To Hold the Heft of Your Words in My Hands
OK. I Confess: I’m afraid I won’t live long enough To hold in my wrinkled hands A nasturtium-colored book entitled The Collected Writings of Bella Levenshteyn (v. 1, much less v.1-7) But on the bright side…
Month: February 2015
Face to Face
“If only we could see ourselves through the eyes of the people who adore us…” –Courtney Barrett, Improv Wisdom Writing class, Spring 2014 You Right now Are deeply present Blessing me I Right now Am…
Nicaraguan Slogans from Yesteryear
“Che lives in our consciences” “Long live Father Camilo Torres” “Free Homeland or Death” “Sandino means liberty forever” –from Marc Zimmerman et al., Nicaragua in Revolution: The Poets Speak
De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum
It’s true There’s no cottage industry feeding off of your collected poems There aren’t 15 young scholars writing dissertations from various disciplines on your life and work There’s not been a single academic conference on…
So What
Dear Srimatiji So what if David Harvey’s Marxist analysis is verified by each day’s dispiriting news? “Full effort is full victory.” So what if the interlocking system of oppressions appears stronger with each passing month?…
With Anandamayi Ma at Gelateria
for Dr. Amy Afanasevich After meditating way past midnight I went to my mat and fell asleep And soon in a dream Sri Anandamayi Ma and I are having a tête-à-tête She looks mid-twenties She is…
Why Didn’t I Think of This Before? (The Answer Will Be Right There in Your Heart)
You have this huge decision to make There’s this stellar opportunity And that challenging path and six more besides Sure, you could consult the Jesuits With those time-honored techniques of discernment And maybe you’re headed…
Going for Broke
I had been pushed as far as I could stand to be pushed and decided that I would have to know once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a…
The Roles That Made It Possible
Neither superhuman nor subhuman Neither God Nor animal Nor monster. But always simply Additional kinds of humans: The bomb droppers The capo The body burners The throat slashers The exterminators in the forest The scalpers…
I Love Self-Righteous People!
Dear Bella Levenshteyn I’m astounded on a daily basis: The hand-written letters I receive From dear ones via the USPS!!! In my circle of near and far-flung friends We are keeping alive this art form…