solidarity w/ the captive

What does one say when shaken
and metered? Can silent
expression command
tidefalls; projections?

An outburst of costly saved
spent observations
to take in a tale born of pain
leaves me pensive

Still willing to trust that
there's something trustworthy
-in the eyes; past the parting
which tells us of stories

I listen still faulty, in
worlds, seperate, foreign-
Your flesh takes blood too
to keep it from failing

I listen with healing as you
would listen to me
not you God, not your wisdom
as you are not free.

Camp for Girls (etc.)

It was my first visit to Wisconsen for Camp and by the looks of it, I had a great time. There was so much to see and learn, I was completely happy with creative people and the nurturing, useful skill we've come to value. I went alone but came back with several new friends. I sampled a few great local beers, ate the fried dill pickles and bought enough Shetland jumper weight to last me the ice-age.

I know in your heart of hearts you wished you knit too.


Here's me and Meg Swansen. I think all we would need is a vast amount of time and short roads between us to be good friends. I'll just go ahead and pretend... a few more camps maybe.

july19-23

I'll be going to Meg Swanson's Knitting Camp in Marshfield, Wisconsin.

Jar of Seeds, dead life in me
Potential of reality
Shaken down in glass unseen
in order of the mystery
No one can see or smell or taste
the Light, the Wind, the Human Face
DNA and bones examined
never tell of trees in famine
Tell me something else instead
that breezes blow past former dead
and warmth that comes
from someplace else
still comes untold
and rights itself.

the simple way again

... is facing the aftermath of a city authority that has forgotten them.
Keep them in your prayers. Make a phone call. The simple thing to do is apparently not the easiest.

URGENT APPEAL: After the fire, police assured us that they would remain on the block to keep things secure and to keep kids from playing in the ruins. Unfortunately that did not last. Within days the fire-damaged block was left open, and now at least 3 of the nicer homes have been broken into. The affected houses have large orange “Condemned” posters on them, and homeowners have been threatened with arrest should they prematurely enter their homes (with no communication from the City since the fire on June 20). However, during the evenings the homes have become a prime target for burglary, as folks know they are currently uninhabited and filled with valuables, or at least copper piping. So they are currently being stripped. This week we will be securing and boarding up the homes that are not set for demolition. And unless the City and License and Inspections steps in we will cover the bill ourselves, and we may develop our own policing to secure these properties (but it is disappointing that people are paid with tax dollars for these very jobs, and it’s hard to imagine that homes would be left in such disorder in other neighborhoods). This is very discouraging, to say the least. It is easy to see how people become homeless after situations like this, though we will do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen.