Stories on the edge of familiarity
The following poem is inspired by Ursula Le Guin’s book, Always Coming Home, which has a lot of poetry in it, and the poetry does a very good job at giving a sense of the main culture of the book. And, since I’ve been reading it, I decided to write a poem from one of the cultures I’ve made up for some stories I’ve been working on. In this world, there are magic storms, called eseteijo (eseteij in the singular), which
To all Canadians: Sorry, that was wrong. We don’t do battle cries. We are Canadian. But neither do we whimper in the night. We are Canadian, Ourselves, and no one else, Not second-rate copies of other countries Not a child built from leftovers Not an afterthought. We talk about ethnicity and culture, Not race or class. We talk about mosaics Not melting pots. We talk about “we” and “together” Not “me” and “alone”. We are Canadian: united in difference, polite
Ever since August, I’ve been saying that I’ll be getting that paperback version of The Illuminated Heart out eventually. Now that it’s almost January and I still haven’t finished it, I’ve had to admit to myself what’s been holding me back for so long. This week, I was going to post the lyrics to a parody of Jingle Bells that I wrote during finals (and I still might at the end of this post), but I realize that I needed to address
Walking down the stairs to my bedroom after travelling is surreal. The wood of the railing, the slip of my socks against the painted steps… After so many new places, so much unknown, This is the same. When I am different, why is it the same? It shouldn’t be. China’s too hot to think about unnecessary things. Fear sweats away in the noonday sun and the mountain air. But now the cool basement envelops me; The dryness catches around my
Fear. Anticipates only bad (punishment).Wants distance.Blocks off.Is paranoid.Treats isolation as a matter of course.Hides from others.Sees only the danger in them. Love Anticipates only good (benefit)Wants closenessOpens upIs trustingTreats intimacy as a matter of courseWelcomes othersSees only the value in them Just as where light shines there is no darkness, where love shines there is no fear. Choosing not to fear is as simple as flipping a switch. It may be the hardest decision you’ve ever made. You may fail
Grow Your Library
