Weekly Edition #49
Art by Tina Maria Elena Bak
We, Made of Bone by Mahtem Shiferraw
These days, I refuse to let you see me
the way I see myself.
I wake up in the morning not knowing
whether I will make it through the day;
reminding myself of the small, small things
I’ve forgotten to marvel in;
these trees, blood-free and bone-dry
have come to rescue me more than once
but my saving often requires hiding
yet they stand so tall, so slim and gluttonous
refusing to contain me; even baobab trees
will split open at my command, and
carve out fleshless wombs to welcome me.
I must fall out of love of the world
without me in it, but my loves have
long gone, and left me in a foreign land
where once I was made of bone,
now water, now nothing.
Other poems I read last week:
"Somewhere there is a boy learning to wait
Somewhere, for the sake of his children, a man
writes what he has seen
Somewhere, for the sake of his children, a man
will not write what he has seen
Somewhere there is a son with the memory of a father’s
touch on his back, giving him courage
Somewhere a mother gives courage to thousands of
mourners at her son’s funeral"
-from Somewhere Night Is Falling by Anne Michaels
"The man who told me about war
said, it’s the only thing
that keeps us busy.
I thought of your fingers
on my back
counting the vertebrae
one by one.
The only thing?" -Occupation by Rachel Sherwood
"The deep parts of my life pour onward,
as if the river shores were opening out.
It seems that things are more like me now,
that I can see farther into paintings.
I feel closer to what language can’t reach.
With my sense, as with birds, I climb
into the windy heaven, out of the oak,
and in the ponds broken off from the sky
my feeling sinks, as if standing on fishes." -Moving Forward by Rainer Maria Rilke
"For weeks I dream of the heart
as a bell sleeping high in the body,
waiting for strong hands to tug
the chord and draw out its music.
How many young women
idle away their lives
waiting for the one kiss
from the one mouth that bestows
sweet, drunken nights of music?
In the kitchen, I wonder why
the body is kept alive
by a muscle that can flutter
at a single touch on the cheek,
that can leap
at the sheer whisper
of the word love
as if it were a whole
carillon of wedding bells." -from The Cook’s Meditation by Lenny Lianne
"what will happen
now? she asks.
now, i say,
now,
the dishes will pile
up in the sink
and there will
be only one
pair of shoes
at the door." -Moss by William Thomas Moore
Recommended Listening:
Anima - Thom Yorke (yummy!)
NPR Tiny Desk Concert: Imogen Heap (She's helped to develop, one that makes it possible to alter sounds, create loops and compose tunes all with the wave of her glove-wearing hands.)
Kantori Ongaku - Devendra Banhart
Plantasia, an album for ears of the plant kingdom
Hear What’s Likely the Only Known Recording of Frida Kahlo’s Voice (1954)
Senior Citizen Plays Piano...Then Magic Occurs (what a joyful video!)
The Chernobyl Podcast - a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the HBO series + check out The Chernobyl Gallery for a haunting glimpse of the remains :(
Links of the Week:
School strike for climate - save the world by changing the rules | Greta Thunberg
Looney tunes, Arthropoda Iconicus
This Artist Uses Her Crocheting Skills To Turn Dried Leaves Into Works Of Art
The Grand Budapest Hotel Featurette: Creating a Hotel
Why Time Flies - Maximilian Kiener (everybody needs to scroll through this and see how time flies)
Meet Annadana, the Seed and Soil Savers of India
Sorry about not sending the newsletter last week. I was busy exploring Himachal Pradesh and immersing myself in Ladakhi culture, and then got felt tired after my travels to work on anything.
In retrospect, I'm glad I saved the newsletter curation to a day I genuinely felt like it :)
Okay, I'm off to bed. Good night!