A Poem: Precautionary Measures

 

 Love’s in need of love today

don’t delay

send yours in right away 

the powerful and productive work of human feelings-within us-among us & in the world

sadness letting go of that which irretrievable                     

fear escaping from danger     

anger righting wrongs         

acceptance accepting responsibility for one’s own part–making peace with that which is beyond one’s personal and singular power without help and support    

excitement preparing for fulfillment- replenishment-attainment-restoration

joy the overflowing triumph-pleasure-jubilation-fulfillment-attainment & restoration to do powerful-productive-creative-healing work in the world  

the impuissant consequences of the use of human feelings to advance

the privileges of white male racial-ethnic-gender-religious entitlement-power & dominance

rage  calculated  use of anger and Othering to do harm  

hate tactical use of fear and Othering and dehumanize bully exploit incarcerate harm kill

aggression deliberate use of hostile-coercive-provocative-violent behaviors to intimidate & bully Others to do harm  

lawlessness intentionally break covenant to sully-distort-upend religious-civil & laws & legal-civil-social & religious norms to Other & perpetrate harm

terrorism to systemically and systematically instill fear-cause harm by Othering- separating-dehumanizing-imprisoning & killing to dominate & eliminate those deemed Other by any & all means  

Hate’s going round

braking every heart

stop it now

before it’s gone too far 

presidential communications & representations-executive actions-legislation-weaponized tweets-weaponized re-tweets-noxious surrogates-toxic radio & tv

corruption-extortion-bullying-domestic & foreign-radioactive lies-projected white entitlement-victimization-assumed white inevitable dominance

white nationalism-white power-white pride-christian identity-alt-right-anti-government-sovereign citizens-white patriots-neo-nazis-religious-social

political-economic-environmental behavior-all on behalf of white tribalism & non-majority white political-social-religious-economic-environmental supremacy

tired-poor-fleeing masses-stopped & turned back into certain violence-depravity

the young kidnapped-stolen-caged-unfed-unwashed-unseen-unknown-constant light- no books-no toys-no play-no comforting voice or touch-sleep on concrete floors

disappeared-dispersed on busses-trains and planes-into forgotten abysses

the ways back to beloved ones-intentionally hidden-obscured-shredded-drowned-burned-buried-between menacing–punishing-erasing federal bureaucracies & deputized & un-deputized vigilantes

The force of evil plans

to make it your possession

everything within scrambles-to bar the door-raise the shields

suppress boiling rage

silence the keening

dis-remember-forget

un-feel-pounding feet

un-see burning crosses

un-hear sirens-guns popping-running feet-screams of horror-fear-disbelief-grief

un-endure water hoses crashing-slamming into bodies

un-taste tear gas burning-burning

un-bear spitting-shouting-screaming-killing words & accompanying blows 

And if we let it

it will destroy everybody 

white men burn churches & crosses in spates of gleeful hate

white gangs march-chant-fight-kill-drive through crows of women & men & kill

a lone white gunman enters a church-is invited into a prayer circle-killed nine- wounded three other 

one dead in charlottesville

one dead in poway

twenty-two dead in el paso

nine dead in Dayton

thousands of native american women-vanished and killed every year

african american and latinx people-thirty-two percent of the u s population-yet-fifty-six percent of prison populations

& the past and coming red summers

We all must take

 precautionary measures

if love and peace we treasure

constantly speak-connect-unite-act from strength

continuously heal-recover-re-energize from unabating-psychic- spiritual-emotional-sexual-economic-political-environmental threat-harm-trauma

& from all of these unfelt unseen & hidden

use the tools of recovery-healing-remembering-reconnection-rejuvenation-planning-doing-acting &

overcome individual & collective Othering

use emotional-psychic-spiritual powers-connections & individual & collective genius

organize-organize

act-act

create-create

protect-protection

survive-survive

thrive-thrive

out of our storehouses of gifted-earned-loving & honoring of ourselves-each other & those who have made pathways for us

constantly apply generous amounts

self-acceptance

self-love

exquisite self-care to internalized & externalized negative-harmful-destructive-voices & forces

ceaselessly

make positive use of

translate into historical and current contexts & meanings

all negative

harmful

destructive

killing

messages

behaviors

laws

policies

procedures

 

reshape-recreate-reimagine-reverse engineer-neutralize-retrieve

stolen & gerrymandered powers

joining with others to redesign-plan & implement

the art of our lives

into action

our own recuperative

protective

defensive

offensive

countermeasures

restore-continuously protect individual collective-inalienable-rights-lives-liberties-happiness & joy 

Love’s in need of love today

don’t delay

send yours in right away

Hate’s going round

breaking every heart

Stop it please

before its gone too far

 

Love’s in Need of Love Today

Stevie Wonder

From Songs in the Key of Life

1976 UMG Recording, Inc.

 

© Andrea R. Canaan

October 2019

Rio Vista, California

 

 

Seed Your Dreams with  Intention and Gratitude 

Allow your sleeping and dreaming unconscious mind, body and spirit to become an essential creative resource, inspirational partner and problem-solver.

Remember, feel, visualize, and or think about what has been exciting you, scaring you, worrying you, confusing you, and or blocking your creative time, space, and opportunities. Choose one of these. Quieten and say goodnight lovingly and gently to the others & seed your dreams with the one you have chosen to seed your dreams with. Ask going into dreaming self with loving gratitude to take care of  your scary maybe or writing conundrum while you sleep restfully and problem solve in your dreaming. And let all of them go into the night as you breathe into sleep.

 

 

Practice Writing in Joy!

Morning Write

7 am-9 am  (or your morning hours preference)

• What is before you to write today? 10 min                     7:10 am
• Write 30 min                                                                          7:40 am
• Read Out Loud To yourself  10 min                                   7:50 am
• Revise & write 30 min.                                                          8:20 am
• Write notes for next steps in the writing 10 min.           9:00 am

Self–Care: Make time to eat a healthily as you desire for yourself, drink water, coffee or tea, take a walk or go to the gym, find a great spot at home or at a library or at a local coffee shop to write. Yes, take care of your family and work chores and obligations andpreserve a daily writing practice time as a dedicated and secured time for your creative self. 

Daily–Weekly–Biweekly Writing Practices

• Read critically in the genres that feed your writing
• Write critically about what you read. At least one double spaced page for each book you read.
• Attend readings and lectures
• Take classes & workshops
• Send your work out into the world, yes, get your work published.
• Consume writing publications, Poets and Writers is an example. Look for writing opportunities, such as, conferences, retreats, readings, lectures, and places to send your work for possible publication and writing and learning opportunities.

If you don’t already have on, decide on a regular daily writing and make your own format that best suits you and your writing.   

Create a Solitary Practice in Community:

Sustain your writing partner(s) with consistent face to face contact or by phone or Skype or Email or by  snail mail. Be open to fining other writing  writing partners and writing community

• Learn from, get and receive support for your writing and your writing self,
• Share your work, get your writing workshopped in environments that are maximally supportive of your writing and your creative self.

Where’s the Joy you ask?

It is in the going down into dreaming

In the just before coming to wakefulness

In the remembered sound or scent or voice or shape or movement that finds itself finely rendered on the page

In the child’s voice come to life or a mother’s or father or lovers

or something evil and, just maybe, a malevolent voice or vision that refused to be seen and known before you created it on the page

It is in the perfect description of wind on water or dry lightning or the scent of tea cake or gardenias or the taste of ripe just picked strawberries or the sweat ringing the armpits of a laborer or the quiet breathing of a sleeping child

It is in the listener or reader smiling nodding their heads in understanding, memory roused, and connection made fast

It is in gasps breath as they see, hear, feel the danger or the terrible truth about to be revealed

In is in capturing a truth about a place, a time, a person, a people, things that matter

It is in writing the perfect sentence or paragraph or chapter

It is being our writer selves

Writing into what word, thought, emotion, or sensation or what can or will happen next…..

Be in Writing Joy!

A Writer’s Life Wellness and Teaching Practice

A Writer’s Life is a writing wellness and teaching practice serving emerging and established writers who are published, working toward being published, and who are not thinking about publishing yet. Some of us writers don’t truly know and understand ourselves to be writers when we truly are. Some of us have years of stories that never get told or put on paper. Some of us get the writing on paper, but not completed or revised or edited or finished with a tight amount of author satisfaction. Some of us have a book within us that is waiting for us to allow tit to come through us into the world outside of us. Some of us are ready or getting ready to enrich ourselves with a writing community, support, and teachers that will allow us to embrace our writer’s life. 

Writing and Wellness Practices 

Do you want to write your stories, poems, essays–write someone else’s story–explore your writing and lived experience–gain insight about how your creative mind, emotions, and process works? Make note of everything that appears to be an impediment to bringing your writing into full, powerful, and productive being. Develop tools, practices, and communities that support you and your work. Turn your writing into powerful and effective essays, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. 

Writing Practice  

Learn, refresh your learning, deepen your learning of creative writing craft elements, and apply them to your writing. Write creatively, effectively and productively. Read and critique other participant’s writing and  have your writing critiqued in an environment that provides feedback that upports your writing to its best version.  

Writing Workshop 

Share your work with Writing Practice Co-learners. Provide feedback on the pages of their work before the workshop. During the workshop give and receive feedback from co-learners with the sole purpose of supporting the writing to be its best version. Read from published writing from the course reader, read other students’ writing, examine craft elements, and have a combined discussion of the readings and craft elements for the purpose of improving the writing. Present your own writing to class to be workshopped by peers who will examine craft elements and discuss the writing and writing craft for the purpose of making the writing better.

Writing Practice and Writing Workshop are combined in three hour sessions. 

A Writer’s Life Writing Camp 

In Writer’s Camp you will write intensively over a period of three days mixing writing and sharing your work toward a specific writing goal.