What We Shared Over Breakfast Feb. 2011

The gold lamp suspended above lights up this Subway
Where we got our 2-for-1 breakfast sandwich.
I got to be the little girl clapping inside at this free morning meal.
And now my heart is singing harmony with my inaudible clapping.
I bet the music could have accompanied Genesis' singing this morning.

And here at the table when we had our fill, my friend offered me a trip
Late May to Arizona and three national parks.
She's one of the easiest persons I've ever met to feel at home with.
Soon we'll walk to the bus and I'll show her the route from Burien to West Seattle.

Talking to her is like opening the cookie jar and
Having a leisurely cup of coffee or tea.
She indulges my love of variety and new experiences.
And even this 2-for-1 breakfast and anticipation of our trip
And the vitality of the church music and the large and welcoming congregation
Fill me. I'll go home and listen to bluegrass and the day will be complete.

Listening to Elle Flute Trio Jan. 30, 2011

The Japanese folk songs took me to the local Japanese garden.
Women bow and I bow in return for the gracious invitation to the tea house.
The stream cascades over shallow rocks
And flowers wave back to the music.
A final bow cements the bonding between music and me.

I imagine walking gingerly over the slippery rocks
From one side of the stream to the other.
Before I get across, I feel heavy, doubtful,
Torn between stepping back and moving forward.
A lasso, a jump rope, are thrown out, willy nilly,
And no one cares if or how they convert to anything solid.
They are notes left out to recess
With no one monitoring their movement.
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The Irish medley glides me to the Dublin pubs
With proud players of musical heritage.
My 2009 trip stands at attention
And I alight on a pub stool, wrapped in melody.
I celebrate their history,
Their obvious pleasure in listeners' movement.
Hands are joined, my mind tells me,
And feet kick in twirling delight.
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Bach's sonata guides me from circles of vitality
To a procession of solemn intent,
Honoring the sacred all around and in us.
Presto shows off its freedom,
Its right to do whatever moves it,
And I want to taste, no, gulp, mouthfuls,
Breathfuls of total abandon.
No restraint here. Go, girls!
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For Strauss' polka, I can almost imagine
Rising from my seat, even without a partner,
And doing the polka up the aisles
And around the chairs.
Oh, can I keep up?
It doesn't matter.
I just keep up with the unleashed child,
Never to be restrained again!

West Seattle Street Festival 7-10-2010

It started by going onstage ("A chance to win $10,000"),
picking up sacks with my teeth and unwinding crepe with arms in motion. I didn't win.
I did wear my "Plays well with others" button.

I saw moms dancing with toddlers to rock and roll,
Free Cascade candy bars and QFC water,
$2 pizza slices, $5 BBQ pork.
I passed the paid food by, knowing I'd stuff myself at tonight's potluck-discussion.
25 cent books (I got 12), one 50 cent book,
An Asian painting for $10, with a free one thrown in
when she saw how long I'd taken to choose.
Grateful for all the 50% off cards and towels and dishes I could easily pass by.

In an empty chair (for sale) as I people watched, I saw
Beautiful babies in strollers or on Dads' shoulders,
A shirtless man with a flat stomach--aah!
A pot bellied man whose T-shirt proclaimed Potty Trained.
A young man whose jeans were so low his green undershorts were totally visible.
Girls doing cartwheels on the closed off street.
Lots of cleavage on this high 70's Saturday.
A warm hug from Dana who had to remind me how we knew each other.
Would be dance stars strutting their stuff to heavy metal.
I imagined the future hearing aids for the band and their followers.

I'm wondering how the day might have been different if I'd not had a misunderstanding
about meeting a man from the personals at the Festival.
I am content. Another time...
Now, still sitting in the shade, I decide to slowly head home,
Lest any more too-loud music invade my ears.
I buy a brain-tease book and a Celtic woman DVD for my friend,
And a blue floral design glass necklace for me.
At home, I hear the last half of Prairie Home Companion
and then pick cherries and strawberries for the potluck tonight.
Our topic: quotes from Bach's Illusions.
A perfect day: a festival, good food, good friends, sharing our hearts.

Thoughts at the Morgan Junction Festival, June 12, 2010

I was sitting in front of the stagemoving in my chair to country music.
At the same time, I heard the cheers from the nearby tavern where fans
watched World Cup, USA vs. England.
The sun had long ago urged my jacket from my body to my pack.
The free bites of pasta, pizza, cheese bread and stuffed grape leaves
have ensured no need for pre dinner food stops.
The belly dancer's moves gave me ideas...
Kids on the nearby lawn are playing soccer,while others get their faces painted
or are pushed about in comfy strollers.
One child is leading a balloon dog around.
A chalk art contest is taking form on the sidewalk.
I alternate my tapping toes between sunny and shaded chairs.
Contentment holds me in place, though my eyes wish for a nap,
and my ears remember Prairie Home Companion is soon on the radio.

Tattoos and sunglasses and faces without worry are everywhere around.
Outdoor booths tell of emergency procedures, and sell plants,
brownies, cards, jewelry, and community services.
Parents and grandparents look lovingly at carefree youngsters.
They spark my appetite for sharing the imaginative innocence I see in young faces--
at the zoo, Children's Theatre, Children's Museum, and at home in the kitchen and yard.

I'm pleased to see recycling containers. I'm also happy that my inner judge
is giving me no flack when I postpone my trip to the library.
In the next few minutes, I must choose between acoustic folk rock here,
and Garrison Keillor on 94.9 six blocks away at home.

There's something hypnotic, homey and hopeful about the open-ended,
non-structured hanging out at street festivals like this, as well as at parks and beaches.
These are my neighbors, my people.
If only we could see all the ways we are alike, in ANY group of people. . .
We're all doing the best we know how to meet our needs.
And today, we all seem peaceful without any To Do list.
What could I do or be each day to feel this ease and contentment?
Well, I'm starting with "relaxation-without-agenda." Want to join me?