Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Nov 9Member-onlyEvery Tree is a Tree of LifeDid you know — @Rose Wognum Frances knew the oneness of Life And how ancients celebrated fertility with blood Handprints on cave walls, celebrating our womb cave. Rose knew the spirit and community of trees. She had us adopt a Tres spirit partner and visit it daily At the same time, talk to it, listen…Poetry2 min readPoetry2 min read
Published in Move Me Poetry·Oct 3Member-onlyUnwelcome TearsSadness: not allowed — When someone dies, sadness comes over time. Tears, official mourning come at once Yet missed over time, their longed for presence, Does not take immediate downtime. At each new holiday, new tears glisten For the loss of someone who stopped to listen Yet others we know do not make peace For…Poetry1 min readPoetry1 min read
Published in Move Me Poetry·Sep 29Member-onlyPoetry FriendsSupportive presence of poetry-loving friends — When I was in college, before everyone knew Smoking would surely but slowly kill you, My friends and I would meet in the smoker And share our latest poems with each other. We so loved poetry and got so excited, We’d speak to each other in poetry too. In speaking in poetry we dared new…Poetry2 min readPoetry2 min read
Published in Middle-Pause·Jul 2Member-onlySupreme Court, My Life, and the LawOutside changes and inner needs — The age of my body says it’s 2022, but the decision to eliminate Roe v Wade turns the clock back to my childhood. It’s the forties or maybe fifties. Women were asked to give up their jobs so the men returning from war could have them. Patriotic women were to…Choices6 min readChoices6 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 18Member-onlyStart Teaching Civics AgainIt’s much deeper than that — All through the Trump years, as the president or someone on his team did something unconstitutional, I’d think, “Gosh, we really need to start teaching civics in school again.” Now and then, I’d think he was just dumb. How could a man whose family had so much money provide education…Trump3 min readTrump3 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 15Member-onlyFather’s Day is JuneteenthDelayed news of freedom then and now — Eunice Marie Diehl is my birth name. That’s a whole other story. For fourteen years I lived a privileged, if lonely, life as an only child attending private Catholic schools. …Fathers Day5 min readFathers Day5 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 14Member-onlyWhat Is It About Prayer?Guardian angel speech and song in Weehawken, NJ There is a sweetness about prayer that I long to explain for myself as much as to anyone else. As a. young child, prayer was natural for me. God was my best friend, but not outside. God was inside and outside. God…Spirituality5 min readSpirituality5 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 13Member-onlyEmergency RoomBut not for me this time Around midnight Friday, my roommate Marilyn called the Advice Nurse at Oakland Kaiser Permanente. She waited on hold for half an hour. I brushed my teeth and got clothes ready because I sensed that my day was not done. …Relationships3 min readRelationships3 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 10Member-onlyHeartbreakCollege in the 1960’s and January 6 Trinity in DC for college, 62–66 — Speaker Pelosi two years ahead of me — Watched footage of the Kennedy assassination On dorm TV and stood with DC residents As his funeral cortege passed by. …Culture Change2 min readCulture Change2 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 9Member-onlyHungryKitchen #1 and #2 Big rounded bowl: Stainless steel reflecting all — Vegetables, lettuces, and cabbage — And the claw-like tool to toss them So the dressing gives a sheen to every piece. Is it summer yet when we forego the soup?Culture Change2 min readCulture Change2 min read
