IT DAWNED ON US ON A SUMMER MORN
inspired by Shusli and Rumi
for Shusli
I imagine we are one,
like a blessing,
an internal kiss,
I smile.
Together we share the road
watch the beauty of the dawn
purple in my rearview mirror
fog waking lazily
over green grassy fields
spreading itself through
the trunks and branches
of oaks
weaving through random
berry patches.
The sky stretches
pink and red
on the horizon
over the silohuettes of hills
born so long ago
from fire, ash, and earth.
The world stretches and awakens
and I feel you in my soul
a kiss
a blessing
as we watch the world awaken
to another day of us.
THINGS TO DO WHEN WALKING DOWN I-5
Hit a plastic soda bottle with a stick.
long brown coat
long brown stick
long brown man
amongst long browning stretches
of grass
during a long brown stretch
of day
"My Father's Secret War," is a memoir by Pulitzer Prize Winner, Lucinda Franks. The book is a memoir of her relationship with her father, Tom Franks, her journey to find out about his secret work in the military during WWII, and dealing with his alzheimers.
One day while she was helping clean up his apartment, she found a Nazi Gestapo cap with the skull and crossbones pin. She started asking questions.
Her father, it turned out, had been a spy. He set up radars in the Pacific, and was sent to the first death camp the U.S. liberated two days afterward, Ordruff (sp?). War damages folks, and the war damanged this man with all he had seen and done.
He also trained some of the Danish resistance, being extremely impressed with the women because they could learn weapons far quicker than the men.
Lucinda does so much for so many years to find out what her father had done. At one point, she finds out that her father had killed one of his friends, assassinated him. His friend turned out to be a double agent, also spying for the Russians. This really upset her, but I have a tendency to understand her fathers decision. Folks work in patterns. It would only be matter of time before that fellas turncoat activities got his comrades or other folks killed.
I didn't like all the prodding Lucinda did of her father at first. I have had my own negative experiences prodding vets for information about wars in the past. By the end, however, I completely understand why she did it, and I think they both benefitted from her persistence.
It is an excellent read, and probably far more details about WWII spying than you will get anywhere else. Also a great description of intergenerational wartime PTSD. Her father, prior to the war, was happy and friendly, afterward, far less joyful much more serious.
If you don't listen to it on CD, as I did, I highly reccomend that you read it.
"Mitakuye Oyasin" turned into a great spontaneous show, as it does sometime.
John Mackey, host of "Indian World," asked for time for a show he is considering doing in several weeks about foster care. John, Santee, is KBOO's engineer and also a foster parent. His foster parenting has lead to 1 adoption, soon to be two. He mentioned a few horror stories that he has dealt with through DHS here in Oregon. He is looking for more folks to come forward who are Native foster parents particularly ones from Oregon to tell their stories, good or bad. His e-mail is: engineer@kboo.org, if you are interested in participating.
John also mentioned that his father worked for Chemawa Indian School, in Salem, for a time. His father witnessed abuses by the staff of students. When he came forward with these allegations he was fired. He was told the reasons were that they didn't want anything negative to come out about what was going on there. They didn't want the outside world to see Indians in a negative light and that Indians would handle this issue.
On the Oyate-Oti website, Dean Lookinghawk ("Mitakuye Oyasin" member), has an article up about the recently pushed forward senate bill 787, which basically makes ALL water within the U.S. property of the U.S. government. Since the U.S. is corporate owned, by extension, that would suggest that ALL water is now corporate owned...EVEN ON RESERVATIONS! A clear VIOLATION of the U.S. constitution, article 6, section 2.
As well, we discussed carbon trading which is rather disgusting and does nothing to reduce pollution and helps traders make millions in trading off other peoples emission points. Here is a link to a youtube video about this issue as well.
We also discussed the recent massacre in Peru of Indigenous protesters who are trying to protect their land from corporations. An attetive caller who does an environmental show for KBOO, Scott Forester, mentioned that there is a bi-lateral trade agreement between the U.S. and Peru that has made such a massacre possible. My fear is that this was a false flag attack and that it will be used as an excuse by the government of Peru to further oppress and attack Indigenous people to steal their land and resources for multi-national corporations.
Sometimes "Mitakuye Oyasin" just comes together, and today was one of those days. Thanks to Dean Lookinghawk, Louis Sowa, and John Mackey for their help.
There was a massacre in Peru of indigenous folks attempting to keep corporations from taking their land and the resources within it. It has been a months long protest and has gotten rather bloody. Here is an article about it. The information is conflicting and the numbers vary, but cops were killed in this action as well. Probably an inside job in order to justify future annihilation of the indigenous in order for corporations to reap huge profits.
42 years ago yesterday, the Israeli military tried to sink the USS Liberty off the coast of Gaza during the six days war. The Liberty was a signals/intelligence gathering ship, a spy ship. They were gathering information such as the war crimes being enacted by the Israeli's. However, it is believed that the Liberty and its sailors were actually set up by President Johnson and Robert McNamara as a false flag operation for the Israeli's to use as an excuse to invade Egypt. The Israeli's, it is believed, wanted to sink the ship, say the Egyptians did it, then use it as an excuse to invade Egypt. Johnson and McNamara skuttled two attempts to send aircraft to help the sailors on the Liberty. Johnson even stated in declassified documents that he didn't care if all those sailors drowned.
I have really been on a poetry kick, lately, and looked up one of my favorite locals, Turiya Autry. I was really impressed with this one, and thought I would share it with you all. You can read more about Turiya's work by clicking her name and going to her website.
GRANDPA TRICKSTER
after weeks of counting in increments of 5 while sitting at the table of the sun
his earthly granddaughter beat him at dominoes when she was only 13
so he hurled all 28 bones into the sky where they still shine on clear nights
he worked the rails while on land to blend in with those considered common
knowing full well that saints often beg on street corners to test for purity of heart
and atonement and benediction are found in juke joints as often as churches
where true believers drink spirits and holy water from the same glass
he diagnosed grief in his surroundings and used humor as a panacea
curing pain with laughter when medicines refused to mend wounds fully
prescribing black magic remedies deep fried and seasoned with hot sauce
he captured hornet stings and barbs in the thick skins of his soles
freed them with razor blades hurling them at unsuspecting mortals
that underestimated the sharpness of speaking tongues
The Big Storm knocked down a tree in our neighborhood yesterday. The neighbor was sitting in his back yard at the time, enjoying the storm, approximately where the top is now resting. He got out of the way in time.
He said his friends in Estacada had witnessed numerous trees go down in that area.
Monday was an odd day.
While working I saw the remnants of an accident on a road I often take. I saw the man getting out of his pick-up, whose front end was banged in, talking on the phone. I could see deep scratches on the driver side of the other car I assume was involved. Hmmm, I thought.
A little further down the street, a truck had parked in the turn lane of the road getting ready to unload a cherry picker for a construction site. I didn't see the driver in the cab, nor working around the trailer. I snuck a quick glance at the construction site to see three or four men who had another man down on all fours. One man had the fella in a reverse head lock. The man on all fours had blood all over his head.
About 45 minutes later, I'm at a stop light in my work truck. I look in my rearview mirror to see a woman coming up on me at speed and not slowing down. Her head was back and eyes closed. I looked in front of me to see if I could move to one side or the other, the car in front of me and the turn radius I need prevented any action of moving, so I stepped on the brake a little more firmly in order to avoid running into the car in front of me when she hit me. I checked the mirror again to see that she was taking a hard right and heading for the curb. I can tell she is going to get her driver side rammed by steel from the lift gate. I knew there would be no way she wouldn't get hurt.
BAM! I could feel her car go underneath and hear that sickening sound of the metallic crunch. The truck lurched only a few inches ahead. I turned on my flashers, put on my emergency brake, and ran out to see if she was OK. I knew she had to be injured. The hood of her car had been crumpled by the four inch wide hunk of steel hanging down from the passenger side of my truck right up to the driver side window which had the round shatter right in front of the steering wheel. I ran up to the car and yelled through the closed window, "ARE YOU OK?!"
"I think so," she said as she cried and opened the door. I told her to be careful getting out and kept repeatedly asking if she was OK. She was lucky. No bumps, bruises, or scratches. I'm pretty sure her car was totaled. She had been yawning while taking her daughter to school. She had recently purchased the car.
The rest of the evening I had cars oncoming crossing the yellow as well as so many other near hits throughout this day and the next.
Moral of the story: Don't yawn and drive, and don't try to take on a whole construction crew on your own.
