Whether you're with family, friends, lovers, strangers, or alone (I've done them all) - and every New Year's is beautiful. Wishing you reflection and anticipation, reappraisal and accomplishment in the coming year. With a heap o' inspiration and fruition!
It was a year of tender beauties and fragile fires of becoming. Of being ravaged by torn things, by facing duplicity and seeing clearly the multiplicities of truth. It was a year of floods and sinkholes. Of shows and learning to withstand jealousy and pettiness without caving. I hung my work in public twice, a tremendous amount of work and perhaps a fearful act. I learnt to brace myself against those who trivialize others, their work, their lives. I didn't hide. I got a used clip-on mic and start dance performing during poetry events where I was featured. I masqued myself so that I could reveal myself. It was a year where I found myself dealing with what is inessential by relegating it to the margins. I distanced myself from insincerity and understood more preciously those who are clear with the truth of loving impartially and generously. I made my way gingerly through seething places of anger, sadness, remorse, pity, retribution and survived. I was of help to those I love. It was a year when I learned to hold fast to my values and not waver. I think it was a break-out year. Inner strength manifested. There were milestones. LyricalMyrical Press published my chapbook, ‘the luminist poems,’ and I signed a contract with Guernica Editions for a full-length book of poetry, ‘Tidal Fury,’ which was gratifying after the years of writing and re-writing as I honed my craft and vision. As I became less of a recluse and more of a public poet and artist, I found a voice I didn’t know I had. It was a watershed year, tumultuous, just when I thought I landed it all broke apart and then I landed somewhere else and it was good. I remain in awe of existence, the way our lives manifest through the years, our interconnections with each other, the way we share who we are through what we give of our knowledge and talents and how we all grow through this process, of the creativity of our very being. May 2014 be not a meek but a strong year for each of us.
Too cute not to share. My cat, Aria, 1½, sure loves her doggy, Keesha, 14½. Keesha is so gentle with her little cat, letting her sleep on her 'n all.
Keesha has lived with a number of cats in her 14 years and none of them were friendly. Little Aria, who came from Willie Anicic out near Niagara Falls, was thought to be half Siamese and half tabby but who looks exactly like an Egyptian Abyssinian, doesn't she. She is all of 6 lbs fully grown. I wanted Keesha to have a feline pal, and so I worked on 'their relationship.' Aria hissed/spit at her doggy the first week or so, as all the cats do. But, instead of allowing their natural distrust of each other to determine their relationship, I used the butter trick.
What is the butter trick? A lady in a store told me that a friend of hers had heard about the butter trick - she covered her kitten in butter and her dog licked it off and they were sleeping together within weeks.
With Aria's hissing and Keesha's barking back at her, it was a bit scary putting butter on the little 2½ month-old kitten and holding her for the dog to lick for sure! I only put a small pat of butter on her side, and held her in my lap while I sat cross-legged on the floor. Keesha was called over and I pointed to the butter. She delightedly licked it off the tiny kitten who, when I let her go, ran off as quick as she could to a high perch to wash herself with dignity.
After another session or so of the 'butter trick,' when Keesha and I came home from a walk, our wee kitten was waiting on the stairs for us. She rubbed herself under her dog, and against her dog, purring loudly. I was flabbergasted. It was amazing to see after all the hissing and growling and scratching she has endured from our other cats over the years.
Here is a little cell phone video of Aria as a young kitten playing with an origami ball. Keesha wants to play with her, but doesn't know how to without hurting her (listen, I know my dog - not all dogs would be like this, but my old Springer Spaniel has a wonderful disposition).
June 15, 2012 - two days after Willie dropped her off. She'd be about 9 or 10 weeks old in this family video.
A month or so ago. My kids are tired of all the pics and videos of these two, but I never tire of being amazed at how close they are. Unfortunately, my doggy has an inner ear problem, behind the eardrum. She can't be operated on due to her age - vet says she wouldn't survive the anaesthetic - and because the area is too close to the brain. I've spent two grand on treatment for her ear, and at this point, I am keeping it as clean as possible, medicated drops, flushing with saline, and she is on gravol, which helps with the motion sickness and is enabling her to eat more easily again. She still energetically drags me through the streets on our walks, is loving and happy, so she's doing alright, the sweet old lady.
Well, hey, Merry Gift-Giving and Day of Loving, to others, to yourself. Feast, be joyful, contented. Never mind the other stuff. Overload on good food, good company, good vibes. Get nice and charged up. Then glow, ok. Don't matter if you're with warm, loving family, hyper-intense dysfunctional family, friends or alone. Get merry, 'k. And remember, Poets Rock!!! xoxo
(photo courtesy of Tara Clews- who's back home in a warm apartment now! Ice Storms Cometh... and Ice Storms Goeth.)
Best Wishes for your joy, comfort, safety and success are all year long, and yet this is the time of year when we are full of the light of our loving of each other and every wish sets off more sparks in everyone's lives... this gorgeous Solstice card was sent to me by +laurie corzett overflowing with an abundance of transformational wishes and so I am setting you alight with it too. xoxoxoxo
Just sent some minor edits through to Urban Gallery, where my next show will be, from, get this, January 9th - March 1st!
The Opening will be on January 9th, from 5-8:00 PM (due to liquor laws, there has to be an rsvp list (send via email to Urban Gallery).
I'll be in attendance/artist at work on three Saturdays from 2-4 PM, Jan 18, Feb 1, Feb 15.
I've organized two 'poetry salon' events for January (both will get Fb event pages):
-Winter Snow Ball, an evening of Queer Poetry/Music/Performance, hosted by Philip Cairns, 7-9 PM. -A Performance Poetry Evening, featuring Luciano Iacobelli and Brenda Clews, 7-9 PM.
Poetry Salons for Feb will be announced - hoping Nik Beat will do a poetry and music salon, A Poetry Dance; and that Banoo Zan will offer a poetry night of features and open mic too.
