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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Reading Comprehension

This reflection is dedicated to every student who courageously comes to school, day after day, week after week, year after year, while understanding less than 30% of what they hear or “read” in class.  This is a celebration of the moments when, finally, they do understand and rejoice because of it.  Specifically, this remembers the moment this past Tuesday, when Carmen, a student in her fourth semester of Beginner ESL, finally understood and was so delighted and determined to continue that she cursed the loudspeaker when it interrupted her oral reading.




















As I stand to light a candle,
         two of them, in fact,
                  just to see them flicker
                           back and forth like that,

The movement rewinds me in a flash
         to Tuesday’s third period English class.

Where instead of by a tiny yellow flame,
         I am awed to tears, captivated,
                  by a bright and shining rubia dame.

Though it’s been two-and-a-half years
         since she first told me in español, “Me llamo Carmen,”
                  and I learned Carmen was her name,
now, despite four semesters’ worth of fears
                                    (and occasional jeers from her peers),
                                             she has timidly decided to resist “the same.”

So, like the sun, she rises,
         and her delight floods the room.
         There she stands, her sonrisa beaming,
                                     her surprised eyes positively gleaming,
                                     as out of her mouth English words come streaming.

But more than that—
         her eyes are reading!
                  independently, words from a page,
               lines from a script;
as though on center stage,
her on-point, theatrical gestures
are silently, joyfully, ecstatically screaming:
                                                     

“I UNDERSTAND!”

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The Marvelous Mayhem of Joy

(An attempt to remember, through poetry, the sacred sacrilege of Mardi Gras, as celebrated by the extended Cherith Brook family on Monday, February 16, 2015) 
Joy comes in
Glimpses of Heaven,
Bread with leaven,
Bright colors a swirling
Grown folks with fresh babes on hips – all twirling.

Joy comes in,
As I, with wide-eyes, witness
            a sight remembered long after:
the extravagant ecstasy of silliness,
As he, with gigantic gestures,
the recovering evangelical pastor,
prays G-d might join this night of foolishness.

Joy comes in
Sounds of celebration:
Laughter shared
between mothers and daughters, neighbors and wayfarers.
Music mixed
            by a liberated, love-struck DJ, beside, his bejeweled fiancé flowing in silver;
Dances stomped
out in a strange, colorful circle of beings
            – all sliding, sashaying, squealing!

Down the center line they turn to tango in mismatched pairs
            of outrageous pants and golden skirts,
            of gemstone-glued foreheads and obnoxious sunglasses above turquoise shirts;
   all seeming, feeling simultaneously awkward, surprised, delighted by
and thankful for
the ecstasy of silliness.

Joy comes in
Moments of madness:
As a gleeful game leader shouts in improvised gibberish
And adults, losing their wits, gasp & grasp to follow:
“Turn! Jump! Twizzle!”
On the sideline adolescent lovers, longing to whirl, exchange looks that wonder:
“Do we dare?”

Joy comes in
When a people, free, cannot be boxed nor labeled;
            A gentleman has come;
He asks my name—twice.
                        Says his name is “Bear.”

From the farm have come
                        Heads of hair (some long and twisted)
and they have come bearing cheesecakes—fat and fair!
           
From the schools have come
                        Four ESL teachers
                                    A Physics one, too.
                        Along with a composer, a dancer, a robot-builder.

            Then, over there,
                        A nurse,
                        A soap-maker,
                        A man with a purse!

Smiles are everywhere.
            Even daughters relish their mothers,
                        And people proudly flaunt their quirks
                        Knowing present there is not a single jerk.

Amidst all this marvelous mayhem
            Have come not one but two! recovering evangelical preachers,
            Claiming, like Elijah, that they’ve quit the church—
                                    One to raise chickens,
                        The other to teach language—
And yet,
Amidst their search,
Like Elijah,
They are still praying;
Though not for light
But instead that all might
Sin boldly and greatly on this one, spectacular, silly night.

Oh joy!

What a sight.

A Poem for Tío Rico and All Those We Long to Know

(Click here to hear it read aloud.)


Originally written, recorded, and posted on Facebook on August 28, 2014


Gone
Are the moments
We could have known
If we’d both shared adulthood.


Gone
Are the answers
To the questions
We could have posed and pondered.


Gone
Are the laughter
And the silence
We could have sweetly savored.


Here
Is the absence
Of your essence, “shame” hidden,
By your brother, my mother.


Here
Is the presence
Of all you were and still are
To me, your wondering kin.


Here
Is the incense,
Your spirit’s sweet aroma
Smoke enfolding my heart’s pain.


Gone
Is the table
Of their misunderstanding
Rejection, judgment, and fear.


Gone
Is the lonely
Isolation caused by sin’s
Cold denial of your love.


Gone
Is the death bed
Where you traveled on alone
What drove your bottle that night?


Here
Is the scandal
Of a heart that longs to know
The secret joys that held you.


Here
Are ears eager
To hear you tell your story,
Understand your art, at last.


Hear
Her prophecy:
Through your lens, see how my path
Wanders and thus honors yours?


We
Are not alone;
To yours, my spirit reaches
Out and celebrates our love.

Nacido de la tierra; hecho en el mundo: La frustración de una gringa

A Spanish homework assignment del Profesor Carlos at PLQE; originally posted on Facebook, July 18, 2014




En mi corazón, 
Hay un dolor, agudo y constante;
A veces, cuando abro mis ojos,
Puedo olvidarlo.
Pero siempre bombea
Bombea
Bombea…
Como la boca de un río rojo,
Ni ir ni venir,
Solo fluir.
A veces, cuando cierro mis ojos,
Cuando todo es obscuro,
Puedo recordarlo.
(Era la razón para mi ropa negra.)
Como la corriente de un río rojo,
Tanto ir y venir,
Siempre fluir.
Bombea…
Va a venir, trayendo dolor a mi ser.
Bombea…
Se va a ir, llevando dolor a mi alma.
Porque sin este dolor,
No podía vivir.

En mi alma, 
ay una tensión incómoda y eterna.
A veces, cuando trabajo mis horas,
Puedo olvidarla.
Pero siempre respira,
Respira,
Respira…
Como las pulmones del viento,
Ni ir ni venir,
Solo respirar.
A veces, cuando descanso mis horas,
Cuando todo es claro,
Puedo recordarla.
(Es la razón para mis reuniones con la tierra.)
Como el aliento de un viento sin color,
Tanto ir y venir,
Siempre respirar.
Respira…
Va a venir, trayendo tension a mi ser.
Respira…
Se va a ir, llevando tension a mi alma.
Porque sin esta tensión,
No podía existir.
-------------------------------
A veces, me siento
Que este es algo nuevo,
Pero creo que
Es antiguo.

Pero qué es este?
qué es este dolor?
Qué es este tension?
Hace cinco días,
Tuve la paz otra vez.
Pero ahora,
La lucha está en mi cara.

Como un volcan de Guate,
La lucha nunca duerme—
Siempre está cocinando.
Por lo general, la lucha está bajo la tierra,
Pero a veces
(Cuando me preguntas cosas difíciles,
Cuando miro las noticias,
Cuando camino en la calle),
La lucha hace un trémulo
O un terremoto.
Pero después de la lluvia, como lagrimas, lava la ceniza,
Quien recuerde la lucha en la realidad?

En el centro de África
(De donde todos son),
Habia una gente Bantu.
Ellos explicaban la realidad como este:
“Ubuntu” - soy porque somos.

El verano pasado en Guatemala,
Amaro “el guerrillero” me dijo este:
“Cada persona necesita dos cosas:
Una identidad en el mundo
Y una lugar en la tierra;
Y era para esas cosas
Que yo luchaba.”

Entonces, quién soy yo?
Y donde esta mi lugar?

Soy una hija de la luna,
Una hermana de todo,
Y la madre de nadie.

Y tal vez, en este momento,
Soy una maestra, también.
Pero aunque yo enseño diez meses cada año,
Yo aprendo cada momento.

Entonces, si soy Kimberly,
Quien somos nosotros?
Y qué aprendía de mis hermanos de Guate?

Somos
Amaro,
Marleny,
Carlos,
Aldina,
Jorge,
Carmen,
Y mas…

Marleny me dijo que
Es una trabajadora social
Porque aunque ella deseaba,
No podía ser una guerrilla
Despues qué pasó con la familia de su mejor amiga.

Jorge, el jardinero,
Juntos con su esposa Maria, madre Aurelia, y hijo Danielito,
Luchaba para crear
Una comunidad y cooperativa
De los campesinos.

Aldina, la madre de todos,
Salió su familia en la costa
Para mover a Xela
Y servir una familia nueva y extraño.

Carlos, el soñador,
Construyó una escuela internacional,
Para educar la gente del enemigo sobre la justicia
Y para usar el dinero para hacer una lugar hermosa en el mundo.

Carmen, como Aldina,
Salió su familia cuando era una niña, también.
Y con solo su hermanita en su mano,
Y una tortilla en su bolsillo,
Igual con los Israelitas,
Camino para Nueva York por el desierto.
Y ahora ella es mi jefe
Y enseña todos los hijos del mundo!

Entonces, qué puedo aprender de mis hermanos?
Cual Guatemalteco caminaba en el camino correcto?

Pienso que todos.

Cada persona solo usaba
Los recursos y el conocimiento
Que tenía.
Y de alla,
Ellos encontraron un lugar 
Y hicieron un camino en el mundo.
-----------------------------------------

Entonces, entiendo bien quien yo soy
Y quien nosotros somos.

Pero que yo tengo en el mundo?
Y donde esta mi lugar en la tierra?

Yo tengo un rio en mi corazón
La tierra en mi piel,
Y (des)afortunadamente
Consciencia en mi cabeza.

No quiero nada mas!

No quiero un pais,
Ni un religion,
ni un “color”
Que representa el dominacion del pueblo.

No quiero una idioma,
Un salario,
Una “clase” o “nivel” en la sociedad,
Que me da mas que necesito.

Pero tengo todos, y mas!
Asi, soy privilegiada y muy responsable.
Quien los dio a mi?
Maldita esos seres, que no conozco.

No, no castigarlos.
Ellos no pecaban.
Por mis abuelos eran
Refugiados politicos y economicos,
Y eran campesinos, tambien.
Primero en la República de Checo y Irlanda, luego enCalifornia,
Donde cambiaron su nombre a “Green” o solo, Verde.
Era eso un pecado?

Pero mis abuelos me llevaron mucho,
Mas que yo necesito,
Mientras, otras tienen menos.

Solo quiero cultivar una finca,
En una isla remota de la costa de Florida,
Donde, como el viaje en kayac hace unos veranos,
En el fin de un dia duro,
Puedo banarme en el mar
Y estar desnuda en una piedra,
Mirando la puesta del sol,
Y disfrutando el viento besa mi piel humeda.
Este es libertad, no?

Pero, es egoista, tambien, verdad?
Porque este opción no es posible para todos mis hermanos.

Y, sin embargo,
Yo tengo la tierra en mi piel
El río en mis venas,
El sol en mis ojos,
Y el viento en mis pulmones.
Soy la hija de la luna.

Cuando cierro mis ojos y descanso mis horas,
Puedo recordar la realidad,
Y ser consciencia:
Todo esto,
Soy yo.
Gracias a mi corazón,
Para nunca se falta,
Y a la luna,
Para me recuerde cada mes
Que soy, simplemente,
Un parte de la tierra antigua.

Si sólo había el mundo natural,
Y la política no existiera!

---------------------------------------------------

Cuando era una niña,
Tenía curiosidad en mi alma y el mismo dolor en mi corazón.

Recuerdo muchas veces,
Leí las marcas en mi ropa y juguetes:
“Hecho en China,
Hecho en Bangladesh,
Hecho en Mexico…”
Y pensé, “Quien hecho estas cosas?  Como son sus vidas?”

Una vez,
Cuando tenía cuatro anos,
Mi padre me encontró,
Despierta en mi cama.
Estaba pensando sobre una familia en la televisión
Que ellos perdieron todo en un desastre.
Donde ellos podían dormir?
Qué podían comer?

Y ahora, tengo los hijos de esas personas en mis clases;
La vida es incredible?
Entonces, que es mi responsabilidad?

Cuando solamente estoy incomoda en mi alma
Pero segura y calurosa en mi casita,
Cuando tengo dolor en mi corazón
Pero salud en mi cuerpo,
Y cuando la lucha es mi cara,
Pero la paz es en mi banco,
Que es mi responsabilidad
Para mis hermanos sin casas,
Sin trabajo,
Sin paz?
Y mis hermanas sin salud,
Sin agua pura,
Sin comida suficiente?

Y cuando la gente de mi país,
Mi gobierno,
Mi idioma,
Mi “color,”
Incluso mi religion,
Estan creciendo como una especie invasora,
Usando el poder de economia y militar,
Para robar los recursos de los pobres,
Y dármelos,
Como un “derecho,”
Para enriquecer mi pueblo aun mas,
Siempre creyendo que mi confort va a garantizar mi silencio—

Que, ahora, es mi responsabilidad?
Para gritar en contra, no?
Pero que mas?

Seguro, tengo que resistir el camino normal,
Y apoyar (o construir) un camino diferente.
Porque incluso mis padres me enseñaron eso.

Pero cómo?

Esta es el dolor eterno de mi vida,
Y la tensión de mi existencia.

Quiero dar todo yo tengo por todo mi vida,
Pero quiero estar bien, también.
Porque cuando estoy contento y completo,
Puedo compartir como un árbol generoso.
Pero cuando estoy cansada y vacia,
Tengo que quedarme como un cactus egoísta.

La gente de Gaza,
De Guate,
Del Bronx,
De todo el mundo—
Por favor,
Dime!

Donde esta mi lugar?
Pienso que es aqui.
Pero donde estoy?

Seguro que el camino a comunidad
Es ancho y ajeno,
No estrecho y claro.

O si para un caminante,
“No hay camino,
Se hace camino al andar,”
Cómo podemos caminar juntos?

------------------------------
------------------------------
  
  
Born of the Earth; Made in the world: One Gringo's frustration

In my heart, 
There is, sharp and constant pain;
Sometimes when I open my eyes,
I can forget.
But it always pumps
Pumps
Pumps ...
Like the mouth of a red river,
Neither coming nor going,
Only flowing.
Sometimes when I close my eyes,
When everything is dark,
I can remember.
(This was the reason for my black clothes.)
Like a red river flowing
Both coming and going,
Always flowing.
Pump...
It will come, bringing pain to my being.
Pump...
It will go, bringing pain to my soul.
Because without this pain,
I could not live.

In my soul, 
There is a tension, uncomfortable and eternal.
Sometimes, when I work my hours,
I can forget.
But always it breathes,
Breathes,
Breathes...
Like the lungs of the wind,
Neither coming nor going,
Just breathing.
Sometimes when I rest my hours,
When everything is clear,
I can remember it.
(This is the reason for my meetings with the earth.)
Like the breath of a colorless wind,
Both coming and going,
Always breathing.
Breathe...
It will come, bringing tension to my being.
Breathe...
It will go, bringing tension to my soul.
Because without this tension,
I could not be.
-------------------------------

Sometimes I feel
This is something new,
But I think
It is old.

But what is this?
What is this pain?
What is this stress?
Five days ago
I had peace again.
But now,
The fight is on my face.

Like a volcano in Guatemala,
The fight never sleeps-
She is always cooking.
Usually the fight is under the earth,
But sometimes
(When you ask me difficult questions,
When I watch the news,
When I walk in the street)
The fight erupts,
Or becomes an earthquake.
But after the rain, like tears, washes away the ash,
Who remembers the fight, in reality?

In Central Africa
(Where all are from),
There was a Bantu people.
They explained reality like this:
"Ubuntu" - I am because we are.

Last summer in Guatemala,
Amaro "the guerrilla" told me this:
"Each person needs two things:
An identity in the world
And one place on earth;
And it was for those things
I fought. "

So who am I?
And where is my place?

I am a daughter of the moon,
A sister of all,
And anyone's mother.

And maybe, at this time,
I am a teacher, too.
But while I only teach ten months each year,
I learn every moment.

So if I'm Kimberly,
Who are we?
And what have I learned from my sisters & brothers in Guate?

We are
Amaro,
Marleny,
Carlos,
Aldine,
Jorge,
Carmen,
And more ...

Marleny told me
She is a social worker
For though it was her intension,
She could not be a guerrilla
After what happened to the family of her best friend.

Jorge the gardener
Together with his wife Maria, mother Aurelia, and son Danielito
Struggled to create
A community and cooperative
Of farm workers.

Aldina, the mother of all,
Left her family on the coast
To move to Xela
And serve a new and strange family.

Carlos, the dreamer,
Built an international school,
To educate the enemy's people about justice
And to use the money to create a beautiful place the world.

Carmen, like Aldina,
Left her family when she was a child, too.
And with only her baby sister in her hand,
And a tortilla in her pocket,
Like the Israelites,
She walked through the desert to New York.
And last year she was my boss,
Teaching all the children of the world!

So what can I learn from my brothers?
Which Guatemalan walked the correct path?

I think everyone.

Each person only used
The resources and knowledge
Each had.
And there,
Each found a place in the world.
-----------------------------------------

So I understand well
Who I am
And who we are.

But what do I have in the world?
And where is my place on earth?

I have a river in my heart
The land on my skin,
And (un)fortunately
Consciousness in my head.

I want nothing more!

I do not want a country,
Nor a religion,
nor a "color"
That represent the domination of the people.

I do not want a language
A salary,
A "class" or "level" in society,
That gives me more than I need.

But I have all these things, 
And more!
So, I am privileged and very responsible.
Who gave them to me?
Damn those beings, I do not know.

No, no, do not punish them.
They did not sin.
For my grandparents were
Political and economic refugees,
And were farmer workers, too.
First in the Czech Republic and Ireland, then In California,
Where They changed their name to "Green."
Was that a sin?

But my grandparents took much for me,
More than I need.
Meanwhile, others have less.

I just want to cultivate a farm,
On a remote island off the coast of Florida,
Where, like the kayak trip a few summers ago,
At the end of a hard day,
I can bathe in the sea,
Stand naked on a rock,
Watch the sunset,
And enjoy the wind kissing my damp skin.
This is freedom, no?

But, it's selfish, too, right?
Because this option is not possible for all people.

Yet,
I have land in my skin
The river in my veins
The sun in my eyes,
And the wind in my lungs.
I am the daughter of the moon.

When I close my eyes and rest my hours,
I can remember reality
And be aware:
All this,
It's me.
Thanks to my heart,
Which never stops,
And the moon,
Who reminds me each month
I am simply
A part of the ancient land.

If only there was only the natural world,
And the political did not exist!

-------------------------------------------------- -

When I was a child,
I was curious in my soul and had the same pain in my heart.

I remember many times,
Reading the marks on my clothes and toys:
"Made in China,
Made in Bangladesh,
Made in Mexico ... "
And thinking, "Who made these items?  What are their lives like? "

One time,
When I was four years old,
My father found me,
Awake in my bed.
I was thinking about a family on TV.
They had lost everything in a disaster.
Where would they sleep?
What would they eat?

And now, I have the children of those people in my classes;
Life is incredible.
So, what is my responsibility?

When I'm just uncomfortable in my soul
But safe and warm in my house;
When I have pain in my heart
But health in my body;
And when the fight is on my face
But peace is in my bank;
What is my responsibility
To my brothers without homes,
Without work,
Without peace?
And to my sisters without health,
Without pure water,
Without enough food?

And when the people of my country,
My government,
My language,
My "color,"
Even my religion,
Are growing like an invasive species,
Using the power of economy and military,
To steal the resources of the poor,
And give them to me,
As a "right,"
To enrich my people even more,
Always believing my comfort will ensure my silence.

What, now, is my responsibility?
To cry out against this, no?
But what else?

Surely, I have to resist the normal way,
And support (or build) a different way.
Because even my parents taught me that.

But how?

This is the eternal pain of my life,
And the tension of my existence.

I want to give everything I have for all my life,
But I want to be well, too.
Because when I'm happy and complete,
I can share like a generous tree.
But when I'm tired and empty,
I must bristle like a selfish cactus.

The people of Gaza,
Guate,
The Bronx
The world-
Please
Tell me!

Where is my place?
I think it is here.
But where am I?

Surely the way to community
Is wide and strange,
Not narrow and clear.

But if, for a wanderer,
"There is no way,
Ways are made by walking, "
How can we walk together?