Some sort of poem

This can mean whatever you want it to mean. I wrote this about somebody special. Welcome to my crowded mind.

We’re on a plane
There’s been turbulence
We’ve lost someone in the crash

Thank you
You put my mask on
And here we are
Up in the air again
Passing through the clouds

I’m opening the window
I’m looking down
And I can’t believe how far we’ve come

-me

ps. I’m glad we’re on the same plane.

From The Guardian Interview with Paul Butler, Author of “Chokehold: Policing Black Men” (Aug 11, 2017)

“The jury took less than 10 minutes to acquit me. But the experience made a man out of me. It made a black man out of me.”

-Paul Butler on his experience getting arrested, read the whole interview here.

To buy a copy of Chokehold: Policing Black Men by Paul Butler, find a black-owned bookstore online here

From Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do by Claude M. Steele

How easy it is to ignite human bias. Nothing special about the perpetrator or the victim is required. Ordinary human functioning–maintaining one’s self-esteem–is enough.

Poetry Ptuesdy: The Crazy Woman by Gwendolyn Brooks

I shall not sing a May song.

A May song should be gay.

I’ll wait until November

And sing a song of gray.

I’ll wait until November.

That is the time for me.

I’ll go out in the frosty dark

And sing most terribly.

And all the little people

Will stare at me and say,

“That is the Crazy Woman

Who would not sing in May.

Dear Body

This post is brought to you by, having a think in the bath over a chat with a friend.

Dear Parts, thank you all for being here today.

Dear Grey, don’t worry, you can stay
Dear Teeth, thank you all for staying, despite my misspent youth neglecting your care. I’m sorry but I’ve made the conscious decision to never whiten you guys. I don’t think societal obsession with signaling youth is worth the increased sensitivity because I enjoy eating pain-free a lot more than I enjoy projecting the image of youthfulness. Also sorry I don’t floss as much as I told the hygienist I did.
Dear Feet, thank you for holding me up despite my gross inattention insisting that you are adequately washed by my doing the shuffle in the shower and criminally under moisturizing youse
Which brings us to: Dear Callous, thank you for over-engineering the protection of my feetses (seriously, growing an armor of hardened flesh? that’s metal af)
Dear Hair Here, chill, hang out, whatever; ya don’t bother me and I won’t bother ya
Same for you, Hair Over Here
Dear Muscles, thank you for being strong and carrying all our weight
Dear Soft Bits, I guess thank you for being here too as I’ve never succeeded in evicting you all once you moved in
Dear Scars, sorry I am clumsy and move inexplicably fast and slow at the same time. Thank you for forming over my very vulnerable insides so germs can’t get in and blood doesn’t get out.

Dear Body, thank you for being here and being healthy. I didn’t have to buy you and I don’t have to buy you any upgrades. I pay you nothing and you show up everyday to do the work, around the clock. You are a triumph of engineering. I love you. Now let’s go enjoy some apple galette made by the one Dear Brain was smart enough to marry!