tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248700715791053592024-03-13T04:54:37.379-07:00I think, therefore iambic pentameterElena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-87274317210646148972019-06-26T07:46:00.003-07:002019-06-26T07:47:42.218-07:00BorderlineWe concentrate<br />
on words;<br />
thin reflective<br />
blankets to contain<br />
cold nights that keep<br />
hot and weary days<br />
separated.<br />
<br />
Camped out<br />
on the borders ennumerated by our declaration,<br />
we speak into the void to bring forth laws<br />
and give them teeth.<br />
For our own children, this command:<br />
brush before bed.Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-44303934497243815532018-02-19T17:28:00.001-08:002018-02-19T17:28:49.840-08:00"How many more children have to die before we care enough to do anything about it?"<br />
<br />
But people do care. Deeply care. And that's what makes it so complicated. Some of us want to protect our children with gun control, and some of us want to protect our children with guns. Either way, we cannot bear the thought of standing by and doing nothing while children die.<br />
<br />
The other day, I read a passionate plea by a vaccine advocate. "If you knew what it was like to lose a child, you'd understand."<br />
<br />
Her words echoed those of the most passionate vaccine critics. "If you knew what it was like to watch your child die..."<br />
<br />
"If you knew..."<br />
<br />
"If only you knew..."<br />
<br />
"I wish you knew..."<br />
<br />
And just like that, dialogue gives way to death wishes, even threats.<br />
<br />
"I hope your child dies..."<br />
<br />
As a society, we have important decisions to make about guns, vaccines, and a host of other issues. What we do matters, because if we choose wrongly, innocent children will die, regardless of our intentions.<br />
<br />
We have to care. Deeply care.<br />
<br />
But can we learn to care without violence?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-8959430535864122252017-09-28T11:16:00.000-07:002017-09-28T11:16:50.010-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Put</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
her</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
away</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
quietly.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Slowly back into</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
her tent. Do not look. Pull the wool</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
gently over her senseless body, then tip-toe</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
out. Damp ground strewn with purity's</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
debris spreads beneath</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the rainbow.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Promise:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
no</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
more.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-14992495557806073092017-08-20T11:37:00.001-07:002017-08-20T11:37:38.651-07:00<i>“We must love each other, respect each other and cherish our history and our future together.” </i><br />
--Donald J. Trump, August 12, 2017<br />
<br />
<br />
These histories we cannot cherish--don't<br />
forget. You have to hoist Anchises and<br />
his statues onto your aching shoulders. You won't<br />
exactly leave the flames; this burning land<br />
churns inside your flesh. You will ignite<br />
it everywhere you go, with torches raised<br />
to carry on and on, with faces white<br />
and trembling--unless<br />
you break the rhythm<br />
like old estate sale china,<br />
sweep up the pieces before the neighbor<br />
kids get hurt, and maybe dare<br />
to write something new.Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-31155254417357884002017-08-01T15:36:00.000-07:002017-08-01T15:36:23.540-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
We've</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
left</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Egypt:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
pungent roots</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and goads. We still sweat,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And the salt now tastes like freedom,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
streaming down our sunburned backs in gleaming stripes, but thirst</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
keeps our eyes on the pyramids.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We've learned denial</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
is more than</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
a state</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
mind.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-20118912411256043612017-07-27T13:37:00.000-07:002017-07-27T13:37:37.271-07:00Unravel in the quiet underneath<br />
the earth's plush blanket, nestled in the soil.<br />
Let go. Unclench your fingers and your teeth,<br />
and let the rain unwind this mortal coil.<br />
Peel away the husk, unleash the germ,<br />
in silence sweet as dying, dark as sleep,<br />
waiting through the full unspoken term;<br />
you must entrust to spring what you would keep.Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-26147444630075081922017-06-25T12:49:00.002-07:002017-06-25T12:49:26.139-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
You</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
are</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
at war.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Remember</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
that the battle lines</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
are within you: shifting, pulsing,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
churning through your veins. You cannot do this on your own.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Allies are everywhere, thank God,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and you must find them.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is all</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the hope</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
there</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
is.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-91089887871185589422017-03-07T17:10:00.000-08:002017-03-07T17:10:31.830-08:00RecipeGarlic is magical, and its pungent odor is wafting through our home like fairy dust.<br />
<br />
Stinky fairy dust.<br />
<br />
Cloves are also magical, but I caught the little dust-fairy before he got that package open.<br />
<br />
There is so much magic all around us, and we spend most of our life trying to figure out what on earth do with it all.<br />
<br />
He tosses the bag of peppercorns. I catch it like a beanbag before it breaks open, and tell his big brother to move his dancing before a fight breaks out.<br />
<br />
I tuck the spices back into the cupboard, and gather everyone around to read the stories that will show us how to combine the wild unruly ingredients of life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sc0ws8q5P6c/WL9Z8y60zSI/AAAAAAAAA7I/F3aOVgpABicvMZEt-JVLI91x86X9e19kwCLcB/s1600/DSC_0560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sc0ws8q5P6c/WL9Z8y60zSI/AAAAAAAAA7I/F3aOVgpABicvMZEt-JVLI91x86X9e19kwCLcB/s320/DSC_0560.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-42634430350159239162017-03-06T17:27:00.000-08:002017-03-06T17:27:23.953-08:00We are watching the Cosby show, right now.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is so, SO good.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I watch soberly now, and we talk about it. We talk about the good, and we talk about how everything isn't always as it seems. But we keep watching, because as a family it's so important to learn how to drive each other crazy, love each other anyway, and laugh about it all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We watch the ads, too, because it's important to learn how to think well about them. We laugh at the audacity of the accelerating heart beat in the background of the refinancing ad. The manipulation isn't really funny, but laughter helps us stay steady in our own bio-rhythms. Polyrhythms are fun, but you have to pay attention.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ad-watching has become more interesting since I've started selling Young Living. The air freshener ads are downright terrifying when you spend all day talking and writing about the effects of fragrances. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Cancer in a jar, 50% off. Your guests will be so impressed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(And here I go with the fear. It's unavoidable: there be dragons. Breathe slow and deep, lean into the poly-rhythms. Laughter helps so much.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just now there was an ad for a very scientific skin-care product, and mercifully, this one was trying to be funny. The skin cream promised to solve some teen problems, but not others, because, hahahaha, that would be ridiculous. We are all on guard, and we know better than to expect too much.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I used that stuff back in the day. It didn't do much except dry out my skin. I'm sure it's helped some people, but good nutrition does a better job for me. And good nutrition also happens to address all those other issues too, helping with mood and and focus and friendships as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The gifts of God are too good to be true. What is there for us to do but to join with Sarah in her gladness, and laugh?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-42003426730075454722017-02-27T12:03:00.000-08:002017-02-27T12:11:27.866-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
And</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
when</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you wake</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
up, tucked in</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
between the pages</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of some dark novel, know that these</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
are the stories that glitter with courage and glory,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
are the stories that you read through</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and through, over and</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
again, and</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you are</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
their</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
light.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-22599616056292807082017-02-08T13:10:00.000-08:002017-02-27T12:13:06.800-08:00<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Be</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
side</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the still</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
waters, swept</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
enraging currents,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
newly ever-cycling eddies:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I cannot walk through this valley, and I fear to swim.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ground unearthed into this churning,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the water's surface</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the only</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
place left</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
stand.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-39584982960552243402017-01-21T20:57:00.001-08:002017-02-27T12:13:26.095-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
One</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
word</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
forward,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
two words back:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our stories untell</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
themselves. Words slip off our tongues, back</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
into our throats. They stick there while we try to make up</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the story of our unmaking.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By the time we are</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
through, I'm not</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
sure who</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we'll</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
be.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-17364709427322762282016-12-06T13:34:00.000-08:002016-12-06T13:34:06.443-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Love</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
is</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
feathered,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
shapes the air, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
expands to cradle</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the space we share. There's room enough</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for you and the soaring wind, pressing against your lungs.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Grow into the weight of light, fill</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
all you can, only</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with welcome.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fill all</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
love.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-12217724510870364432016-11-16T13:11:00.000-08:002016-11-16T13:11:11.256-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
It</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
is</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We'n'sday,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
when forgotten</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
words hold forgotten</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
letters. Still, we carry them all:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Aeneas, Anchises, the statues of their statues.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The tower wobbles above us</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
as we flee the flames.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We always</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
forget</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
some</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
one.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-34008852829214383032016-10-13T08:53:00.000-07:002016-10-13T08:53:07.121-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
One</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
grain</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
at a</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
time, slowly</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
they lay their loads down,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
return again into the ground</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to gather more. The tunnels deepen. The ant nest grows.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
These boulders they hoist, numberless</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
as stars, are too small</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to count. God</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
still sees</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
them</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
all.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbyQxnF4QrE/V_-tyEMkHGI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/fxzq1qrsQcYBT2NHwOFvB_RjTxNEIEO9QCLcB/s1600/DSC_0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WbyQxnF4QrE/V_-tyEMkHGI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/fxzq1qrsQcYBT2NHwOFvB_RjTxNEIEO9QCLcB/s320/DSC_0901.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-40360372009119800712016-08-29T16:54:00.002-07:002016-08-29T16:54:10.589-07:00Leaving<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">The oaks have been good mentors over the past year. I will miss them.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">They tell me not to worry about it. I am trying to listen.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">They also tell me that no matter how well I listen, I won't ever be a tree. We're migratory creatures, some of us more than others. Few of us flit around quite as much as the blue jays and the cardinals, but we all spend our lives skimming along earth's surface. This, too, is okay. The trees reassure me that humans are fine and lovely creatures with their own kind of wisdom.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">I get the idea that they aren't entirely clear on the concept, but they take it on faith that we exist with a life as rich and vibrant as their own. That is enough.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">Their ignorance has taught me as much as their knowledge. Out of all that there is to know, we will always be ignorant of most of it. I had better learn how how to become good at being ignorant. I had better learn how to reach into the dark with fearless love.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">Trees are not afraid of the dark. Half of their life is hidden in the underworld, where earthworms nest in their branches.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">I am not a tree. The dark of the earth is for me a place of death, and I am not strong enough to feast on unfiltered light.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">The oak trees spread above me, mediating glory, and beneath me, recieving burdens to great for me to carry. For them, it is no burden. It is the stuff with which they gather light.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84px; line-height: 20.592px;">And now they urge me on to go do likewise, but in the human way, spreading my roots into migration's deep rich heritage.</span>Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-21464434372009470162016-08-27T09:33:00.001-07:002016-08-27T09:33:42.058-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
The</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
pure</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in heart,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
beautiful</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
earth between their toes,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
shall surely see God reaching down</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to wash their feet with tears and purest oil (you are clean), </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
shall surely surely see God through wild hair</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
streaming down to wipe</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
away all</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
tears, find</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
them</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
clean.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-3062173259511570882016-08-18T11:08:00.003-07:002016-08-18T11:09:38.437-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
The</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
right</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
feelings</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
are always</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
reasonable; sound</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
logic always sings. Head and heart</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
may err unaware, but each notices the other's</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
flaws. The slow exasperating</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
way of good fights fought</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in the end</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
prevents</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
much</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
woe.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-90569229712653139562016-08-15T07:38:00.003-07:002016-08-15T07:38:47.907-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
You</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
do</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
not have</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to gather</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the light all alone.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's too strong for you anyway.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Deep-rooted trees and flickering grasses will filter</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
glory. So will others. And light</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
itself will reach down</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
become small</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
enough</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-74208852445332556002016-08-13T06:57:00.000-07:002016-08-13T06:57:24.459-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Did</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
she</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
like it?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He didn't</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
think to ask. Did she</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
want it then, at all, or that way?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Did she like it from an armed stranger? Will she enjoy</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it again, now that it means fear?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Shared pleasures call for</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
consent: yes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
even</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ice</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cream.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-68598523108673501282016-08-12T10:19:00.002-07:002016-08-12T10:26:31.668-07:00Give us this day our daily bread, and please,<br />
give us a little butter. It needn't be<br />
too thickly spread. We'd also like some cheese,<br />
and cream and sugar for the coffee we<br />
require to show any kind of grace<br />
before late afternoon, when crankiness<br />
sets in again, as hungrily we race<br />
to cook and serve up supper. Lord, please bless<br />
it to our bodies. Give us the strength we lack,<br />
to wash both dishes and unlovely feet<br />
of those who had to drink their coffee black<br />
or not at all. Give us something to eat.<br />
It will not be enough to make us good.<br />
For that, we need your very flesh for food.<br />
<br />
<br />Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-4333156170918866952016-08-11T17:30:00.001-07:002016-08-11T17:30:48.235-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Dust-</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
child,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
earthling,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
here's a song.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You have to take it</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
apart, reassemble broken</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
chords, try to sew up the fraying edges. I'm afraid</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You'll misspell it at first, forget</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the silent "h," breath</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of God, life</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to heal</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
world.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-69955642092585927332016-08-02T20:36:00.001-07:002016-08-02T20:36:34.659-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
midst of</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
evil times,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
weary, through dark woods</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I climb, led by your daunting rhymes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pray, sweet bard, I find</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
passage to</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
your fair</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
bright</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
clime.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-75672582134250258192016-06-26T18:13:00.001-07:002016-06-26T18:39:06.350-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
And</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
there</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
was light,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
constantly</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
speeding, expanding,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
flooding the aeons of day,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
while ruling also</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(by proxy)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ages</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
night.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524870071579105359.post-5115074976724714372016-03-01T08:08:00.001-08:002016-03-01T08:23:05.563-08:00Why I still believe in America (even if Trump wins)<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
Sometimes people are silly. For any silly idea, you can find someone who sincerely believes it, and it is dangerous to under-estimate the ability of humans to believe silly things. "Big lies" and all that.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
Sometimes people believe silly things.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
But sometimes, they don't.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
This morning, I read the surprising news that Adele had infuriated feminists by saying that she finds fulfillment in motherhood. Of course, I wasn't surprised that the singer-songwriter loves being a mom--motherhood is awesome!--but I did find it a bit odd that anyone would take umbrage at her joy. I've read a good bit of feminist literature, and I've never encountered any such thing.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
So I burrowed through a trail of links, and sure enough, I didn't find a single trace of feminist resentment at Adele's maternal bliss. There was just a bit of discussion of how even though it feels a little weird to hear an outspoken feminist so enthusiastic about motherhood, it's actually really awesome. We've come a long way, baby! We are now free to embrace motherhood without being afraid that it will negate the other facets of our personhood.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
We disagree about a lot of things, but apparently Adele isn't one of them after all. Some people say that motherhood is the most important job in the world, and some people find that statement horrifying. Some people believe that abortion is a basic human right, while others consider it murder. The rift is real and important, but it is not infinite. At least we can all be happy for Adele.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
It was a lot like last December's coffee cup non-troversy. Nobody was actually offended at having to drink their peppermint lattes from simple red cups without any snowflakes or ice skating penguins, but for a while there, we thought that they were. And why shouldn't we think that? Year after year, people had been getting upset over the lack of public Christmas observances. How were we supposed to know how far they would take it?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">But even those people weren't upset about the plain red coffee cups. Conservative Christians quickly began explaining to their confused (and apparently fictional) brethren that this hissy fit wasn't very Christian at all.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
It was a beautiful thing. We may disagree about the importance of civil religion, but at least we all agree that Jesus cares more about love and justice than about coffee cups, and this year's cups were really pretty, anyway.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
I'm reminded of all this as I watch Donald Trump make a mockery of the electoral process. He may yet become the face of the Republican party, but he will do so against the will of most Republicans.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">My sons and I were trying to get our minds around it last night. It's as though the kids are voting about how to clean the house, and one wants music, one wants silence, one wants to start with the kitchen, one wants to start with the bedrooms. But there are two votes for upending all the trash cans, so that's the strategy with the most votes, even though it's the last thing in the world that most of the voters wanted. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
It would be funny if it wasn't so serious.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
Point is, something has gone terribly wrong, but that thing is not the American people. The Republican party has gone mad, but (most) Republican voters have not.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
Over and over, I am hearing die-hard conservatives say that they will abandon the party before voting for this madman. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
It's inspiring.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
Trump is revealing just how much there is to agree upon.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
It turns out that our political system is hackable. An extreme fringe minority is attempting to take over, and through a mathematical fluke, they just might succeed. That's a terrifying thought.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
But the American people is still great, and still wants good things, even though we're having a hard time agreeing about the best strategy. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.12px;">
And that is really good to know.</div>
Elena Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09380956132236257767noreply@blogger.com0