Bending for Love

The forest understudy is not linear
sunlight breaks through there
a young tree here.
A Cherry twists and turns
first to that and then this
moment in the sun.
Til grown, safe from harvest,
from industrial sawmill,
its curves would not yield utility.
In a artisan's loving hands
could be transformed.
Held, touched.
Or here, seen for what it is as it stands.
Already beautiful.  


Phil Specht   April 14, 2013

Ally update in advance of spring!

Things have been going very well in Our Household. Ally is fully recovered from her surgery. In the pre-op appointment the surgeon asked if we would like him to fix up the scar from her Mic-Key button (feeding tube), so we got 2 for the price of 1! Ally's belly actually hurt her a lot more than the port scar (up in her collar bone area). She was on pain meds for a few days. Her port removal scar sticks out from her shirt. A few of her classmates have asked her about it. We asked her what her response it to it, and she told us she just pretends she didn't hear the person until they stop asking her the question. We told her it's okay to tell the other person she doesn't want to talk about it. Ally is realizing that not every kid goes through what she went through, and I think she is nervous and anxious to talk about her treatment with other kids. Understandable!

On the Ally medical front: Ally will be scanned again in April. She just got 4 shots in her legs last week (we are re-doing her vaccines). She weighs close to 36 pounds!!! Her dentist appointment went well today...of course she needs to floss more; but don't we all?

Thanks for checking in!
Happy Mud Season!

This had 167 pieces of spam.  Easier to delete the original along with it, and just repost.  Hope this doesn't happen too much more. . . . 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And one morning all that was burning,
one morning the bonfires
leapt out of the earth
devouring human beings
and from then on fire,
gunpowder from then on,
and from then on blood.
Bandits with planes and Moors,
bandits with finger-rings and duchesses,
bandits with black friars spattering blessings
came through the sky to kill children
and the blood of children ran through the streets
without fuss, like children's blood.

Jackals that the jackals would despise
stones that the dry thistle would bite on and spit out,
vipers that the vipers would abominate.

Face to face with you I have seen the blood
of Spain tower like a tide
to drown you in one wave
of pride and knives.

Treacherous
generals:
see my dead house,
look at broken Spain:
from every house burning metal flows
instead of flowers
from every socket of Spain
Spain emerges
and from every dead child a rifle with eyes
and from every crime bullets are born
which will one day find
the bull's eye of your hearts.

And you will ask: why doesn't his poetry
speak of dreams and leaves
and the great volcanoes of his native land.

Come and see the blood in the streets.
Come and see
the blood in the streets.
Come and see the blood
in the streets!

Extract from "I'm Explaining a Few Things" by Pablo Neruda


Thanks, nordy!!

Thanks, Barb!

Sorry, friends. . . .

After a couple of hours and  the beginnings of a repetitive-motion injury, I'm having to begin using a word recognition filter for comments.  In the past few days, I've had to remove dozens and dozens of comments from one particular spammer, and my patience it at its end. 

I realize by the time it reaches me, no human is any longer involved, but for the human first mover, I wish for you and all your spawn the fleas of a thousand camels to discover and make home in your pubic area. 

Life Changes


So much has to do
with hope, the sense
of light, of kindness
and goodness, and beauty
now that we can be
aware, sit for a while
talk to a friend. Before
our lives were a scurrying
racing across the meadow
chased by hawks, searching
for sustenance, a place,
watching, moving, gathering.

What to do now that we
haven't
the need to leap to the
tree
bounding from branch to
branch
finding the nuts and hiding
them.

What's an old squirrel to
do? 

 Pat Maslowski

February 9, 2013

= ♡♥♡ Awesome Ally Amazes Again! ♡♥♡ =

Written 1 hour ago by Ally’s Mom:

Everything went well. We are home, resting, watching cartoons and taking pain meds.
A nap seems like a good idea too.

The US Senate Cabinet Hearings.

The Iowa Quarter's tribute to education, Wood's Frozen Hill
sits on a ridge down across Buffalo Creek
bones collected for fertilizer by pioneers
who built another school nearby where the beasts had fallen through ice
nearby where I fell through the ice, skating too late in spring.
My brother plunging through coming to my rescue,
for looking to the horizon of Young Corn familiar sloughs
lead down to the Buffalo ponds. Grant Wood lives in me.
As does a view of a hole in the ice from below
A brother coming to my aid a story as familiar as every veteran's
tale of jungle or desert comrade fallen; a long dark wall, classmates, later.
For that day was bright, and looking up and seeing a proverbial light in pond water tunnel,
feeling bottom I "jumped" at the chance to end my war
and laying on the edge of my hole on the still thin ice
rejoiced as my brother broke his way to shore.
Both soon home by hearth; my wish for all like me
forever stuck with tunnel vision. Jump.

Phil Specht  31 January 2013

Ally is six!!!!!!

We are celebrating by mommy and daddy being home sick, and Grammy and Grampa  thankfully taking Ally for most of the day, so we can rest. Ally's morning Kindergarten was cancelled because of the icy conditions as well. Fun times!

Over the weekend Ally started to get "goopy eyes". She also said her ear hurt, and when she laid down for bed, she said she was dizzy. We were hoping it would pass quickly, but she was not any better on Monday. So, we called up her pediatrician and got her in that night...double ear infection! They were not so bad that she needed antibiotics, but with her surgery on Friday, the doctor gave them to us; so Ally will be good to go. The doctor also prescribed some eye drops (although she did not really think Ally had pink eye) to clear those up for the surgery as well. Ally is doing well with the meds, although she hates the "pink stuff" (I did too, when I was little). Her energy is as high as ever, and she is super excited about her birthday. (She is a little bummbed school was cancelled this morning.)

We are all set for port removal on Friday.

Happy Birthday to our little miracle!

 

Very lovely photo from crazycritch on fickr.

♡ Awesome Ally had CLEAR SCANS today!!! ♡
This means she has been in remission for three years! ☆☆☆
Ally was diagnosed 5 years ago next month with the rare and aggressive neuroblastoma.

She will turn 6 years old on January 30th. :-D

May she live a long and happy, cancer-free life!

Her family is ever thankful for your prayers during this long and surprising journey.
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.........//..\\ ............... == \\
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.......=.....= ..................= ......=
❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ Happy Dance Time! ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Jakeof

Who would vote for this man?

It's written all over his face!

In media res. . .

 

In media res

Always, our arrival
Just as the downstairs maid
pours the boiled water
over the tea leaves
in cup bottom

The sky explorer
crosses the international
dateline

Mare nickers
to foal

Damselfly leaves
her leaf
launches into oxygen

Dung beetle approaches
prize

And us. Here.
Now.
Begging for attention.

jjl
6 Octobre 2012

 

There Is No Beginning No End

There Is No Beginning No End

 

 

light turns a corner

no longer in sight

silence call dropped

into the night

ashes shared with ocean

with mountain

voice on the other end

mid sentence

finished as all conversations are

by the hearer

continued as all lives are

by the still living

 

Phil Specht

October 5, 2012

Aspens

Air interrupted
Startle of light
Leafing sculpture
Not marble
Not bronze
Breathing leaves
Array of gold
Yellow, green,
Scarlet, dangling
Each leaf a hand
As real as sun
Clouds, rain
Waving, blessing
Speaking in whispers
Rhythm of breezes
Falling in clusters
Embroidering the road
Winter harbinger
Season’s refrain
Beauty indelible.

Pat Maslowski
October 2, 2012