Anodyne

Sometimes, when I'm feeling tired and discouraged, I read this poem and feel uplifted. It grounds me; makes me feel blessed to live in this body, as imperfect as it is.

I hope it brings you a little peace today.

"Anodyne"
Yusef Komunyakaa

I love how it swells
into a temple where it is
held prisoner, where the god
of blame resides. I love
slopes & peaks, the secret
paths that make me selfish.
I love my crooked feet
shaped by vanity & work
shoes made to outlast
belief. The hardness
coupling milk it can't
fashion. I love the lips,
salt & honeycomb on the tongue.
The hair holding off rain
& snow. The white moons
on my fingernails. I love
how everything begs
blood into song & prayer
inside an egg. A ghost
hums through my bones
like Pan's midnight flute
shaping internal laws
beside a troubled river.
I love this body
made to weather the storm
in the brain, raised
out of the deep smell
of fish & water hyacinth,
out of rapture & the first
regret. I love my big hands.
I love it clear down to the soft
quick motor of each breath,
the liver's ten kinds of desire
& the kidney's lust for sugar.
This skin, this sac of dung
& joy, this spleen floating
like a compass needle inside
nighttime, always divining
West Africa's dusty horizon.
I love the birthmark
posed like a fighting cock
on my right shoulder blade.
I love this body, this
solo & ragtime jubilee
behind the left nipple,
because I know I was born
to wear out at least
one hundred angels.

(Listen to Komunyakaa read his work here)

Seriously, where does the time go?

I meant to post on Sunday, but I seem to be too exhausted to think or write coherently these days. What little motivation I do have is going into friends, family, and the necessities of life. Which isn't so bad, really!

Anyway, here's a list of last week's highlights:

-Irish car bombs on St. Patrick's Day
-Drunken Skyping
-This hilarious product, which is now known as "ball chin"
-Tullamore Dew whiskey
-Tentative plans for a summer road trip with friends
-Caramelized onions
-Lemon-lime white chocolate
-Serenity at midnight
-A long walk with Callie in perfect dusklight
-The long-awaited Battlestar Galactica finale, which, despite certain quibbles, was gorgeous and moving and complete
-Lots and lots of laughter

Week in review

This week was pretty crappy, what with the constant, oppressive rain and the tire that disintegrated while I was on the highway and the onslaught of deadlines at work. It wasn't all bad in the balance, though. Here's what brought me a little joy this week:

--Making exciting travel plans that shall remain a secret until I've returned
--The new TV, which continues to dazzle
--The fact that I managed to stay in a pretty good mood all week despite getting dumped on for the majority of it
--Impromptu Gloria's with my mom and stepdad
--Jay getting Callie's infinite dorkiness on video
--Archer Farms chicken sausage lasagna (with walnut pesto cream sauce...oh man)
--An unexpected Skype concert with Portland friends; man, can Jason sing!
--Playing the viola again, even though I was so nervous I couldn't stop shaking
--The first part of Battlestar Galactica's two-part finale. Chills!
--Finding out that Twisted Root is now open and immediately heading there for lunch
--Hosting the little sibs and indulging in Rock Band, pizza, and Bubba Ho-tep

In other (boring) news, I'm really hoping to get back into a regular exercise schedule this week; I've discovered that I don't adhere to my plan very well when I'm stressed out and overworked. But I have faith! Somewhere deep down, I'm determined. I can do this!

...Wow.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

I have no idea how this was done, but I'm simultaneously awed, horrified, thrilled, disgusted, intrigued, impressed, and flummoxed. That means it's good art, right?

The week in review

This week, I thought it'd be more difficult to come up with a list of good things; in the balance, the week felt like a decidedly shitty one. But when I started looking back, I realized that there were some great moments in there that made me smile. Here they are:

--The first signs of spring, my favorite season -- the season for airy sunlit walks, gentle breezes (please, Texas?), and sweet smells (I can't wait to breathe in the honeysuckle again!)
--Irish coffee and the best. brownies. ever. (thank you, Dorie Greenspan!)
--Discovering that Twisted Root burgers will soon be a mere 10 minutes away from me
--Getting yet another chance to see my little brother play the cello (his vibrato is awesome)
--Having a long conversation full of giggles with my best friend El, still the only person I can be 100% honest with
--After five weeks or so without a TV, finding out that we'll soon be getting a new one for free. Did I mention that said TV will be twice the size of the old one?
--Coming up with ridiculously funny ideas with Jay and Jason (that are probably only funny to us, come to think of it)
--Getting out of town for a day to take photos at Possum Kingdom Lake/State Park. We saw white-tailed deer darting, a frightened armadillo fleeing, a flock of turkeys rustling their way into the trees, dozens of beautiful hawks braving the strong winds, and a herd of cows lounging by the shore. Even though it was windy and cloudy, I can't think of a place I'd rather have been. Drinking Pinot Noir by the shore of the lake at sunset with awesome company more than made up for any work-related assiness this week.
--Satisfying a sudden urge for gelato by ordering a cup of Mediterranean Sea Salt Caramel (aka Best Gelato Flavor Ever Devised) at Paciugo

See? Not bad at all!