1. NCTE is less than two weeks away! I look forward to seeing many of you there! Don't forget to rsvp Laura Shovan about the Thursday (yes, this has been changed from the earlier Wednesday plans. Now THURSDAY!) night Poets of Kidlit Dinner at Nick's Fish House, 7 pm. Here's a graphic with some of my events:
2. I've been thinking about how often our first impulse when upset or fearful or mad or whatever is to do something, when maybe what we really need to do first is pause and reflect... and then I was reading IN BEAUTY MAY I WALK... Words of Peace and Wisdom by Native Americans, edited by Helen Exley. This sweet, rich little book was published by Exley Publications back in 1997 and has been warming my bookshelf ever since. Here's a passage that resonates with me today:I WILL BE STILL AND STEADY...
If, like a Cherokee warrior, I can look at the new year as an opportunity to stand on new ground, then strength and courage are on my side. I will remember that things do work out, bodies do heal, relationships mend -- not because I said it, but because I believe it.
But it is time to make things right, to stay on the path. As water runs fresh and free from the woodland spring, so new life and meaning will bubble up from my own inner source. I will be still and steady, because there is nothing to be gained by showing fear in a chaotic world. - Joyce Sequichie Hifler
... and here is a poem that seems to come from that same place inside me:
Thanks so much for reading!
ROUNDUP
Be sure to visit all these wonderful posts to get your Friday (and any day!) poetry fix:
What a lovely poem and beautiful, much needed words from Hilfer! I will have to look for that book. Have fun at NCTE, and thanks for hosting this week. :)
ReplyDeleteHifler :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Jama, whom I adore! xo
DeleteThanks for the heads up about the dinner time change!
ReplyDeleteStaying on the path, still and steady, and remaking the world sounds good to me! :-) Thanks for hosting xo
Can't wait to meet YOU, dear Tabatha! xo
DeleteOh, this world needs a whole lot more of Irene Latham's stitching! SO excited/proud for you as you'll be buzzing around NCTE sharing all your goodness. (OK- jealous, too - so many wonderful poetry folks gathering there!) Enjoy. Thanks for hosting this week as you are packing your bags! (I couldn't figure out how to do a title with the link, but I'm featuring a new haiku book on aging, and giving a birthday shout-out to my big brother!) XO
ReplyDeleteYes, you will be missed, dear Robyn! And the whole inlinkz set up was completely different this time.. not sure if I can change that or not (on the free plan). Thanks for stopping by. xo
DeleteThank you for hosting this week, Irene! I love every bit of this post! "I will be still and steady, because there is nothing to be gained by showing fear in a chaotic world" are indeed words to live by. And your poem! The sewing metaphor is perfect. Have you heard about #Ritasquilt? Amy tweeted about it a few weeks ago and you can follow along on Instagram or read about it here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/10/25/i-had-buy-it-finish-it-why-people-offered-crowd-stitch-quilt-dead-woman-none-them-knew/ It's an amazing, inspiring story.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see you at NCTE!
Oooh, I will check that out, Catherine. Thank you! xo
DeleteI'm taken by this passage from "In Beauty May I Walk, "I will be still and steady, because there is nothing to be gained by showing fear in a chaotic world." How true and difficult at the same time. Your poem elequently continues on from these thoughts, and I hope we see some small dances emerge. All the best at the conference Irene–how exciting! Thanks for hosting the roundup, xo.
ReplyDeleteYes to small dances, Michelle! Thank you for stopping by. xo
Delete"Until what was once tattered. . ." is a most hopeful line, Irene. Thanks for sharing the book, Irene, the poem, and then your own good words. Have a marvelous time at NCTE. I will look for pics and tweets!
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda - I believe NCTE is in your neighborhood next year!! xo
DeleteYes! We talked about some plans at Highlights! Woo Hoo! Enjoy all the fun in Baltimore!
DeleteOne stitch at a time is the only way... or one poem at a time... or some days one breath at a time. Grateful for your stillness and steadiness, Irene. xo
ReplyDeleteand I am grateful for YOU, Michelle! xo
DeleteIrene, even with having a stomach virus, I was able to post so thankful for being the host this week. I look forward to meeting you in Baltimore. Let me know if we all are meeting at the Convention Center and then taking cabs over to dinner. I hope to be in Baltimore by then. I too enjoyed Hilfer's thoughts and simply adored your poem with such a great metaphor.
ReplyDeleteCarol, I hope you are feeling better now! And yes, looking forward to seeing you and NCTE. I am not sure yet the answer to your question. WE will figure it out! xo
DeleteWe need the wisdom and comfort of these words right now. This collection looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing it, and thank you for hosting this week. Congrats on presenting at NCTE. I look forward to hearing how it goes. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it in person :(.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping in... I'm sure many of the poets here will be posting about it so that you'll feel as if you are there! Maybe next year you can join us?? Hope so. xo
DeleteIrene, Mending strikes me deeper than you know. My mother was a tailor and the details about stitching and pins to dancing across the floor are spot on. Wonderful poem for this week. I do have a difficult time with stillness...as much as I crave it. I think that's why writing appeals so much to me...the calmness that comes from it.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be at NCTE. However, the Thursday date doesn't work for me. Have a great time and take lots of pics!
Linda, we have stitching mamas in common! And yes, I often relate to the duck who looks calm on the surface but is paddling like crazy underneath... enjoy your time with Kat!!! xo
DeleteMy God this is gorgeous. Thank you. xx
ReplyDeleteIsn't it?? I knew you'd like it. xo
DeleteLike so many others, these words really struck me, "I will be still and steady, because there is nothing to be gained by showing fear in a chaotic world." Also, your poem! Wow! The "hum forever in her throat" and the creation from tatters are both inspiring and hopeful. Have fun at NCTE. I'm so sorry I won't be there to join in the fun!
ReplyDeleteMolly, thank you for stopping by! I look forward to hearing about your adventures with Kat. :) xo
DeleteI want to be that still and steady hand of the weaver, the one who remains calm when all about things fall apart. I haven't quite mastered it yet. Practice, daily practice. I can't wait to see you at NCTE. I'm not arriving until Thursday, so I'm bummed to miss you and Amy and Allan.
ReplyDeleteWill be great to see you at ncte, Margaret! We are all practicing, learning... thanks for being you! xo
ReplyDeleteHi, Irene, and thanks for hosting this week. I hope to see you at NCTE and am so excited you're coming back to TLA next spring!
ReplyDeleteSylvia, I, too, hope our paths cross at NCTE.. and yay for TLA! My boots are ready. xo
DeleteIrene, I thoroughly enjoyed the seamstress metaphor in your poem. I love the image of "pins in her mouth" and "steady fingers coaxing thread." YOU are a seamstress of words! Best of luck at NCTE!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle - I am going to share your words with my seamstress-mama who will get a kick out of them for sure. xo
DeleteIrene, Thanks for hosting this week! I went back and read your poem about your studio. I loved it. As a multi-potentiate myself, I have lots of hobbies and a home studio as well. I have never thought about writing about it, until now! Thanks for the inspiration! (Carol from The Apples in My Orchard)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol! So glad you could join us today... and yes, I haven't yet met an art form I didn't like. :) Isn't it fun?? Nice to know you!
DeleteLove knowing that you are in our crazy, chaotic world striving to remake our world, stitch by stitch and poem by poem -
ReplyDelete"steady fingers
coaxing thread,
a hum forever
in (your) throat"
Thank you, Ramona! I do hope our paths cross again irl sometime soon... xo
ReplyDeleteI love your poem about Mending. Such a powerful image--and I agree that when we can pause and reflect rather than just react and get upset, we make more of a contribution to the world. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and words--and thanks for hosting. Have fun at NCTE!
ReplyDeleteI love your poem Irene. As someone who sews, knits and mends, I appreciate the idea that we can mend the world if only we work at it.
ReplyDeleteOh, Irene, I love your "still and steady" inspired poem. Love this whole post! Thanks for hosting. xo
ReplyDeleteStillness is indeed a gift. To just be present and mindful of the here and now - such wonder. :) Thank you so much for hosting this week.
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