Hot Hot Hot!

After a moderately cool early spring, we have entered into a heat wave for the latter part of spring-100+ degrees for a few days, and the Summer Solstice is still about 12 days away! Last week I went to the River City Roller Girls bout, Go Tiger Beat Downs! Yay Maya, er, Brawling Barista! You rock! the bout was exciting and action-packed. Then this week, I attended a very interesting seminar at UR called Women in the Know, sponsored by Westhampton College. After an engaging opening talk by Presiden Ed Ayers, we broke out into groups to attend two of three mini courses: Women and War; Fire in these Ashes: Understanding Women's Spirituality; and Can We Talk: Intergenerational Dynamics and Relationships. I went to the War and Spirituality ones -- both were excellent, stimulating and led by dynamic women. The first was about women's roles in war times (think of Rosie the Riveter in WWII for example), with much focus on the Comfort Women in Japan. A truly nauseating story. The second course got me thinking about the spiritual journey, and where I fall outside the mainstream, embracing the earth and its cycles, buddhism, agnosticism, Unitarian Universalism. Where are YOU?

Observations on a February Evening

At 5:30, the almost full moon looks like crazy, white lace,
Laid against the blue sky, lunar craters reflecting blue.
The low angle of winter sun leaves the road in shade
But steeples, tall buildings and tree tops
Are bathed in warm, clear light.
A few lonely, white puffy clouds with purple bottoms
Seem to gravitate toward the golden glow of the sun
As it sets in the sky opposite the moon.

Tufts of intensely green grass push up
through the brown leaves that litter my back yard.
The Swiss Chard is making new leaves,
The Japonica is in full pink bloom.
My favorite perky wren is chirping as is the robin;
A squirrel scampers along a branch, nut in mouth.
The dog goes crazy.
The six o’clock train clacks swiftly along
On the southbound track some three blocks away.
The March-like wind has blown twiggy branches all over the yard,
The compost is too dry.
Five yellow crocuses give up their bloom,
Waiting for tomorrow’s sun.