Kitchen Magic
~ Lysbeth Em Benkert
Mom does long
division.
that number
sits under
a roof, where
the other
knocks on the
door, where the
pieces drop out
below,
getting
smaller
maybe
a
de
ci
mal.
some days it
sums zero,
other days
there’s a remainder.
she never
uses a
calculator.
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Today, I Joined the Resistance
~ Theodora Goss
Today, I stood under the blue arc of the sky
and said, all these people passing by
are my sisters, my brothers.
The children playing in the parks,
running after balls
or swinging, legs stretched out,
up and down and back up again,
laughing for no reason,
are my children.
The Earth is my home, and nothing in it
is strange to me, or a stranger.
I will become a teacher, a caretaker.
The trees are my responsibility.
The birds flying above or perching
among the branches, gossiping in song,
the fish slipping under lily pads
through lakes glittering in the sunlight,
the wolves loping through forests,
the otters tumbling in river shallows,
all that lives are my family.
Even the stones, that dream
so slowly, and so long.
Today I decided that I will step lightly,
speak out, defend the defenseless.
I will live with a fierce joy,
and when I am afraid,
I will act anyway.
I will write a poem, plant a garden,
seek the truth, speak to the powerful
and say, not us, for we stand together,
sisters and brothers, for each other,
for the children, the trees, the otters,
the quick silver fish.
We stand for love, for sorrow at your depredations,
for righteous anger. Whether we are together
or, of necessity, alone.
How do I want to be remembered?
As one of those who gave in, gave up, collaborated
with the evil inside and outside myself?
Or one of those who stood
in the light and resisted? Who said
I will not collude with the enemy,
even when it is my own darkness?
Who was guided by love,
which is not an emotion,
but a decision?
Today, I joined the resistance
because it was the only choice
my heart could make
and be whole.
Tried to get photos from the Close the Camps demonstration outside Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office yesterday, but only one came out.
The demonstration moved into the street at Montgomery, so SFPD rerouted traffic back up Montgomery to clear it and Post Street. Several of the demonstrators helped guide traffic to get the drivers back on their way.
The demonstrators then moved into Market Street, and a while later set off for Representative Pelosi’s office at 7th and Mission. I bowed out at that point, having hit maximum crowd exposure.
Lots of news cameras, and wow, talk about a job that requires you to be light on your feet and have eyes in the back of your head.
Tourists stopped to take photos of those of us across the street holding signs. Just another day in San Francisco.
The prizewinner was a middle-aged white man who was in the stopped traffic. He got out of his car, came up to me and my friend, and asked, “What’s this about?” We showed him our signs. He snorted derisively, and said, “Thanks for ruining my day.”
Dude, being stuck in traffic is an inconvenience. You know what ruins your day? Being held in a cage with no food and sleeping on a concrete floor.
Snake in Phoenix
~ Sharon Suzuki-Martinez
If I had to describe
the movement of the snake
crossing a road
in Phoenix
this summer morning,
……………I would not say
……………………..it slithered,
…………..but rather,
………………………………..she shimmered
……………………flowing before traffic
………………………………………………..like a deathless river
in a dust city.
