Blue Moon to End the Year, the Decade

Wow. Last day of the year, last day of the first decade of the 21st Century (depending how you count the years). And it's a blue moon tonight. Second full moon of the month. How auspicious. I bet there will be some wild stuff happening out there at all the parties and ball-droppings and fireworks that are planned. Dean and I have dinner reservations at Le Spiga, and afterwards we'll probably be home watching Kathy Griffin make Anderson Cooper blush and turn speechless in New York.

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On "Last Days" like this, I guess one can't help but reflect on the year, the decade. All the awful political stuff aside (the Bush years, the two+ wars, the roller-coaster economy, the natural and unnatural disasters) we at least got a decent president at the end, and I'm feeling optimistic that this country will get back on track. On a personal level I've had a really steady home life and work life, with a great partner and a great job (though the job has been a little out of whack the past year or so).

In terms of my poetry life the past decade was amazing: a chapbook and two books published. Great poetry friends and two writing groups and a blog. Several grant awards and conferences and teaching opportunities. I couldn't have asked for more.

But the past year has been a bit of a lull. I don't feel like I've been writing as much as usual, and that I have barely sent anything out. But when I look at my files, I see I have this HUGE 15 poem series about the Expedition of the Vaccine, that is just about finished, and several other new pieces that were drafted this year: so it really was not as slow a year as it feels like at all.

Looking forward to what the New Year and the New Decade will bring. Hopefully a new book soon. Maybe even some fiction? Who knows? Bring on that Blue Moon!

The Twelve Days of Poetry

Everybody sing along! . . . . (or, for a more serious version, see Carol Ann Duffy's 12 Days of Poetry here. Or, to read about the supposed "Secret Christian Symbols" said to be embedded in the original 12 Days of Xmas: read here).

The Twelve Days of Poetry

On the first day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
A Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po

On the second day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the third day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po

On the fourth day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the fifth day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Five Sonnet Crowns,
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the sixth day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Six Bawdy Limericks,
Five Sonnet Crowns,
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the seventh day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Seven Keats Odes,
Six Bawdy Limericks,
Five Sonnet Crowns,
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the eighth day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Eight Objective Correlatives,
Seven Keats Odes,
Six Bawdy Limericks,
Five Sonnet Crowns,
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the ninth day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Nine Nuyoricans,
Eight Objective Correlatives,
Seven Keats Odes,
Six Bawdy Limericks,
Five Sonnet Crowns
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the tenth day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Ten Wompo Anthologies,
Nine Nuyoricans,
Eight Objective Correlatives,
Seven Keats Odes,
Six Bawdy Limericks,
Five Sonnet Crowns,
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the eleventh day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Eleven L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets,
Ten Wompo Anthologies,
Nine Nuyoricans,
Eight Objective Correlatives,
Seven Keats Odes,
Six Bawdy Limericks,
Five Sonnet Crowns,
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

On the twelvth day of Poetry
My true love gave to me
Twelve Slammers Slamming,
Eleven L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets,
Ten Wompo Anthologies,
Nine Nuyoricans,
Eight Objective Correlatives,
Seven Keats Odes,
Six Bawdy Limericks,
Five Sonnet Crowns,
Four Quatrains,
Three French Forms,
Two Triolets,
And a Hand-Painted Poem by Li Po.

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Health Insurance Reform: Makes a Great Xmas Gift!

. . . Perhaps because of the early hour, Harry Reid accidentally called out "no," but quickly clarified that he meant for vote "aye," to the laughter of the chamber.

The approved Senate bill would reform health insurance regulations, require individuals to purchase insurance, and create a subsidy from the federal government for those who cannot afford it to purchase it on a health exchange managed by the federal government. To pay for the expanded coverage, the bill raises payroll taxes for income over $250,000, imposes a 40 percent excise tax on high-dollar insurance policies, and creates new taxes and fees for medical suppliers.

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My hope is that this is just the beginning of a major shift in how we provide health care in the US. Eventually bringing us in line with the rest of the "civilized" world: universal access, low costs, great outcomes.

Yay Bernie Sanders. You Rock!

Check this out:

A $10 billion investment in community health centers, expected to go to $14 billion when Congress completes work on health care reform legislation, was included in a final series of changes to the Senate bill unveiled today.

The provision, which would provide primary care for 25 million more Americans, was requested by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

He said the additional resources will help bring about a revolution in primary health care in America and create new or expanded health centers in an additional 10,000 communities. The provision would also provide loan repayments and scholarships through the National Health Service Corps to create an additional 20,000 primary care doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and mental health professionals.

Very importantly, Sanders also said the provision would save Medicaid tens of billions of dollars by keeping patients out of emergency rooms and hospitals by providing primary care when then needed it.

I was so looking forward to reading Amy Gerstler's new book, Dearest Creature, and being able to report how wonderful it was. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment. It's not a bad book. I enjoyed the elegies for friends, the Q and A poem with her dog and the long poem "Mrs. Monster Pens Her Memoirs." But much of the book was sort of prosaic, and tame. Not the mind blowing Gerstler I admire. Ah well.

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On the other had, I have been totally enjoying Paul Nelson's A Time Before Slaughter. It's a book-length opus blending the history of Auburn, Washington (which used to be called, Slaughter), with his own personal musings about politics, power, sex, love, family. I especially enjoyed "Dominism," "Nine Sonnets for Pop," and "Tuscan Sonnet Ring." Kudos on the book, Paul.

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Busy weekend: Dean and I had friends E & B over for dinner Friday night (salmon bisque, salad, followed by pan-seared chicken breasts with winter veggies, wine and bread, and then a rousing game of Punto). So fun! Then Saturday night we went out for dinner at Dahlia Lounge with C. A delicious cauliflower soup with bits of apple in it, fennel salad, and pan-seared ahi done to perfection. It was Carol's yahrzeit, and we raised a glass to her. Eight years. Tonight we go to visit the home of our favorite poetry bookstore owners (looking forward to seeing what they have done with the new space).

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Despite all the piles of snow out east, it was warm and sunny enough in Seattle this afternoon to actually spend a few hours working in the yard. What a delight. To pull weeds, dig up the last carrots, trim back a few dead branches from the lilac and other shrubs. This may sound odd: but it even felt a little spring-like. Tomorrow is the first day of winter, so I know that is pre-mature, but it still felt like the tide was turning, and spring was coming.

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Dean and I rode light rail out to the airport today, just to see what it was like. The new station is about 400 yds from the airport, and you walk along a covered walkway to get to the terminal. There were probably 30 people on our train who were carting their rolling luggage. I think all the bad press about it being this Bataan-Death-March of a walk are way out of line. It is a pretty easy walk on a smooth level surface (that is if you are used to walking more than a few blocks without having to rest). We'll probably take light rail to the airport the next time we need to fly (which is coming soon. Ahhhh Mexico!).

This is such a heartwarming story. They sound like great kids. I'm betting the one with the afro and the perfect 800 verbal on the SAT goes into Law.

Yale admits whole set of quadruplets
For the first time in any one's memory, Yale has offered admission to quadruplets.

The only fly in this ointment: how to finance four college tuitions. My suggestion: a reality TV show. Snap!

John Ashbery’s new collection, dedicated to his partner, David Kermani, draws its exotic title — “Planisphere” — from Andrew Marvell’s poem “The Definition of Love,” in which two perfect lovers have been kept apart by the goddess Fate, since their perfection would be her ruin . . .

An interesting review from Helen Vendler.

Calder & Michelangelo at SAM

Sunday Dean and I went to see the Michelangelo & Calder exhibits at SAM. I really liked the Calder pieces: huge hanging (or standing) mobiles, made from metal, wire, wood, paint (the exhibits states that he "invented" the mobile as an art form. Really?). I had seen Calder's work in art books and photos, but was always left a little cold by them. Seeing them in person was a completely different experience. They were surprisingly fluid and alive and playful. You walk by one of them and just the change in air current might make part of the mobile shift ever so slightly, or you could just blow a breath at them and these large hanging mobiles would slowly begin to turn slightly, or sway, or a distant piece would slowly get the transmitted energy, and begin to move as well, as if the entire thing were alive, or had a nervous system and an articulate skeleton. It was so beautiful.

Much better than the Michelangelo pieces, which --I'm sorry-- just seemed so overly religious, and inexorable, and dark, and depressing. The figures all looked like they were feeling the tug of sin and/or gravity so heavily, and their faces and eyes looked like they needed a big dose of Prozac.