Inspired in Oakland – Page 4

Unstrung Words

Crossing the Bay…

Crossing the bay, slow first

through estuary, then faster above

dredged channel~

Excitement.

Unstrung words fill each small

wave and tease

beneath the boat.

Poems yet to be.

Wind blows stronger to meet them.

Happy Friday Everyone:

I’ve been reading lots about the new year blog challenges (post a quote-a-day, a photo-a-day, poem-a-day…) and it’s definitely got me thinking about how I want my blog to be & evolve. We all get our blog stats end of year. For me- I don’t worry about stats so much (though some say I should as a working artist). But since this is more of an Muse’s blog than a marketing blog- it all goes back to ‘what Muse’s do I want to accommodate more of this year?’

While I appreciate the daily habit and constancy in expression (really helps my songwriting…), I only want to post/write when something really stops me in my tracks. I get bored easily too, so multiple prompts (poems, photos, mindful musings- make the most sense to me now. I fear boring folks as well.

What I want more of now is sparks of inspiration (mine & others). And rich presence, captured in poetry, photographs, musings, & music. I do need to figure out how to post better when traveling (just found an app!).

Prompts I like now: Poem a week. Macro Mondays. And I’m starting a new prompt called “Inspired in Oakland” mostly photos that celebrate my crazy city & surroundings. Feel free to send me links to your photos taken around the East Bay (mostly Oakland!). ;-))

Fungi Fusion- Macro

Macro Fungi

“Learn to pause…or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” – Doug King

Aaah, Northern California….;)

Go visit all the other cool macro shots here…

Teresita- Song & Lyrics inspired by “The Hummingbird’s Daughter”

I wanted to post the lyrics and song Teresita- written based on the emotional last scene/chapter of Hummingbird’s Daughter. What a wonderful writer, storyteller, person Louis is/was at his book reading here in SF/Berkeley last week.

For my recording of the song Teresita in Texas last year, Grammy greats Flaco Jimenez played accordion and Bobby Flores played violin and steel- both awesome warm folks to be around.

Before I dive completely into author Luis Alberto Urrea‘s sequel to The Hummingbird’s Daughter (Queen of America), I wanted to post the lyrics and song Teresita that I wrote based on the emotional last scene/chapter of Hummingbird’s Daughter. What a wonderful writer, storyteller, person Mr. Urrea is/was at his book reading here in SF/Berkeley last week.

For my recording of the song Teresita in Texas last year, Grammy greats Flaco Jimenez played accordion, and Bobby Flores played violin and steel guitar; both awesome warm folks to be around.

The scene of the book that inspired this song, is the train ride where Teresita is leaving Mexico with her father. Suspenseful and vivid, all the people whose lives Teresita has affected–with her healing heart and hands as a young Bruja– actually line the railroad track, for hundreds of miles. They seem sentinels to her safe passage. Though revolution is brewing, one gets the sense that if anything happens to her; beyond revolt– complete war will break out. This made me think of all the power, that we as a people can have with our governments, with events. Power in numbers. And of course, I couldn’t help but to reflect on all that was going on 2 years ago with the Iraq war. Thus the lyric line in the chorus:

“They whisper… Start a revolution, to end a war.”

Teresita 2010 Tortilla Western Serenade. Physalia Records

Teresita the earth is ready to serve you.
Lay your ear closer to the ground.
Teresita the rivers rise beneath you–
‘ Going to give you all the strength you need.

They Whisper…Start a Revolution,
To end a war!

Teresita the winds have a vision to show you.
Close your eyes to feel what they will say.
Teresita though your dreams are sharp & restless-
The world awaits a saint and a heroine.

They Whisper… Start a Revolution,
To end a war.

Teresita the earth is ready to hold you.
Plant your feet firmly on frontier.
Teresita the priests fear your hands of healing,
Little Bruha with a hundred dreams that see

They whisper… Start a Revolution,
To end a war.

Teresita the fates have a hand to play you.
Read the sky to know which way to go.
Teresita though your skin is cut & bleeding
and the train is taking you so…Far from Home.

They Whisper, Start a Revolution
Start a revolution!
Start a revolution…
To end a war!

The song Teresita: (or you can also just click on the sidebar of this blog- of the album Tortilla Western Serenade, & scroll to the song Teresita).

Cleansing Rain & Purge

“The secret of a long life is knowing when it’s time to go” Michelle Shocked.

Moving now. I love change. The process of changing. But moving…ick!

The cleansing call. This rain. This down for the count
“finish”, funnels through the now of an hourglass, (never was yours
to keep), a narrow morph as whirlwind sweeps clean, a desert overnight.
The wait is over. Now just touch, toss, purge, move rapidly toward
less, to ensure you arrive empty handed- the real happiness-
nothing. Spiraling to the final finish, push to the salute of
wind & rain, all elements at your back to help in this morphing cleanse.
Sacred mindstate where nothing is sacred, thankfully, no thing is
Safe- thank fully- Things to do today: Move. Touch. Toss. Purge.

Dia de los Muertos: Gallery, Alter, New Jewelry

This year’s El Dia de los Muertos day and alter is about change. There is a lot going on and we’re moving very soon. So, it is particularly timely, purging old pics and momentos; embracing but moving on. My goal is to simplify in the year to come, literally and figuratively; I want to toss 1/2 of all I own. For those of you close by, we’re having a garage sale this Saturday. 😉

The alter is very simple this year too.

New jewelry inspired by the colors, smells (copal!), and tastes of the day will be posted in my Etsy shop: Physalia Designs. I had a trunk sale here last week- so am adding inventory now. Check back for Fall & holiday sales.

New pieces feature Gaea’s special Dia de los Muertos pendants, Anne Choi 2-sided sugar skull charms, sterling and brass with Czech crystals.

Andrew Thornton original bronze skull charms in a tasty matte gold finish, with crystals.

These are all from one of my favorite year-round Mexican folk art gallerias for all things and Dia de Los Muertos. Alamo Fiesta in San Antonio, Texas~