tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58542505099310895762024-02-19T22:59:26.406-08:00MOTHEROOT MusingsMaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-26857974083741427682012-06-26T12:05:00.000-07:002012-06-26T12:05:11.609-07:00<br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I just updated my FB account to
add a FB business page for my writing and workshop facilitation businesses. If
this interests you, please visit: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarySaracinoWriterWorkshopFacilitator"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">https://www.facebook.com/MarySaracinoWriterWorkshopFacilitator</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
and “Like” the page. </span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-3582716797771974962011-11-02T13:08:00.000-07:002011-11-02T13:08:51.068-07:00<br />
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<b><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">October Snow<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">© 2011 Mary Saracino<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">The thick, wet snow </span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">burdens </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;">the boughs</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">of startled maple trees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">the menacing visitor arrived <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">unexpectedly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">bearing its unseasonably early
gifts;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">in the front yard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">the smallest tree, once splendid
in its flaming glory<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">blushes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">unable to conceal</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">its naked </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;">soul</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">its delicate leafless limbs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">no longer able to hide <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">its longing <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">for summer sun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">for nesting birds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">for languid days of <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a;">endless desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-48527493097913906122011-09-23T08:42:00.000-07:002011-09-23T08:42:23.809-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Autumnal Equinox</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">© 2011 Mary Saracino</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Red maple leaves<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">sail through the crisp morning air</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">returning their brilliant</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">cargo to the waiting lap of earth</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">they kiss the soil</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">goodbye</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">& bear the darkness</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">of winter’s biding time</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">saying farewell to</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">summer’s heat &</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">blazing sun </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">equal parts </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">hope & death</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">this day, this equinox, a reminder:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">all that rots </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">returns</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">renewed</span></span></div>
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MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-4912813152833578832011-09-07T10:44:00.000-07:002011-09-07T10:44:36.781-07:00MOTHEROOT Memoir Writing WorkshopI'm teaching a memoir writing workshop in Central Denver on Saturday, October 15th. Check out the attached flyer for more info.<br />
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Here's a brief overview:<span lang="en-US" style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;"><br /><br />You don’t have to be a celebrity to write a memoir. Everyone has a story to tell because everyone’s life is touched by poignant events and memorable experiences. The birth of your first child. The day you got married. The valuable lessons your parents taught you or the story of their lives. That trip that changed your life forever. The day you were diagnosed with cancer. <br /><br />For less than the cost of a month’s worth of Starbucks lattes you can learn how to fine-tune an idea, develop your story, and craft a first draft version of a compelling memoir that showcases your personal experiences. No previous writing experience necessary.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-size: 18pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">Saturday, </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 18pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;"><span dir="ltr"></span>10/15</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size: 18pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">; 9:00 AM-1:00 PM; </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: green; font-size: 18pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">Central Denver<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size: 18pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 18pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">Fee:</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size: 18pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;"> </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: green; font-size: 18pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">$85; </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">Buddy Discount: </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: green; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">Enroll with a friend; pay only $80/person</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bUyGo9fEyoY/TmesNDlXQQI/AAAAAAAAABU/OWD6dwuJQjM/s1600/Motheroot_2011_Classes_Flyer_MEMOIR_WRITING_WORKSHOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bUyGo9fEyoY/TmesNDlXQQI/AAAAAAAAABU/OWD6dwuJQjM/s320/Motheroot_2011_Classes_Flyer_MEMOIR_WRITING_WORKSHOP.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Reserve your place by October 1st</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Email: </span></strong><a href="mailto:marysar1004@msn.com"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">marysar1004@msn.com</span></strong></a>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-28365855442023647122011-09-06T13:09:00.000-07:002011-09-06T13:09:41.798-07:00Donna Henes, The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife<span style="font-family: "CaslonBookBE-Regular", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: CaslonBookBE-Regular;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0YIRrhJ0TIQ/TmZ8wfM03II/AAAAAAAAABM/_KcVatiMeIA/s1600/queenofmyselfhenes%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0YIRrhJ0TIQ/TmZ8wfM03II/AAAAAAAAABM/_KcVatiMeIA/s320/queenofmyselfhenes%255B1%255D.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Donna Henes’ ground-breaking book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife</span></i>, is now available in e-book format from Amazon.com and other places. Part mid-life training manual, part middle-age manifesto, this powerful book is a clarion call for clarity and courage as we face and transform what it means to be a middle aged woman in the world, today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Though many of us are no longer occupying our childbearing/child-rearing role, we haven’t yet reached the level of wise elder. In that in-between realm, Henes invites us to claim our sovereignty, embrace our Queendom and assume our rightful agency. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">From the very first page, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Queen of My Self </span></i>rings true. Cultivated in the soil of authentic, first-hand experience, Henes writes (and speaks) with unabashed honesty. Forthright, humorous, tender and inspiriting, this book will enliven your soul and hasten your determination to be the best you can be. It will inspire you to reclaim every remnant of your soul that might have been misplaced, lost, or stolen during your journey from girlhood to womanly maturity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Henes draws upon her more than 30 years of experience as an internationally recognized urban shaman, writer, and artist. She’s led countless celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies and she’s written numerous books and articles. In short, she’s been around the proverbial block a few times, and because she has, she possesses a wealth of embodied knowledge, which she so generously shares with us in this remarkable book. Her stories are as delightful as they are instructive. Her anecdotes are poignant and real. Her hope is boundless and her keen ability to tell it like it is, is refreshing and empowering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She writes: “I offer my services as the advance scout.” And, any woman lingering in the shadows between self-doubt and self-reclamation should heed her offer, for she encourages each of us to become the “mature monarch, the sole sovereign” of our own life and destiny. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As the book unfolds, you’ll learn about Henes’ story and the stories of other women, throughout time and from many different societies, situations, and stations, who’ve crossed the challenging river of transformation to created rich, daring and dynamic lives. Henes intersperses folklore,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">poetry, myth, practical suggestions, exercises, affirmations, celebrations, rituals,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">and invocations to create a must-read handbook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Whether you’re just entering the middle years of your life or have fully and unequivocally arrived in that grand land of opportunity, the Queen archetype is a perfect fit for the 21<sup>st</sup> century woman. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As Henes’ notes, the Queen is “Not yet old, yet no longer young, She is a regal Queen standing in Her proper place—after the Mother and before the Crone in No Woman’s Land. She plants Her flag and claims Her space in this previously uncharted midlife territory. Still active and sexy, vital with the enthusiasm and energy of youth, the Queen is tempered with the hard-earned experience and leavening attitudes of age.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Get ready to savor this gem of a book. Then toss out any of the outdated ideas of how you thought a middle age woman was supposed to act, feel, or live her life. Crown yourself Queen, not just for the day, but for the rest of your precious, splendid life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">For further information about Donna Henes’s work or to request a calendar of</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">upcoming events, a list of publications and services, and a complimentary copy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of <em>Always In Season</em>, contact Mama Donna at <a href="http://www.thequeenofmyself.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">www.thequeenofmyself.com</span></a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To order an e-book or print book version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, visit:</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Art and Words Editions</span></b><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (The publisher of the E-book)<a href="http://www.artandwordseditions.com/home/2010/08/27/e-book-the-queen-of-my-self/">http://www.artandwordseditions.com/home/2010/08/27/e-book-the-queen-of-my-self/</a></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AMAZON</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-My-Self-Sovereignty-ebook/dp/B0049P23OI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1289231512&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #244baf; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.amazon.com/Queen-My-Self-Sovereignty-ebook/dp/B0049P23OI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1289231512&sr=1-1</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #244baf; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049P23OI" target="_blank"><span style="color: #587417; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049P23OI</span></a> (kindle)</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #211e19; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">BARNES AND NOBLE</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Mama Donna Henes</td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-family: "CaslonBookBE-Regular", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: CaslonBookBE-Regular;"></span>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-82601674645423586452011-05-06T09:23:00.000-07:002011-05-06T09:23:44.607-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Motherlines</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Margaret</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the day I was born you nearly bled to death</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">perhaps a sign that our lives were marked for strife</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">but a mother’s womb is a thing of power</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a proving ground for life and all its mysteries</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">you called me first-daughter and I shouldered </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">that responsibility, sometimes bearing </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">too many of your sorrows</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">always bearing mine</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">our lives are as entwined as our DNA</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">that mitochondrial ribbon of memory </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">tethers us to the long sighs of mothers and daughters —</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maria Fiora Petronilla Lazurri</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maria Assunta Rocchiccioli — and other</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">more ancient daughters, mothers,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">grandmothers, great grandmothers – </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">whose names we do not know</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">strong women who loved and lost, laughed and cried</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">dreamed and despaired and lived — always </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">lived knowing that blood runs deep </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and primeval bonds are never severed</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">whether our days are carefree or fraught with pain</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">something carries us forward</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">something that knows mothers are imperfect</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and daughters are too</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">something that knows us each by heart</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">celebrates the joys and sorrows</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">blesses us all the way through.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rose</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not mother by birth, but second mother by chance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">your fierce spirit a reminder</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">that a woman strong is a mighty beauty — </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">though some would not agree</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">when first you married my father</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">my twenty-something eyes had seen too much</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">yet much more lay ahead</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">at your table I have feasted on roasted chicken </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">with potatoes, polenta simmering in red sauce,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">savory meatballs and homemade fried dough</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">listening to your stories about your sisters,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">heeding your reminder to always cherish mine</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">there’s something in a woman’s bones that celebrates</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the twin sustenance of food and sisterhood,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">something that honors the balm that resides </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in the love of mothers—biological or not —</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">that knows life is painful and bearable </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">knows, too, that only love sustains us </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">through the long walk home</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rosemary</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When first I met you my life lay in shards</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">at my feet, splinters of mirrored glass reflecting</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">worry and woe back at my astonished eyes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">discontent called my name</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">you asked me to look closely</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">wait and listen for my truth, for answers</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I never cried in front of you</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">yet the kindness in your eyes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">called my name</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">steeled my courage</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">led me home</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">together we mended </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the fragile fragments </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">fashioned woe into a window </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a doorway</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a way in & out</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">of my delicate, willing heart</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Laura</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Voice clenched in terror</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I sat before you</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">too many secrets trapped</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in too many memories</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">my lips afraid to speak</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">my brain shattered by shock</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wanted to shout, but could not</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wanted to silence years of no-no-no</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">dive, singing, into the boundless sea of yes-yes-yes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I longed to drown in epiphany, be reborn </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a woman whose tongue was ablaze </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">with voluptuous vowels</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">loose-limbed consonants </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I could not have known </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the way out was strewn </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">with prayers and poems </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">pictures drawn of fierce, howling mouths</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the dark eyes of a young girl staring back at me</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">her twisted mouth clamped shut </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">her lonesome hands reaching </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">for something it would take me years to recognize</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">when at last the stifling air stirred</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I began to cry and sculpted Amazons of clay</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">fists clenched against injustice, wanting — always wanting — </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to laugh, to dance, to say what I needed to say</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">without censor, without regret, without retaliation</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and you, a patient midwife, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">witnessed my bloody birth without flinching </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">breath after precious breath you stood resolute</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">as I gathered the lost syllables</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">reclaiming the nouns, verbs, plump sentences</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">of my mother tongue</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the native language of my soul</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lucia</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mother of mothers dark and divine</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">your secret keys unlocked ancient doorways</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ushering me down dusty roads</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">peppered with red poppies and parched ruins</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sicily captured me, cradled me in her fragrant arms</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">coaxed my soul from its too-long slumber</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">your audacity, your heart, your laughter </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">spoke of things long forgotten</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">daring me to speak as well</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and to remember</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">remember</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">always </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">remember</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Her name</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Her name</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Her name</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-60231906043948055372011-04-14T14:25:00.000-07:002011-04-14T14:25:36.136-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Defiance</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Mary Saracino</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I was bred to appease</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">close the gaping mouth </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">of desire</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">a child speaking </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">in the foreign tongue of docility</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">relying on conforming consonants</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">denying voracious vowels their due</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">jailing truth behind clenched teeth </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">taunt lips, a shaking, frightened heart.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Even then something inside </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">refused to cooperate</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">prowled the dark alleyways of muscles </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">scrawling thick, bloody letters </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">on the walls of veins staining the bedrock </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">of sinew with graffiti</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">something stood proud like a furious flag</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">called for revolution</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">something howled: "I am not for sale."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Even under the sullied breath of childhood</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I sometimes whispered whole</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">sentences of insubordination</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">befriended the slang of dissension</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">quietly at first </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">then more confidently, questioning </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">each syllable that stuttered across my startled mouth</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">all that my voice withheld</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">my relentless heart demanded.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Long miles from youth to now</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">ripened into insurgence</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">not anarchy for its own selfish sake</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">not lawlessness </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">but justice breaking free.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The years ferried me past complacency</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">away from the shoreline of orthodoxy </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">beyond the borderlands of muteness</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">far from the places where a woman’s silence</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">is her best kept secret</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">where she must always know her place</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">abdicate her will</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">keep her mouth shut.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Now rebel nouns and verbs dance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">upon the tender tip </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">of my tenacious tongue. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A woman must always ignite her voice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">speak of her hunger</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">satisfy the ache </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">of purpose that gives birth to defiance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">suckle it to her breast</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">tend to it as if it were </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">the last child on Earth</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">the only hope for humanity’s survival</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">because it is.</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-55620399967159101892011-04-08T08:50:00.000-07:002011-04-08T08:50:24.630-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Crows</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Mary Saracino</span></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crows don’t seek bread </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">or sheltered warmth</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">but something else more sustaining</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">something that defies gravity & time</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the whims of shifting seasons</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">unrelenting heat</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">bitter cold</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">sheets of pouring rain</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and all the many other</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">encumbrances life trusts </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">upon birds & humans;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the crows’ sturdy black wings carry them </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">over rooftops, treetops, highways</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">one lands on an eave, turns her head </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">blinks at the sun glinting off the metal</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">downspout; another circles an aspen</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">claims a limb, waits for who knows what</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I watch from the sidewalk, head cocked </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">wondering if crows worry about </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">sleet and snow and boys with BB guns</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">or getting safely home</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the birds don’t mind if I stare or fret</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">they leave me to my musing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I sit on the grass, gaze at the clouds</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">distracted by my own illusions</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">when I turn back, the crows </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">have left their roosts, flown away </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">off to places unknown to me</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">places beyond the reach of my</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">limited ways of knowing.</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-12514385282247408502011-04-06T15:37:00.000-07:002011-04-06T15:37:13.818-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What Starts </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">by Mary Saracino</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What starts is never what arrives;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the eager door swings open </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">hopeful feet step on stones from here to there;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">we traverse the long road from home to hinterland</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">wearing shoes dusty with dreams </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">a tattered coat, a hat soggy from sleet or dew</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">our bellies hungry for bread, meat, comfort;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">we begin the journey as pilgrims</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">befriending fields & lonely mountaintops</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">biting brambles & whimsical wildflowers</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">beneficent bees & boisterous birds;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">we sing to towering oaks & thorny roses </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">swollen rivers & murky lakes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">chilling winds & replenishing rains </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">biting snow & blistering sun;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">we end the journey as refugees</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">longing for where we started</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">uncertain of where we have arrived</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">our skin tougher, more wrinkled</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">our hearts opened, yet weary</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">our hopes & aspirations forever altered</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">by the weather, the whims of chance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the kindness or cruelty of strangers</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">the losses & joys, laughter & tears </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 5.95pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">gathered or spilled along the way.</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-57937823615306682162011-03-21T14:45:00.001-07:002011-03-21T14:45:44.400-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Vernal Equinox</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Halfway between night & day </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We pause, hearts momentarily held in equilibrium.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We glance toward the east then the west </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">certain that the sun will not desert us.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Our bare heads welcome the howling winds of warming March. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Fierce air fills the hollows of our ears as we stand </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">determined to merge with the elongated light </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">poised as it is between melting snow & pregnant buds.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The ripe soil seeds hope in our souls. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We clasp hands, sing symmetrical dreams</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">relinquish winter-weary sleep </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">& all that ties our bones to cold death’s memory. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The dark recedes as bright spring claims us </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">greening everything it touches.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-34639217865008844032011-03-19T08:45:00.000-07:002011-03-19T08:45:16.254-07:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mother Moon </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tonight the Mother Moon rises pregnant in the sky</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">shining her resplendent light upon the world </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">dazzling us with the fullness of her being</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">reminding us that we are never alone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some say the full moon triggers madness</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">unleashes wild desires</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">untamed hopes and dreams</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">unchecked passions. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I say the Mother Moon unloosens hope </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and the promise of transformation</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">her light a beacon, urging us inward</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to claim our lunar memory </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">find our way back</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to the original womb of consciousness</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">that soul-seed of the world that </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">birthed the human psyche </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">syncopated the beating of the human heart.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">St. Joseph’s Day March 19, 2011</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Italy, <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">San Giuseppe</span><span lang="EN"> </span>is a hero, not a cuckold.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He married an unwed pregnant woman </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">raised a son who was not his own, without complaining.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On his<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> feast day a </span>table is laid, a three-tiered altar </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">adorned with flowers, candles, fava beans, wine, cakes, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">bread and cookies made of flour </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to honor the beloved carpenter’s saw dust.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In America, in enclaves like New York City, New Orleans</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kansas City, Chicago, and Providence </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Italians give bread to the poor</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">filling bellies emptied of sustenance </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">filling hearts emptied of hope</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">to pay </span>homage to this regular Joe</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a man of the people, a soulful soul</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">who listened to the angels, not the cynics</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">who did the right thing when the right thing was called for.</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-47396057345899188022011-03-06T10:57:00.000-08:002011-03-06T10:57:01.411-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whale Dancer Prayer</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the heart of the whale</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the belly of the sea</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the womb of memory</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dream</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dream</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dream</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One love</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One life</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One world</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One people</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One peace</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-14493164833487981452011-02-03T07:19:00.000-08:002011-02-03T07:19:56.126-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Paesana/Italiana</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Tuscany</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I am northern cinghiale</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">savory, untamed</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">claiming the thick forests as my home </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I am pungent pecorino seasoned with sheep’s milk </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">timeless as the undulating Tuscan hills</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">shimmering with sunflowers,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">scented with cypress</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">my veins run ruby with Chianti</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">my bones grow strong on succulent </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">green-gold, first-press olive oil</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">my eyes behold the faces</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">of mountains, the shadows of sorrow</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">my ears ring with rumors, whispered</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">in the ruins of Etruscan hill towns </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">where women always stood eye-to-eye with men</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">sustaining the wide, round world. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Puglia</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I am southern fava beans</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">simmering in earthen bowls </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">rosemary-scented roast lamb</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">purple-kissed eggplant</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">zuppa di mare, spiced with saffron — yellow-orange, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">fragrant with the perfume of North Africa, West Asia</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the lands from which my ancient mother-tongue — </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">my original heart — sailed </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the aqua arms of the sea </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">hug the high-plains habitat </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">of my Apulian ancestors</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the curved, stone-washed trulli </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">glisten under the furious, scorching sun</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the voices of dark-skinned </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Madonnas reverberate through my marrow</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">releasing a concerto of yesyesyes! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">as the hot wind whistles </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">through the dusty open fields</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">dances on the delicate petals </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">of crimson poppies </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">tickles the feathery, flaxen </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">tassels of winter wheat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-68473059486248246522011-01-25T12:41:00.000-08:002011-01-25T12:41:46.749-08:00<strong>Unsung Songs</strong><br />
<br />
"There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you."<br />
--Maya Angelou<br />
<br />
Some stories we bear as whispers<br />
secrets too terrible to tell<br />
silently they cower inside us<br />
lacking the courage to fly<br />
their telling unspoken <br />
of places so broken<br />
the heart is unable to mend<br />
but life and its woes<br />
its joys and its blessings<br />
calls us to rush out the door<br />
race through the streets<br />
let loose a whoop<br />
gather the stars in our arms<br />
in the dark of the night<br />
under the light of the moon<br />
the places inside you are listening<br />
with the mouth of your heart<br />
let the telling begin<br />
sing the unsung songs of your soul<br />
unsilence the stories you've silenced<br />
unburden your bones and be free<br />
dance in the dark with the gypsies<br />
relinquish your agonyMaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-84380402795390424312011-01-06T06:58:00.000-08:002011-01-06T06:58:42.572-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">La Befana</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With eyes the color of mortal sin</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a heart as magical as the moon</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">she spends her days sweeping</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and baking</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">mending and tending</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">preparing her home for love</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and for hope.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some say the Magi stopped at her doorstep</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">inquiring about Bethlehem;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">they wanted to visit a special child, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">they asked Befana to show them the way,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">travel with them; but she declined.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wiping tears from her cheeks</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">she longed to cradle her own dead children</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">long ago taken from her arms.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Magi left, but Befana’s sorrow did not;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">she filled a sack with toys </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and cookies, bread and sweets</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to soothe the soul and sustain the body,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">she straddled her broomstick,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">flew from house to house,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">leaving presents on darkened doorsteps,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">seeking the Divine in every child,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">not one, particular, Savior born in</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a manger or a cave,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but all the girls, all the boys</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">whose laughter and joy </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">save the whole, wide, round </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">world from despair.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> In Italian folklore, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">La Befana</span> is the kind, old woman with magical powers who brings gifts to the children of Italy on the eve of the Epiphany.</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-43953589735400640742011-01-04T12:16:00.001-08:002011-01-04T12:16:49.590-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Blessings of Ravioli</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The ravioli lay on floured</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">pillow cases on your dining room table</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">looking like stuffed pillows</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">themselves —</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the dough kneaded smooth,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">then rolled to the right thickness,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the spinach and ricotta filling</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">dropped like clusters of </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">snow-crusted grass</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">onto the naked strips of pasta,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">plumped into fullness</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">with a quick fold of the dough,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the corners tucked in place with the</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">pinch of a fork.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your hands move in a holy rhythm.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You anoint the ravioli with</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">flour to prevent them from drying out.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">White halos the arch of your cheekbone as</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">you laugh and sprinkle, saying,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Bless these ravioli,” like some Italian nun.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I laugh, too,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">reminded of my Catholic grade school days.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wish we had known each other then.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We could have draped our little girl bodies</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in my grandmother’s </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">gaudy red and yellow aprons</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and watched her wrinkled fingers press each ravioli</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">into perfect form.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The secret’s in the touch,” she told me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Life is full of such holy mysteries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How could I have known</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the blessings of ravioli</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">passed from Grandma’s hands </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to mine, and now to yours.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I touch your floured fingertips</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and smile.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is grace here</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and beauty beyond words.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">©1993, Mary Saracino</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Originally published in Writers Who Cook, Herringbone Press (Minneapolis: 1993).</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-79079216281958966272010-12-31T08:17:00.000-08:002010-12-31T08:17:41.942-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">New/Year</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We shed the skin of one year</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">lay bare the fragile bones</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">of fresh dreams</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">our serpentine souls slither forward</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">we know the way by heart</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">by heart we sing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">by heart we dance</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">by heart we hope & pray</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">for good things</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">only good things</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">though ugly things will come</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the spiral blesses everything</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">breath & blood & memory</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and everything is holy</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">tears and laughter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">pain and joy</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">life and death</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">we know</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">we know </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">we know </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">every thing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">every thing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">every thing </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">is love</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-30567389644784321092010-12-26T09:17:00.001-08:002010-12-26T09:17:54.160-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Hens on Christmas Morning</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The hens greet me at the fence</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">this Christmas morning</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">hungry for feed, for scratch</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">for good cheer, fresh water.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The air is crisp and cool, the sky brilliant</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">blue against the bare tree branches</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">this quiet, sunny morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As others unwrap presents in a flurry </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I gather the gift of eggs from the coop </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and thank the black and brown creatures for their generosity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They cluck and fuss as I nod goodbye </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">cradling their fragile, oval gems</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in my grateful hands.</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5854250509931089576.post-84286221996840634172010-12-24T07:33:00.000-08:002010-12-24T07:33:24.287-08:00A Christmas Poem<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Christmas Morning</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">by Mary Saracino</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Silver ribbons</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">red bows</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a flash of eager eyes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the scent of pine</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a rush of glee</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">cinnamon dreams</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and long memories </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">of snow and cold</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and roasted chestnuts</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in the palms of hungry hands.</span></div>MaryWriteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06408783195853648572noreply@blogger.com0