Category: Our Heroic and Ceaseless 24/7 Struggle against Tsuris

If Only It Were So

6 North Coffee Corner of Sarah and Laclede Coming in from a windy day Sitting in a booth Magan Wiles across from me Our eyes meet The wheels start turning The words come tumbling

364 Other Days

People think they are making a big contribution by voting But don’t forget—a year has 364 other days: To come together face to face To get to know each other To name the problems that…

Before Class (Waking Up 101)

In the School of Revolutionary Mindfulness When students arrive early to class No I-Phones  are anywhere to be seen In the minutes before class begins Students and teacher are sitting Breathing calmly and smiling

To Do List/73

To cling not to the horrible (“Ach, my suffering, it’s so terrible… Have I told you about it this week?”) To cling not to the beautiful (“Damn! That takes my breath away!”) To light my…

Now/here Man

You said, “I don’t seem to fit anywhere” I can relate to that— Fourteen years teaching at the university as a statusless adjunct No tenure No bulging curriculum vitae full of books, articles, papers, conferences,…

Three Poems by Hồ Chí Minh

Advice to Oneself Without the cold and desolation of winter There could not be the warmth and splendor of spring. Calamity has tempered and hardened me, And turned my mind to steel.

Thơ

Little Sister At the end of our lesson At the Bread Co on South Grand You gave me a simple assignment: “Write a four-line poem in Vietnamese” You came to this country at age eight…