Country Poem MeMe

Rethabile has tagged me for a most interesting meme. Here are the instructions as sent by Ret.

Take a country whose name begins with the last letter of your surname. (a) Jane Doe would take Ecuador, for example, or Egypt. England (like the USA and Ireland) does not qualify. Wole Soyinka would take Angola, or Afghanistan. If you can't find a country with that letter (and only then), move back a step. (b) Jane Doe would take Oman, in that case. And as for Wole Soyinka, he would go for Kazakhstan, or Korea. And so on. See?

When you're nice and ready,

Tell us what the capital city of the country is;
Say how many inhabitants that country has;
Find and share with us a poem in English of not more than 20 lines from that country. If it's longer, cut it to twenty lines or less;
Tell us something you particularly like about the poem you've chosen;
Add a line anywhere in the poem (beginning, middle or end), and clearly show which line is yours to avoid confusion and/or ambiguity.



Thank you. Please tag two people (leave a message on their blog, too) I tag Jone and Becca and you, the reader.

I am currently reading Ishmael Beah's deeply absorbing book "A Long Way Gone - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier". The setting recounts his experiences in war torn Sierra Leone. A lasting feature of the war, which left some 50,000 dead, was the atrocities committed by the rebels, whose trademark was to hack off the hands of their victims.

1. Full name: Republic of Sierra Leone


2. Capital: Freetown


3. Population: 5.3 million (UN, 2005)


4. Poem By Mohamed Mansaray, Takoma Park M.S. I chose this poem because is matched almost point for point, experience for experience, Beah's life and memories. I also chose this poem because is appears to have been written by someone who was 12 -13 years old at the time of writing it. The time period of Beah's experiences covers his life from 12 - 14 years of ago.

Sierra Leone,
The sound of guns and war,
The sound of birds and dogs,
The sound of babies and cats.

Sierra Leone,
The taste of rice and corn,
The taste of sweet bananas,
The taste of fried fish.

Sierra Leone,
The feeling of sadness,
The feeling of weeping,
The feeling of being scared.

Sierra Leone,
The sight of people dying,
The sight of babies crying,
The sight of soldiers shooting.

Sierra Leone,
The smell of mother's peanut soup,
The smell of dead bodies,
The smell of blood.

Sound, taste, feeling, sight, smell - memories everlasting.

OTHER FACTS ABOUT SIERRA LEONE

Legacy of war: Countless people lost limbs to the rebelsA UN-backed war crimes court has been set up to try those, from both sides, who bear the greatest responsibility for the brutalities.

But the problems of poverty, tribal rivalry and official corruption that caused the war are far from over.

The 70,000 former combatants who were disarmed and rehabilitated after the war have swollen the ranks of the many young people seeking employment.
Sierra Leone is rich in diamonds. The trade in illicit gems, known as "blood diamonds" for their role in funding conflicts, perpetuated the civil war. The government has attempted to crack down on cross-border diamond trafficking.
Diamond exports, and the exploitation of mineral reserves, have helped to bouy the post-conflict economy.

Sierra Leone has a special significance in the history of the transatlantic slave trade. It was the departure point for thousands of west African captives. The capital, Freetown, was founded as a home for repatriated former slaves in 1787.

Passing Scenes

Windswept


What Lies Beyond?

Path to the Light

Panarama

Nature's

Carpet

Contrasts

Inside Cape Meares Light

Early Morning Friend

Early Morning Friend 2

Common Roadside Flower

Cliffside


Yaquina Cape


Bumblebee

Blue Horizon

If it's Powell's time, it must be meet-up time

There are more than a few reasons to visit Portland, OR. One of the best reasons is to visit the most amazing bookstore in the world - Powell's Bookstore. Besides being a sort of bricks and mortar Amazon, it is also THE place to arrange a meet-up. This time I had the pleasure of meeting Jone, she of Deo Writer.

I am yet again reminded of how wonderful the world is that we live in, that we can now so easily meet those whom we would have otherwise never known of even 20 years ago. Meeting Jone was like reconnecting with an old friend that I had not seen in forever. Sharing pictures, writing efforts, our love of books, discussions of our children and grandchildren, our dreams and hopes for our futures, was like catching up on the familiar history of long-time friends just long separated by life's various circumstances.

I discovered that like Jone, I have written sporadically since my teens. I actually have a few of those poems and short pieces. Someday, when I unbury them from wherever they are tucked away at, I will finally resurrect them and look at them with the loving perspective of 45 years gone by. It is through meeting other writers like Jone that I am continually inspired to keep working at this art, this brushless painting of word pictures infused with deep emotion.

I love that I was able to meet this gentle, warm, and kind woman; this person that I share a friendship with across continents and an ocean that allows me to give her a personal greeting from Rethabile and to send the same back to him.

And yes, Jone, Reno sounds like an excellent time for a return visit. I am just five hours from Reno, NV so I'll see you again soon and perhaps bring a friend or two with me.

Scenes from the Wedding

The wedding of Quanah and Erin was as simple and uncomplicated as the couple themselves. They focused on what was important - the vows and a joining of two families. Everything else was secondary. We are truly blessed to have Erin in our family. She is all that we could have hoped for.

Erin ready to leave for the church.

Quanah at the exact moment he sees his bride enter the church.

Krista and my brother, David.

Joined in their hearts.

Joined now by their vows, they pray before our Blessed Mother

asking for the blessing of a long and happy marriage.

Happiness

A proud father.

Erin with her niece, Samantha.

Erin with her sister, Teresa, sil - Carrie, sister Colleen, and new sil - Krista.

Quanah used to have ONE sister. Now he has five with more to come.

This is what happens when you marry into a big family.

A tender moment.

Kris and Dave again.

The parents and the new couple all in a row, dancing. Great shot!

My sil - Yolanda and Kris

No doubt about it. We are SO happy.

Missed the Shot

One of the lighthouses we visited was Yaquina Bay Light in Newport OR. More about that later but I wanted to share this picture I found from Andy and Angie a couple who live in Corvallis, OR. They didn't have an email I could write to to ask permission to post their photo as an illustration of what happens when I put my camera away. Please click on their names to visit their site.

Don and I were walking on a hiking trail as we left the lighthouse. As we walked, a rabbit, much like this one, hopped out on the path almost at my feet. She sat there for a moment completely still and then hopped off into the underbrush. It was like she was saying "OK, take a good look because I know you missed the shot and will be kicking yourself after I'm gone."

She was right.

Happy Beginnings

Introducing the newly weds

Quanah and Erin Jeffries

On the Road Again

Quickie note. The hotel had a computer. Wedding rehearsal and dinner was fun and chaotic. karaoke glee, pizza and beer, kids everywhere. Wedding sweet, simple, casual and informal. As uncluttered as the personalities of the bride and groom. The Grotto, in Portland, is a true destination place. If you haven't been to Portland the two things you must see are The Grotto and Powell's City of Books. Powell's alone is reason enough to go to Portland. Got back to our room last night and found a message from Quanah. They are staying at Discovery Coast just over the river in Washington from Astoria. I called back and they want to get together with us today!!! Wow, we get to see the kids on their honeymoon. How fabulous is that? What a surprise.

Well, we are off to pack and get on with the trip. Lots of art galleries, beaches and lighthouses await. Stay tuned for PICTURES!!!!!

Kookie Bird RAK

Annie just sent me the sweetiest surprize -

this dear little Kookie Bird.

I am reminded yet again of how wonderful people are and how small our world is.

Thank you so much from one Annie to another

Wedding Days

In a few hours, we will embark on the final leg of a journey that will bring us to the wedding day of our oldest child, Quanah.

This journey started with the marriage of Fay Bottiglieri and Russell Bastian on January 12, 1947. It continued with the marriage of Anne and Don Jeffries on April 8, 1977.


In a few days, Quanah Jeffries and Erin Sohler will join this post with their own wedding picture that will be taken on June 16, 2007. Someday the process will be completed with our daughter, Krista Noel.

Can you tell that I'm feeling very sentimental? This entire week I've been thinking about the excitement of final wedding preparations and how removed I feel from it, living in California as we do.



But today the feeling started changing. We are packing, planning for ten days away from home, thinking of the new future that is about to be created, the memories to be met and stored up.


I don't think it is any accident that each marriage is separated by a space of 30 years. There is something very circular and tidy about these spaces in time. And what is it about the number "7".

Lucky number seven is familiar to all of us. In almost every system of antiquity there are frequent references to the number seven. The Pythagoreans called it the perfect number, 3 and 4, the triangle and the square, the perfect figures.

There were seven ancient planets. The sun was the greatest planet of the ancient seven and next to the sun, the moon, changing in all its splendor every seventh day.

The Arabians had seven Holy Temples.

In Persian mysteries there were seven spacious caverns through which the aspirants had to pass.

The Goths had seven deities, as did the Romans, from whose names are derived our days of the week.

In Scriptural history there is a frequent recurrence to this number. E.g. in Revelation 1:16 -- "and He had in His right hand seven stars."

Anyone in Seventh Heaven is in a state of ineffable bliss, having the greatest pleasure possible.

The seventh son of a seventh son is believed to be born with formidable magical and healing powers: he is clairvoyant, capable of casting powerful spells, and possesses the ability to heal by a laying on of hands.

There are Seven Wonders of the Ancient World- 1) The Colosseum of Rome. 2) The Catacombs of Alexandria, Egypt. 3) The Great Wall of China. 4) Stonehenge. 5) The Leaning Tower of Pisa. 6) The Porcelain Tower of Nanking. 7) The Mosque of Hagia Sophia.

In its earliest days Rome was ruled by a succession of seven kings. According to tradition these were Romulus (founder of the city), Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Tarquinius Superbus.

Seven Lamps of Architecture Book-length essay on architecture by John Ruskin, published in 1849. According to Ruskin, the leading principles of architecture are the "lamps" of Sacrifice, Truth, Power, Beauty, Life, Memory, and Obedience. The noblest style of architecture was Gothic, but in time medieval architecture had lost the power to resist innovation. This loss of vitality was the result of the spiritual decline of Christianity during the materialistic Renaissance. The essay took the studies of a generation of medievalists and provided them with a general framework and a moral flavor.

Seven Last Words The Seven Last Words are the last utterance of Christ on the cross... The words are "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" ...recorded in Mark 15:34, and Matt. 27:46.

Of the many names the ancient Hebrews had for the deity, the seven names of God were those over which the scribes had to take particular care, the names being: El, Elohim, Adonai, Yhwh (Jehovah), Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyer, Shaddai, and Zebaot.

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World are 1) Mt. Everest. 2) Victoria Falls. 3) The Grand Canyon. 4) The Great Barrier Reef. 5) The Northern Lights. 6) Paricutin. 7) The Harbor at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We have the Seven Seas - The Arctic and Antarctic, North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.

There are Seven Deadly Sins also called cardinal sins. Any of the sins originally identified during the early history of Christian monasticism and grouped together as early as the 6th century by St. Gregory the Great. The traditional catalog of the seven deadly sins is: (1) vainglory, or pride; (2) covetousness; (3) lust, understood as inordinate or illicit sexual desire; (4) envy; (5) gluttony, which usually included drunkenness; (6) anger; and (7) sloth.

And there are the seven senses (yes, seven) - animation, feeling, speech, taste, sight, hearing, and smelling.

I look on the stories surrounding the number seven and I can't help but to feel lucky and blessed. Perhaps it is the Italian in me but I see it as a sign of long marriage. Mom and dad were married for 54 years. Don and I have been married for 29 years. My greatest wish for Quanah and Erin is that they too have a long and fulfilling life together as much lovers as partners and companions in life.

Countdowns

I'm started to get terribly excited with butterflies in my stomach. We are one week away from Quanah's wedding to Erin; one day away from my last two days of work for the rest of the month; four days away from our departure drive to Portland, OR; and six day away from the rehearsal dinner. I am nine days away from a day at The Grotto and then an evening at Powell's Bookstore meeting up with Jone and perhaps others and ten days away from fulfilling a long-time dream of visiting Astoria, OR.


Have you ever become fixed on a place you just knew you had to visit? I have a few and I've even fulfilled my ultimate place fixation when I visit Mont St. Michel in the summer of '96. I remember seeing a picture of Mont St. Michel in a travel ad when I was eight years old. The place was the stuff of dreams and I wasn't disappointed.

I remember first being aware of the town of Astoria in, of all things, its role as the locale for the movie, Goonies. That was followed by Kindergarten Cop and Free Willy. I'm sure it is all about the location. Like Mont St. Michel, Astoria's geography is breath-taking and I don't think it is any accident that water is their prominent feature. Astoria is magical and we plan to spend two days there. Don says he has a surprise in store for me and I can't wait to discover what it may be. He's done this to me before and no matter what I might think it will be, he always fools me. This time won't be any different, I'm sure.

When people show you who they truly are, believe them -

Maya Angalou

Silent Retreat

No, I have no plans to go on a silent retreat, though I have done short ones in the past and wouldn't mind doing so again for a longer period of time. But this morning I was at my usual watering hole, House of Java, gathering strength for the day and continuing my reading of Paul Mariani's Thirty Days on Retreat with the Exercises of St. Ignatius. I continue to draw enormous food for thought from this book but it is also showing me that I need to make a brave decision in my life.

I carry postcards with me all the time and use them as bookmarks. The postcard in this photo is the advertising card for the university's annual Senior Show. As I was reading Thirty Days this morning, I was deeply moved by these words that Mariani found within himself as he followed this spiritual journey - "What a poor creature I would be if I had to depend only on myself." A voice inside me echoed these thoughts and I knew I had to keep these words close at hand. There is something that I have been avoiding doing for a few weeks now and I will need to keep these words in my heart as I move closer to doing something that will require of me a lot of personal bravery and strength of purpose.

Fun in a Box

I walked into M-22, our big rehearsal room today and found a box fort. This could only mean

one thing. The students were hard at work on our new library system and the shipping boxes were empty. This meant play time. Is this a cool box fort of what? Of course, I had to get into the act. From left to right that's Nick, moi, Carmen, Kathy, and Adam. Kiani is on the other side of the camera. She's looking all FIERCE in the second picture. You GO K.

Outside of Me

Sweet-faced man, chocolate and soft.
Surrounded by possessions secure in your cart.
What happened to you?
What is your story?
How do you smile through the sadness,
the loss?
Jacket warm.
Hands and face clean.
Heat of the day approaching.


What was that shyness I saw?
What was that embarrassment
as I handed you a cup of coffee
in the moment you were freshening up,
preparing for your day of seeking help?

Elegy for a Tree

Once upon a time nine years ago, I wandered into the backyard nursery of a lady with a spectacular green thumb. Her garden/nursery was filled with all sorts of amazing cuttings that grew freely and wildly. In the midst of this jungle of generation, a lone Curly Willow grew quietly in a 5-gallon pot. I had never seen such a pretty tree and soon she had a home with me.
She stayed in her pot for the first year and then I decided to free her into the yard. I picked a spot next to our fence with the assurance that shade would soon cover our patio. And so it did.

For eight seasons, my beautiful tree provided shade, shed its leaves, and filtered the rain in the spring. Birds found shelter there and nesting material was picked with abandon.

Curly willow example -not my yard.


But sadly, two years after putting in a brick patio, my pretty willow had another growth spurt pushing her to 40+ feet. Outward she stretched her roots, untimately lifting my bricks and tearing apart my Celtic cross design we had so carefully created. I knew my tree's days were numbered. And so it was that today I came home for lunch and found this.






I didn't know it would hurt so much.

Timeless Beauties

Click here for a mesmerizing viewing experience. Thank you Corey.

New Computer

BEFORE

AFTER

After SIX years, I have a new computer at work. Can you say HAPPY???? It's a Dell Optima something, something, something with a 20 inch flat screen monitor. It comes with Microsoft Office 2007 which is a terrific upgrade. But the really cool thing is that it has a built in photocard reader. So now I can take pictures, insert my photocard and voila - a picture. Using that cool little piece of technology, I present to you my before and my after. Heaven!!!