My Vacay, CleClinic Way

Wonder & Wander with Poetry Friday!

**********
My Vacay, CleClinic Way

Aspirational Visits

Uppsala (home of The Friendly Swede)
Margate (home of Shell Grotto)
Toronto (home of House of Anansi)
Alexandria (home of The Bibliotheca)
Block Island (home of bar where my nephew sometimes performs)
Malmo (home of Raoul Wallenberg Institute)
Copenhagen (home of Hygge)
Prince Edward Island (home of College of Piping)
Fernandina (home of Fort Clinch)

Although I have personally owned, cared for &
several times have relocated during moves
between New England & Florida, a classic
large letter, linen, collectible CLEVELAND postcard,
I had never before considered
the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame City,
across shallow Lake Erie from Canada,
as a desired destination.

But now I add in CLEVELAND to my list of places rated.
Cleveland joins
3 months in Costa Rica
a season in Arizona
many US cities/states, including hikes up & down Mt. LeConte & Mt. Katahdin
some of the British Isles
Sicily, mainland Italy
Cayman Islands
Canada east (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia)
Canada central (Montreal, Toronto)
Canada West (Vancouver Island)
as top travel tickets that I recommend.

The deal with this unanticipated vacation is
I give Cleveland my kidney;
Cleveland gives me world class health care
in the taking out of it,
with the healing up of it
& so forth.

Kidney Limerick #1
There once was a kidney named Right
who tried with all of her might
to filter and function
at her grand junction
but still was not working right.
– c.2018 JGA

When my family & I realized I needed serious
up on the slab in the lab
surgery we selected Cleveland Clinic,
thought to be #1 in patient-rated trust/satisfaction
for reaching into those
urological netherlands.
We are pleased so far with the world-class
attention, education & care in pre-vacation,
er,
pre-operation events.There are a crew of Clinic
people to praise & also, a most accommodating
staff at the campus Holiday Inn in CLE,
as we who have come to appreciate the city
call it & also a most accommodating
car ride service recommended by the Clinic.
My chipper cheer squad is
my nurturing family, Paolo, Anna & Petar.
Although it may be a full moon before I post again,
please know that I welcome
a Cleveland Clinic experiences
b Cleveland experiences
c kidney humor (see friends’ limericks below)
d your private prayers, vibes, chants & spells

Han Nolan Kidney Limerick
There once was a kidney with a tumor
Who had a great sense of humor
when operated on
It was already gone
Its presence merely a rumor
c. Han Nolan, 2018

Hillary Homzie Kidney Limerick
There was once a kidney
Named Tim
Who really knew how to swim
When he jumped
In the bath
he made quite a splash
And now pools are named after him.
c.Hillary Homzie, 2018

Adrian Fogelin Kidney Limerick
There once was a kidney so lazy
it drove the other one crazy
said K2 to K1
your job here is done
I’m tired of your lounge-about way-z.
c. Adrian Fogelin, 2018

c.ClevelandClinicNews

An august August, 2018

Find The top o’ August’s Poetry Friday organized here.

And the August Spiritual Journal Thursday is corralled here.

***

The request from a school recently fluttered my way.
We were to pick a number from one to 70.
I picked 50. For no other reason than,
of the numbers, I am devoted to the round circle,
often oval, zero.
And five is a great rhyme number.
Alive, connive, dive, FIVE, hive, jive, live, survive….

In some sparkle of serendipity, the #50 that I randomly selected
is the right # for me. The crackerjack school leader there,
formerly a Florida Teacher of the Year,
has her staff’s back, asking us to send a book,
along with a note of strong spirit &
advice for the 2018-19 school year ahead.
Just pick a #, 1 through 70. And my anonymous
teacher 50 turns out to be someone
who will shape the days for the next nine months,
of a mixed-age class of young ones assigned
to special education. My heart pinged.

Zero/ Kathryn Otoshi
Zack’s Alligator
Little Cloud
Sea Monster’s First Day
Catching Kisses
Waiting for Wings
She Sang Promise
& for the teacher, Grant Snider’s The Shape of Ideas

Some few of you know that intense life experiences
with two developmentally delayed relatives are woven
into the defining nature of my psyche.
Although a relative published some about the topic, I haven’t, much.
One of the developmentally delayed relatives let me know that my column
on the topic was unwelcome; my respect for that person brought me to the
decision that I can wait to publish. But it didn’t block my writing.
Among other pieces, I created & revised & revised a
critiqued novel manuscript for MG with the theme threaded through it.
Some day I feel I will publish on this topic.
My heart soars for any educator working in any setting with
developmentally delayed spirits. Although the Americans With Disabilities Act
is a wondrous thing compared to what was before, if you are involved with
special needs students you likely know there can be gaps, chasms,
entire sinking bogs.
However, knowing the leadership at this school that the little package
flew to this week, I think those bright kids in special ed. are
in brilliant hands.

***

And so I turn my attention to the half-there picture of my calendar year,
summer. On the writing front, I’ve moved forward much on my historical setting
MG verse novel. And summer isn’t over at the end of August because actually in Florida,
we call close on summer ’bout Oct. 1st. Am I correct, Florida folks?

Our June, July & now our August bring some ebullient moments.
From our front yard garden we have savored
not only figs from our own tree,
but also eggplant, first time for our suburban garden. Yup, from seeds.

And cherry tomatoes.
And hot Vietnamese peppers.
And soon to come green/red sweet peppers.
And a glory of red, blue, lilac, pink & yellow flowers.

We trekked to our big dunes.

We visited the starfish & shark of the home-grown coastal lab.

C. all rights reserved

We discovered a wayside tiki hut cafe we didn’t know was hidden where we had moseyed
hundreds of times before.
And when the beach is too hot to reach, we slip into our cool pool, if we
are not in a monsoon moment. And at the pool, hummingbirds zip low across
the water to drink from the flowers of the shrimp plants & purple cone flowers.
And we watch the skies for big birds and tall clouds.

I hope your August is sweet & that it is august for you.
I expect to be back with another post some time in September.

Poetry: found poem, Today’s Little Ditty, Twist

Do yourself a favor & sample the stuff of Poetry Friday.

Short months
by J.G. Annino

3 short months
13 tidy weeks
92 enticing days

summer corn
summer beach
summer song

stretch
a new way –
cat/cow

mix up a
cool treat –
lemon mousse

write a
new line –
the end
copyright2018©JGAnnino
allrightsreserved

Will these short months unfold as I anticipate
in the poem above?
I can never foresee gifts of each day,
the inscrutable continuing mystery,
adventures of each season.

At this moment I feel sure about
summer corn & already I am lifted up
from summer songs
I sing.

Will I feel confident in writing the end
for this manuscript, a rewriting of Pru’s story,
a verse novel? Expectation speculation.
But as I type this on a Monday, Teresa Hanafin of
The Boston Globe who shares my fondness
for the reminders she finds in
The Farmer’s Almanac, reminds me
Tuesday is the 170th day of the year.
This lights a fire!
To nourish my summer spirit
I looked & found, Entertaining Words II,
a found poem.

Entertaining Words II*
by JG Annino

I hope you will understand
it was either them or me

’til truth leaks out like honey
like schwarmfst skwirlp twoolm preefts brawig thrunch

how far would the wind convey
flavor of the waves, I’ll say

I’m captain of paper ships
but I need words to describe

after each rain a rainbow
all things take on great import

c. allrightsreseved by a variety of
regulars at the site Today’s Little Ditty,
as seen in The Best of Today’s Little Ditty, 2016.

“Entertaining Words II”* is
a found poem collected from ten poem lines in
The Best of TODAY’s LITTLE DITTY, 2016editor, Michelle Heidenrich Barnes.

* key to lines credits in “Entertainig Words II”
from The Best of TODAY’s LITTLE DITTY, 2016
Elizabeth Steinglass (I hope you will understand)
Tabatha A. Yeatts (It was either them or me)
George Heidenrich (’til truth leaks out like honey)
David McMullin (like schwarmfst skwirlp twoolm preefts brawig thrunch)
Audrey Day-Williams (how far would the wind convey)
Julie Larios (flavor of the waves, I’ll say)
Jessica M. Bigi (I’m captain of paper ships)
Dorianne Bennett (but I need words to describe)
Jane Yolen (after each rain a rainbow)
Rebekah Hoeft (all things take on great import)

With the two ending lines,
I went flip & flop,
see & saw,
on their order. Thoughts?

Any season, I would love to read about a poem you find in a volume of TODAY’s LITTLE DITTY, which are carefully created & curated joys that feature Poetry Friday pals & also, many well-published poets who generously suggest poem prompts.

TWIST

I have dipped into a coupla yoga
classes on & off, without seeing
the pose cat/cow until this very week.
My stretches are on hiatus until I meet with
a physical therapist to unkink a hip hitch, but
that doesn’t diminish the mind stretch I find
in an artful book,
TWIST, by poet Janet S. Wong and artist Julie Paschkis.
This study of yoga poses, with a calm folkloric feel
to the art, arrived at our big black mailbox
with a clutch of ordered summer reads.

I wish you soothing summer joys between now & the
season that follows in about 10 tidy weeks.

found poem resources
https://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/
http://elizabethsteinglass.com
http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com
http://davidmcmullinbooks.com
http://inmydreams2016.wordpress.com
http://julielarios.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/jessica.bigi.37
http://www.dorireads.com/
http://janeyolen.com/
http://rebekahhoeft.blogspot.com/

TWIST resources
Janet S. Wong
http://www.janetwong.com
Julie Pacshkis
Welcome
……………….

Like others, likeminded, with work to complete this summer,
I also work as a citizen
against this heartless administration that makes a choice derided by everyone from
Laura Bush to Pope Francis,
a choice unnecessary under law,to separate infants & toddlers & older children from a parent at the U.S.- Mexico border.

#VOTE #VOTEORTHEYWIN #ALforC
with permission from # Authors& Illustrators For Children AIforChildren.org

Fathers’ Day 2018

On Father’s Day Weekend 2018,
I celebrate the most special helper
in my universe,
my husband,
PAOLO ANNINO.
In this article, linked just above to his name,
he has teamed up with
a colleague, Terry Coonan, to advocate
for children in our community, which is
also a job that they fulfill in their
daily work, constantly.

I am comforted
realizing
that there are
so many helpers –
so many
caring people
in this world.

Fathers volunteer in beautiful,
nonending,
ways –
(Doctors Without Borders,
Big Bend Hospice, The Sharing Tree,
Lee’s Place, Peace Jam Southeast,
Front Porch Library,
Literacy Volunteers,SportsAbility,
4-H, Second Harvest, Refuge House)
& to me
it feels as a
golden scroll of Father goodness
knows no end.

If someone is tempted to dwell
in the ugly, remind them of the helpers.
Fred Rogers said it best –

“Look for the helpers.
You will always find people who are helping.”

Thank you to my dear husband & to all
the Father helpers all over the world.

Summer 2018

Summer 2018

And so sweet summer solstice arrives in
just 10 days with our blue/green marble rubbing closer to the sunstar on June 21.
Without awareness, until this reflective moment,
I find that I am less inclinded to cook up Red Mill oat bran in the morning,
more likely to have already prepared a batch of chocolate-raspberry pudding
(tofu protein base) for the first meal of the day.

Summer in a weather zone such as our North Florida suburban woods
provides us
mold & mosquitoes,
high 90s, sometimes 100s,
humidity my husband labels perfidy
walls of rain,
sometimes hurricanes.
I take our summer to be like others’ winter,
a signal to embrace extreme conditions.
I savor close-to-home expeditions,
love the gifts of this summer,
wouldn’t want any other summer.

Summer treasure
is tactile
living jewel on hand
ocean necklace plucked from sand
beach hard to reach
little yard tomato, one for each 

….

Summer June’s tune for Spiritual Thursday writers, sung by Margaret Simon.
And here is the most recent Poetry Friday picnic from Whispers at The Ridge.

Memorial

c.2018allrightssreserved

Memorial Day haiku 2018

Boys arrived, laughing
marched day, trudged night, steady drill
saluted farewell
c.2018JanGodownAnnino

I grew up hearing stories told by
my dear Dad about his days in WWII as a
Fort Dix, N.J. drill sergeant. He took on
raw recruits from Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
sent them off as efficient fighters against
the Nazis.

Groceries + a video

Groceries + a video –
Publix & Disturbed’s The Sound of Silence video

My topic is Disturbed’s 2015 presentation of Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel’s
The Sounds of Silence, later, The Sound of Silence.
And it is also about a wrong done by a grocery store chain.
So I’m stepping out of children’s poems & picture book mode today
as I do now & again.

I keep going back to Disturbed’s version, having stumbled upon it
during the start of this Memorial Day Weekend at a
lovely writing blog, when I should have been revising my verse novel.

Once I listened to it there, beautifully matched as it was with
a potent ice dance as a visual, to talk about quiet books,
it jarred my memory, my recollection of hearing Disturbed’s version back in 2015.
I wanted to see & listen once more to Disturbed You Tube version.
(Now in 2018 I have come to ignore this talented artist’s face jewelry,
without the Mother in me climbing aboard that metal fashion.)

The wonderful Wiki people tell me the song, released in 1964,
tanked,
sending Art Simon back to Columbia University & Paul Garfunkel
on return flight to England.
Then, in a plot twist, massive radio play in Boston & Miami with radio
audience adoration only one year later,
beamed it humming into The World’s ears so that the words can reverberate today,
in this time of national anguish.

The words, the delivery by Disturbed, the video by Matt Mahurin,
nourish me, urge me to write the letter, go to the
meeting/protest when it’s nicer/easier in the early evening
to want to curl up & watch a blue headed dragonfly resting on a green plant stake.

You see I thought I may be edging toward numb.
Now after watching/listening to the video – I didn’t want to take my eyes & ears away
from this potent piece of art,
this line from the song now roars to me-
“people writing songs that voices never share”

The catalyst for this mumble
is that we in Florida gladly leave money
at the Florida-grown shopping conglomerate called Publix,
which I know some of you visit during your jaunts in my lovely state.
And in fact, the big green P beams in Georgia & both Carolinas, too.
This chain has employed the state’s high school teens, the state’s elders,
& more important, the folks who will be forever like teens or younger,
as a leader in employing the developmentally delayed. It’s also my
just- around-the-block place for Florida-grown organic strawberries,
avocados & oranges.
Now I can’t bear to spend a dime there.
Until a great Florida newspaper wrote about it, I didn’t know it was funneling money
to a public office holder who brags that he is owned by the rifle lobby.

Publix backed, pushed, payed money into the
campaign of a current candidate for Florida governor who is so enamored
of the rifle lobby that he jokes, he brags, that he is a sellout to them.
And Publix has an excess of money because so many of us do
an excess of shopping with them.
Only after massive letter-writing/tweeting in support of spending less
money or zilch money at Publix,
did the business say it will halt the donations.
But. It has given about $570,000 so that is only part-correction.
We have yet to hear if it intends to give an equal amount of money to
the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense group.

So if you find yourself in Florida this summer,
bike, drive, walk safely, apply sunscreen
& I hope you will take the extra minutes to look for a local farmer’s market,
or try seeking out Trader Joe’s.
Lately, shopping at Publix is not a pleasure.

June 1 2018 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Moms Demand Action Group

Adam Putnam

Wikipedia on The Sounds of Silence

Disturbed’s The Sound of Silence on You Tube

Results, so far, from criticism of Publix

Publix is reached these ways

And yes, Memorial Day is Monday.
I expect to once again spend time with
mementoes my dear Father gave me of his WWII & experience at Fort Dix, N.J.
I am so grateful for child memories of seeing him lead the flag honor guard
in our town’s 4th of July Parade, as commander of the local American Legion.