of the “contextual field,” in which anything tangible today is plotted, we better understand knowledge, as the elusive immeasurable. Essentially, it is the field. Some of it is visible, though much of it is hidden away in the brush, underground, etc. Teachers need to do their best to bring this knowledge out into the open so that it can grow and manifest into something tangible. The only way for teachers to do that is to better understand the students themselves. A constructivist approach allows for this, if teacher participation is dual, in that they both facilitate and engage in the way a student would, as a learner.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-70211531890237646372013-09-05T11:05:00.003-07:002013-09-05T11:05:37.026-07:00A Writer's ResponseWriters see everything. There is always much to discuss, too much, in fact, after something has just happened. And yet, the writer is quiet, as everywhere else, all around, there is outcry. He or she is in need of time; to ingest and process. Writers tell their stories to themselves inside of their heads over and over again as they reflect and revise, reviewing past occurrences, conjuring up fantastical forward thinking possibilities that are endless, forming loose associations with their own present perspective, that can be all encompassing, though not necessarily reactive or related to any facts that have been presented that are relevant to the story at hand. Their minds are simultaneously keen and hazy, as thought after thought after thought passes through. Mature writers tells their stories only to themselves at first, for they have failed too many times before, in speaking them; a waste of good energy. Often, embarrassing, too. It is a writer’s hope that he or she will hold onto the vigor of occurrence, harness, redirect and infuse life into a work of art, that you might read and enjoy. <i>Something has just happened.</i> In those first moments to follow, writers will not know what form their story will take, only that there is a story there, one worth being told. That is why the immediate, responsive, verbal conveyance of subject matter at hand for writers first, speakers second, is rarely eloquent, and often disjointed. The story is not yet eloquent to the writer; the mind, laden with imagery; snippets of occurrence and light speed possibility, flashing. The subject matter is not yet clear. <i>Readers, please standby for abridged version. </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6821438131524937588.post-71198358008147156132013-08-23T07:01:00.000-07:002013-09-08T11:18:01.425-07:00Complexly SimpleYou respond<br />
I respond<br />
In kind we are<br />
To react<br />
To counteract<br />
Untactful<br />
Emotional misunderstandings<br />
Crash course landings<br />
Lacking in comprehension<br />
Like a pilot without his guide<br />
Allied with<br />
Innocence<br />
Unseated<br />
Unsettled<br />
Mistreated<br />
Disheveled<br />
Blameless and bedeviled<br />
Bewildered<br />
Shivering out sadness<br />
Sweating out anger<br />
Dragging out the dreary, somber thoughts<br />
Built up out of nothing<br />
For longer than it needs to be<br />
Just now beginning to see<br />
We are different,<br />
Each of us, unique<br />
Beautiful<br />
There is never bleakness<br />
Only blurred lines that led us in fear to feel the steepness<br />
Of that plateau we each climbed all by ourselves to get to this very point in time,<br />
You up one side,<br />
Me from the other,<br />
And here we are together, overlooking<br />
Ocean down below<br />
As equals, hand in hand<br />
As partners, in flight<br />
The coastline in our sights<br />
A place where dreams really do come true,<br />
Who knew all we really had to do was put this all behind us,<br />
Easier said than done, but we're doing it<br />
Learning<br />
That intention is not understanding<br />
Knowing<br />
The latter comes in time if we are not too demanding<br />
Landing peacefully,<br />
Settling back into ourselves,<br />
Fully into us,<br />
The best time of our lives. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04138366000508680817noreply@blogger.com0