Greetings people! I have been starting, but not finishing this for a few weeks.. It is late spring here, and normally in this part of California it is usually close to ninety degrees. For some reason seventy degree temperatures are still hanging around. Not warm enough to break out the fan or cold enough to break out the heater.
I am wondering were there any feedback to my previous two newsletters? Feedback is good for my pen and of course an inspiration. Some times inspiration wanes, if only for a moment or a day or two.
Anyways I shall power in through and create this newsletter and hopefully someone will get a kick out of it. This will be a short newsletter. Just a burst of lighta burst of peace, warmth, love and realness to all the people.
PRISON DAY
This morning we had for breakfast what the warders call pancakes. Some kind of spongy tasteless slabs of some kind of plants. It did not taste like wheat or flour or any grains I know of. After one or two bites my body screams: do not put any more of that junk down my throat. So all I did after that is smile and take my mulitable vitamins. I drunk my milk and ate the part of an apple edible.
The crips and bloods black gang are still on a lockdown, but today the warder have let off lockdown a few of each groups. Warders will let more of the crips and bloods off lockdown each week. The warders call themselves weening and discouraging the two groups slowing from having a riot. The crips and bloods had been on lockdown since April. All other gangs and non gang members are off lockdown.
No class or workshop to participate in today in the art room. I sat outside the art room and watched and feed the birds. I also watched the coming and going of people to the yard, hospital, psych and church programs.
I came back to the cell block and had a cold shower. The hot waters out again. Apparently it had been out two or three days. I had showered each of those days and I had not noticed the hot or cold water. Maybe because prisoners are allowed five minute showers, no time for thinking or a long song! One must keep soaping and rinsing before the shower timer goes off and no more water. To ask a warder for a second sprinkle of water? Sometimes the warders may be having a not so cool day and just say no because they can. Perhaps I did not notice the water was cold because the native inside me showering under a mountain waterfall or bathing in a lake , pond or stream came fourth. What am I thinking, there are no baths in prison. I havenīt bathed in a ton of years. I usually avoid giving the warder the chance to penalize me for wanting more than a five minute sprinkle. I smile!
After my shower I came back to the cell and opened me a pouch of fish from the prison store, some sardines. I knew dinner this day would be like breakfast and my stomach would rebel again. Dinner was suppose to have been fish. There was something a thin and wide as a dollar bill, the rest of the two small spoon sized servings of food on the tray actually stunk. Not a sweet fish stink, but something stinking that was not right. But again I smiled and remembered , things are never so bad that they could not be worst. This is a prison day and my head is still up.
WRITING LIFE
The poetry group had itīs poetry recorded and played on KWMR Radio out of Nevada City California. A public radio station that is like family to the poets and other artists here. Our book club is now reading a book called A good earth by Pearl Buck. Our book club is run by a free retired school teacher that comes into prison once a month. The book was good reading but the women and children were treated as slaves. Slavery is never cool. Then to bind the little girls feet was a horrible thing. I like nice feet on a woman too, but the binding practice of feet--I hope that is not done any more any where on the planet. Our book club had just finished reading a book called Mans search for meaning just before the reading the Pearl Buck book. That was a deep soul hitting book. Right now I am working on my newsletters and some poetry. Hopefully Iīll get into some longer prose writing soon.
STAY REAL SECTION
I want to say hi and thanks to the angel for peacock feather. Also want to let people know that soon a choir of my poetry set to music will be out on CD in Sweden by summer. There may be bonus poetry on CD too. People of realness I hope you are all growing and keeping the realness flowing on your paths. Peace Gang is looking to expand believing in peace , love and realnessbelieving in love without borders. Thanks to all the realness folks and keep being you. Keep being real and strive to be the best you, you can be. Not to please anyone else, but just for your own growth and glowing. I mean itīs not selfish to be and do things for yourself that makes you the best you can be. I am speaking not in a material sense but in a realness sense. Being real and the best you can be naturally links other people around you. People inspiring others with their realness. Staying real.
BIRD STUFF
There are no birds around for the moment. So I make cookie crumbs smaller for some tiny black ants. Some take the smallest bits of cookies. Then there are one or two ambitious ants that go for the big chunks. One ant tries to move a morsel that is five or six times bigger that she is. I watch and at times the ants hind quarters dangle in the air as she tries to touch ground.
The ant with a big crumb made it to the long crack in the sidewalk where the ant trail leads to its hole. She positions to get the piece into the ditch and falls initīs body still in the air twisting as the morsel gets stuck. Other ants passed quickly on their way home with small bits of cookie. After a while other ants came to help with the big crunch. When I, being watched by warders who donīt want birds fed, Iīll feed the ants. For weeks I have been coaxing a pair of sparrows from across the prison walls to come to my feeding grounds. Dropping food constantly. Now I see the two sparrows everyday. The female started to taking crumbs back to her nest. Funny the male sparrow always came with itīs mate and landed on the fence between me and itīs mate. She fills her beak with bread and flies off with the male sparrow trailing behind her. Today the mother bird brought her baby birds to the feeding grounds. My first sighting of baby birds this year! Oh spring is really here.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Still looking for visitors unafraid to see what is hidden from the public behind psychiatric walls. Looking to share some truth, deep conversations and perhaps a chess game or scrabble. Keep your hearts and minds open to realness wherever it can be found! Peace, love and realness to all. Peace G is with you! May joy and sunshine fill your hearts and souls.
Spoon
