Mojo and Angela

I can't believe I haven't posted a note in three weeks! Time flies when you're busy.

Here's a photo of beautiful Mojo, a seven-year-old African Grey, with Angela, the lovely daughter of one of my loyal readers.

Tip of the day: Write your way to less stress. Researchers have discovered that writing about difficult experiences can promote better sleep and better health. Read the full article here.

A Poem by my friend, Ellen Elizabeth

Heart Murmur

The news about her heart drops,
a small beat missed next to her kidneys,
the bigger news, the immediate crisis,
as they begin to falter, her first step toward
crossing over, leaving behind bone-spring,
ear-twitch, tail-flick, fur and purr.
A goblet of time stands on the counter
half empty, half full, muscatel wine.
On the white mantel, pink tulips drink water
in a crystal vase, splay petals in daylight,
their black stars an echo of night.

Curled on her pillow, she snores
into her tail, paws with claws tucked in.
A smear of medicine has dried
on her white fur bib and the hour inches
up to the next dose. I tick with dread.
One for the bladder, one for the stools
and for the kidneys, a needle under skin
twice weekly. Nothing prescribed for her heart,
nor mine, time to measure hope in milligrams.

When a heart murmurs, what complaint
is muttered under breath? What rumor?
What voiceless vowel needs telling?
My son in Afghanistan does not respond
lately to on-line notes. Can he hear
fear, that abnormal sound in my heart,
the faint whoosh that prays, “Come back,
come back, alive,” does he own that sort
of stethoscope? Or does he think
I have one probing about, listening?
The tin cup of time sits half empty, half full
in a mess hall tent packed with reservists.

Last night, just home from the vet,
she tried to run up the street away from me.
I won’t let her out now; she might leave home,
might die without me. Today the quiet house
has calmed her. She purrs under my hand, rolls
over, opens her belly for stroke, palpitate,
massage. A water bowl of time, half empty,
half full, sits solid on the mat next to kibble
and tuna. My son travels in a convoy
to inspect food in another camp.

Pillowed here in my life, I read news
of roadside bombers in Kabul. My chest
is an elk-hide drum, the beater striking too hard.
A mug of ginger tea, half empty, half full,
cools on the desk where I keyboard
hello to my son, “How’s the weather?”
She stretches awake, pads downstairs
to nibble, to gaze through the glass door,
returns to stare at me until her eyes narrow
and mine glance at the clock’s late hour.
Hope is twelve disks fixed between
the heaviest furniture and a pale oak floor
already scraped, dented here and there.

Ellen Elizabeth
May 3, 2007
draft

Ellen Elizabeth says, “Love of nature, spirit and human story—these three are the plaited path calling forth and informing my life and poetry.” Ellen’s poems have appeared in various publications, readings and public art projects. In the fall of 2004, Writer’s Haven Press published her first book of poetry, On Sandstone Singing. Two poems will appear in Cuiver River Anthology 2007 published by the Missouri Writers’ Guild, Saturday Writers Chapter. Three poems will also appear in the 2007 anthology of twenty-two Northwest poets published by Seattle’s Rose Alley Press: Limbs of the Pine, Peaks of the Range. The Poulsbohemian is Ellen’s favorite coffee house on Kitsap Peninsula and she will be a featured poet in the monthly reading series on Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 7:00 pm.

Emma's walk to cure diabetes

This morning, my husband and I joined our friend, Emma, and her family and friends for JDRF's 11th Annual South Sound Walk to Cure Diabetes. We were there to support Emma, who has type 1 diabetes, a disease which strikes in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, lasts a lifetime and can't be prevented. Our team was called the Emma Eliminators, "eliminating diabetes one step at a time."

We hiked the whole Five Mile Drive through Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington. Actually, my husband and I walked about seven miles, as we had to jog a mile each way from our car to the starting point at Owens Beach.

Here's my loving husband with his new buddy, whom he met on the trail:

The weather was cool and clear, perfect for a walk. Hundreds of people showed up. Check out this photograph below, which I took from the trail leading down to the starting point:

For more information about JDRF, visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation web site. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution in any amount, you can make a check out to "JDRF." The Foundation will accept pledges of support for today's Diabetes Walk for only another two weeks. Contact me at anjali@anjalibanerjee.com, and I will tell you where to send your check.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE AN ON-LINE DONATION:

Go to http://www.jdrf.org

In the middle column you will see “Walk to Cure.” Under this, click on “Donate”
“Support a Walker” will appear at the bottom right.
Enter Emma’s name: Emma Harris
Enter the state: WA
Click “Find a Walker”
Her name will appear with the team name: Emma’s Eliminators.
Click on her name
Then click on “Donate to this Walker”
Enter your personal info--name, address, e-mail and credit or debit card
Click "continue" at the bottom of the page to finish.

Thank you!

Guest review of THE BRIDEGROOM by Ha Jin

My dear friend, Skip Morris, raves about Ha Jin's book of short stories, THE BRIDEGROOM: STORIES. Famous fly fisherman, jazz musician, and author, Skip has penned 11 books on fly fishing. He's also a discerning reviewer of fiction and nonfiction. Here's Skip's take on THE BRIDEGROOM: STORIES:

"A great collection of shorts, all set in China apparently in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Life there was remarkably different from current American life--a quaint country hotel called the Anti-Imperialism Inn? And one expects to share a hotel without unfamiliar room-mates.

I've been on a Ha Jin kick lately. He writes very plainly and simply, yet conveys a wealth of information and packs a punch. Hemingwayesquelike, one might say (though one probably shouldn't)."
-Skip Morris

Fusion Global Radio

Okay, this has nothing to do with writing and reading, but I just have to share. Are you tired of the same old music you hear on the radio every day? I sound like a commercial! Well, I've grown tired of repetitive playlists. I want to expand my horizons. I found a refreshing mix of international music on a local radio station that airs Fusion, a weekly radio program hosted by Dean Carlson, "featuring cutting edge international music from artists and bands who fuse their traditional cultural influences with modern sounds, textures and techniques." Yowza!! You can learn more and listen to the show here. Dance, sing, tap your feet. Go global. Happy traveling!

Maid Marian by Elsa Watson

Here's another gorgeous book, Maid Marian, by a wonderful literary author, Elsa Watson. From Booklist: "Watson provides an intriguing new twist on an old legend in this reworking of the classic Robin Hood tale. Narrated by a refreshingly bold and independent Maid Marian, the familiar story is retold from a woman's point of view." I enjoyed the independent, charming heroine, rich prose, and inventive plot.

Watch for Elsa's next book. She's got some intriguing stories in the works.