Happy fall to you all. The poetry book Judith and I have put together is now in Michel’s and Tina’s hands in Sweden. Hopefully, soon there will be a publisher. I’ll send Michel my prose/poetry book probably this month, too.
The weather here is still hot and full of attack flies – flies you can swat, but they keep coming back even more aggressive, as if your skin or moisture is their private food. I have never been around flies like these that do not care anything about death.
Still working in the kitchen and have put three 602 appeals in to get my clerk job back, because working the kitchen twice-a-day schedule messes up my writing, pondering, and work out program. So I hope that this issue will be fixed soon, because my clerk job was stolen from me unjustly.
Early morning, I get out to see a dark sky and to see the wild house cats roaming about the prison complex next to the kitchen. There are a few young cats moving about, and near one of the kitchen doors with a window some food for the cats is put down, and I watch them and see how their structure is -–who eats first to last. I see them playing tag and sometimes soccer with a ball of trash. I see the big male marking his path, his territory, like real lions and other big cats.
The moon has been coming back to the little window – Diana sharing her smile. But I have yet to see Mars. It’s too late to see Mars, even on this early kitchen wake up.
Finally no work today, and a chance to be alone with my thoughts, my friends who write me, and a chance for my body to heal from another long week. Despite the strange work hours, I have been doing my workouts.
Diana, sweet sweet moon, has been brilliant like a silky big blowing star in the sky the last few nights, rising by 7:30 or so right above the chow hall, looking closer than the surrounding mountains or even the huge crane just outside this part of the prison, where the state is building another new prison and calling it an edition to this prison.
Diana is looking cloudy, silky smooth tonight, and full, and almost three-dimensional.
I have not been writing or drawing much these past weeks. I’m still adjusting my program to this split shift slavery type job in the kitchen, where you must go and work in the kitchen twice. The prison officials tried to take away all of my program today, and threatened to modify my program with no yard, phone calls or visits, simply because I would not sign a paper agreeing to work under certain slave conditions in the kitchen with no off days and over 8 hours/day. The paper would also require one to do whatever the warders order you to do, even if inhuman or without sense. I’ll tell them where to go, if need be. I am still appealing the situation, though, even when the warders are wrong they cover up and stick together like the warders did in concentration camps.
Tired, but time to work out and try and keep my body flowing as well.
Just received my emails from Sweden and Norway today, September 12th. Messages from my guestbook on the website. The messages are from April, May and June. I am responding to the people I’ve never heard from before, and thank you for your messages and inspiration. Sorry for the delay getting and then answering your messages. We were having problems with the website.
To Sara Bender and her mom, Christina, from Sweden. I send you a special hello and thanks for your realness letter and inspiration. I am pleased you are enjoying my newsletters and it would be splendid if both you, Sara, and your mom could write me direct letters. Send me questions you want answered. Thanks for responding! I hope you still come to my site.
To Jo Selsjord, from Norway. Thanks for your letter, wisdom, and inspiration, and the poem by ee cummings. Your short letters was very inspirational and I hear you about the Indian exchange of greetings – I see you, I see you, too. I heard you are in contact with Michel, and I hope to get a direct letter from you, too. Thanks for all your realness and support. Keep the realness flowing. If you don’t have my direct address, let me or Michel know. Looking forward to hearing your ideas about my work.
WRIGTING CLASS
The writing class has been canceled for a couple of weeks due to this kitchen work, but the cats in the group are meeting on their own and have been sending their poems out. We hope to meet next Saturday. Gave the guys some poetry books to read in the meantime.
BIRD STUFF
Now I often watch the birds at the door of the chow hall, and the yard is clear of people. The sparrows and black birds congress in all the shady areas in the workout area and under the concrete and metal tables, forging on any bread, Top Ramen, fruit or cookie crumbs.
It is fall now and there are not many baby birds anymore. There are one or two late-blooming sparrows or blackbirds. All of their grown up feathers are now filled in. I still see a raven now and then.
But now I am able to watch the cats early morning from a corner door of the chow hall just before the sunrise. Someone puts food right next to the door, and the different cats and teen-age kittens take turns eating. Sometimes a cat will notice me watching, and duck back through the chain link fence. How much food is left determines how fast they will come back to eat.
There are a couple of white cats, and a couple of spotted brown and white cats, and about three mangled grayish cats, and one black cat that I have watched for awhile, but never at this eating spot. I heard it was a female. Sometimes I’ve seen her behind the gate at the work shed area. I do remember, not too long ago the black cat and its siblings were kittens, and I used to see them as I walked from chow. Right now I only get to feed the birds once before work, twice a day when I’m off work. But I am sure they understand.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Remember to let your love and realness like birds’ flight flow beyond borders, beyond racism and classism. Let love flow like a spring morning. Remember to live in the moment. Be love in the moment. Stay real. Keep glowing and growing.
Spoon
