I began October at a weekend writing retreat in southern Missouri at a place called Dawt Mill, a historic mill, now a resort. It’s a small retreat held in both the spring and fall, usually with visiting writers who lead workshops in poetry, fiction and non-fiction writing. But this fall it was a pared down version with just local leaders and no workshops. We had plenty of time for writing, creating our own workshops with writing prompts and exercises, discussing our projects and adventures in writing, socialization, and readings in the evenings. It was a good getaway for most of us in an environment of acceptance and camaraderie.

Dawt Mill is located in a beautiful setting right along a river, and most of our activities took place outdoors immersed in the sounds of the river bumping over rocks and flowing onto the shore, the sun creating diamond sparkles on the surface of the water. It was a perfect weather weekend with sun and warm days and cool nights, with a fire pit to warm us after the sun set.

Those who wanted to, read some of their work. I read a poem on Friday night and then another one on Saturday night. It was nice to get affirmation from fellow writers. Some of the attendees are in the process of publishing books, so it was great to hear about their experiences, and I think it was good for them to be able to express their joys and frustrations.

I am going to post one of the poems I read at the retreat here:

Womanhood

“I did not/find my womanhood in the servitudes of custom.” *
I found it in trial and error,
rebellion and compliance,
anger and peacefulness.
All these things led me
to where I am today,
alone, but satisfied with my life,
a solitary figure
casting a long shadow
in the setting sun,
still moving forward,
learning and growing,
as I will until my time is over.
My womanhood is strong and resilient,
and it has nothing to do with custom.
I go with the flow of my own stream,
clear but unpredictable,
bumping over rocks and sand bars,
smoothing into a run for the river,
knowing I will become
part of the collective of women
combining our wisdom and strength
to recreate the world into our vision.

*from “Against Love Poetry,” by Eavan Boland

© 2022 Dorothy A Joslyn

How do you express your individuality, your “separateness” from others, yet as a part of the whole of humankind?

Write about your life as it is now, it’s joys and sorrows, successes and failures, ups and downs.

What are you working on right now that makes you happy? If you’re stuck, how can you break loose and follow your dreams?

I have been reflecting on many of the most recent happenings in our country and world and trying to take stock of where I am in all of it. Sometimes, all that I see and hear going on overwhelms me, and I want to retreat back into myself, push everything out of my mind, turn off the news, and just pretend everything is okay. But I can’t do that, really, in a world where news is everywhere, and everyone is talking about it.

It has been a difficult two and a half years, and it doesn’t seem to be going to let up soon. Covid-19 struck late in 2019 and became a disaster beginning in early 2020. More than a million people in the US, alone, died, as did many more millions worldwide. And here we are in mid-2022 still struggling with the different variants of the illness, more people contracting the disease, and no end in sight. I am back to wearing a mask most of the time when I’m out and about: in stores, movies, and other activities that involve other people. Most people have given up their masks, however, which is contributing to the spread of the disease, along with many who have not been vaccinated. This is one disease, I think, that will be with us even longer-term than it has already been, though hopefully milder as time passes.

Black people and police continue to clash, and many black men and a few black women have died in those confrontations. Somehow, we have to stop the carnage, and both sides have to begin to feel safe. It is fear that is fueling the fires of these incidents, I think, on both sides, and we have to find a way to quell that fear. I wish I knew how to be a part of that solution, but I don’t know what I can do.

Then there is the rise of restrictions on women, especially their bodies. Government officials want to take control of the most intimate activities of women, something that supposedly ended 50 years ago. They want to push it even farther and put women in untenable positions in many areas of their lives. We can’t allow this to happen to half the population of this country. The only thing I know that I can do is vote for people who want to keep men and women equally in control of their lives.

Gun control is another issue that we need to resolve. Mass shootings in public places everywhere, especially schools, plague our country. We can never get back all the guns out there, but we can surely restrict further sales of the most dangerous weapons going forward.

The insurrection that took place in our nation’s Capital is an incident that needs to be addressed, and it is being investigated and reported to all of us ongoing in TV hearings. Those who instigated and participated in that debacle should be prosecuted and made to pay for the damage and destruction of our public places but especially the damage to our democracy. I hold on to hope that it will happen.

Outside our country, the war in Ukraine rages on, and those brave Ukrainian people struggle to hold on to their freedom from Russian aggression. We must continue to support them in every way we can.

And in Sudan, the people are starving because of both floods and drought. No one in this world of plenty should be hungry. No One! There has to be a way for the rest of the world to get food to those people before it’s too late. Yes, there are people in this country who are hungry, too, and it should be even easier for us to be sure everyone has enough to eat here, as well.

Finally, climate change weighs on my mind as I watch the weather change drastically; fires rage not only in our country but in other countries, as well; record heat continues day after day, week after week; and flooding rains destroy property and people. Do we have the will to save our planet? I wonder.

So, those are some of the things on which I’ve been reflecting, with little in the way of suggested solutions. Are we going to save ourselves? Or will we, like the dinosaurs, disappear from the earth, and it becomes a wasteland, uninhabitable by our currents species? It remains to be seen, maybe not by anyone reading this, but in the not so distant future. It may be a grim projection, but maybe it is inevitable, maybe it’s the destiny of the human species.

One solution to the doldrums that I find myself in are the connections I have to others, the people I love and care about: friends, family, even the brief encounters I have with kind and gentle people. Whatever is in our future, these connections make my current life more than bearable – rich and satisfying. No matter the circumstances I find myself in, I cherish what I do have now, in the present moment, which is all I really have.

I’m including here a link to a poem by Ellen Bass, “The Big Picture,” that I’m reflecting on. I hope it will speak to you, too:

https://members.dodgepoetry.org/videos/ellen-bass-reads-the-big-picture

How does this poem speak to you? Is there a message that you detect? If so, what is it?

What have you been reflecting on? Write about it.

Write about your connections to other people that keep you sane.

I just got back from Hot Springs, Arkansas, where I was the featured poet at Wednesday Night Poetry (WNP), a weekly open mic event at a great little coffee shop, Kollective Coffee + Tea. It is the longest running open mic in the entire country, begun February 1, 1989. I read for it often after it went virtual during the Covid pandemic but decided to drive down to Hot Springs and read in person, since it’s not too far away from Springfield, Missouri, where I live. Kai Coggin, the charismatic leader of WNP, invited me to be the featured poet, which meant I could read several poems for 20-30 minutes and offer my book for sale.

I enjoyed it, and it was good for me to stretch myself a little. The coffee shop was packed, and they were so receptive and welcoming. It made it easier for me to not be so nervous. A friend went with me, and we spent an extra day just being tourists. There are two bath houses still in operation, and we tried one out. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but I’m glad I had the experience. We shopped and ate and enjoyed the company of each other and the wonderful audience a WNP. We also stayed in a great Airbnb, the Owl House. It was extra clean and bright and located in a beautiful area.

The visit was subdued, however, by news of the terrible school shooting in Texas. Kai teaches poetry to children in the Hot Springs schools, and she described the difficulty of teaching on Wednesday. I hadn’t planned on reading a poem I wrote several years ago, but I inserted it into my program at the last minute to focus for a moment on that tragic event. Even though it is an older poem, maybe dated, it shows that, unfortunately, not much has changed in the ensuing years. I am including a slightly updated version here:

For Days

For days we sat unmoving
watching the body of the Murrah building
in Oklahoma City,
its arteries gaping.

For days we witnessed
the spirit of Columbine
in Littleton, Colorado,
scarred by those with feelings of alienation.

For days we watched
the search in the rubble
of the glittering Twin Towers
in New York City
after they were massacred and
fell into their own dust.

Beyond our comprehension, we watch
our clubs, restaurants and theaters;
the streets where marathons are run
and people stroll on sunny days;
schools where children learn and play;
and churches open to whoever wants to enter
fall to guns and bombs.

We cannot shoot our way through our outrage
and expect it to repair the damage.
Slamming our doors shut is not the answer.
Thoughts and prayers are not a cure.
The answer lies within our conscious will
to disarm evil.

How are you dealing with the tragedies afflicting our country right now?

Reflect on these events and how they affect your day to day life.

What do you think the answers might be for stopping the violence?

We’ve already had the first day of Spring in March, but now it’s really beginning to show. Although, the sunshine and warmth have been welcome, here in Southwest Missouri those days have been interspersed with some cold, rainy, gloomy days. Up and down the temperatures free flow, and we never know what to expect when we get up in the morning. One thing the rain has done is green up my grass, planted in the fall, and now bursting forth brilliantly. I have high hopes of having a nice lawn this year.

But there’s a dark cloud hovering over this Spring, an invasion by Russia into the land of its neighbor, Ukraine. Russia is bombing and sending missiles into Ukraine without rest, and millions of people, mostly women and children, have fled to neighboring countries, particularly Poland, which have taken them in without question. Others are trapped, unable to leave because of the attacks all around them. Many are being killed, including children. It’s a terrible situation that doesn’t look to end soon.

It follows me in the news, and I don’t want to get away from it, actually. I need to know, want to know, how the brave people of Ukraine are faring, how they are giving up their lives to protect their country. And I want to hear the stories of how people are helping the Ukrainians in so many ways. It’s inspiring and tragic at the same time. This poem came to me as I watched and thought about the terrible war going on in that ravaged country.

Ukrainian Resistance

They flee,
women taking their children to safety,
terrified,
bombs following them
to the edge of their world.
They have lost everything,
except themselves.

They have to hold on
for the sake of those left behind
fighting with their lives and hearts
to save their country,
now being devastated
by an unprovoked war.

As I welcome spring into my world,
it is with a perpetual cloud over it.
I can’t help but be a little afraid
of what we are becoming,
what is happening to all of us.

We must, somehow, hold on to hope
and reach out to those who need us
in whatever ways we can,
their bravery our inspiration,
their hearts, ours.

Write what’s in your heart about our world, whether positive or negative. Let the words spill onto the page without forethought or judgment. After you’ve come to the end of your write, reread it and reflect on what you’ve written either in writing or in your thoughts.

Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day, the day of love, is celebrated on February 14, but did you know that it’s also National Donor Day (or National Organ Donor Day)?

The observance focuses on five different types of donations: Organs – Tissues – Marrow – Platelets – Blood. Many nonprofit health organizations sponsor blood and marrow drives and organ/tissue sign-ups across the nation. Approximately every two seconds, there is someone in the U.S. who needs blood, which translates to the need for over 41,000 daily donations, and more than 120,000 people are waiting for life-saving organ donations.

Each type of donation saves lives. While we may be able to donate blood, platelets, tissue, marrow, and some organs at any time, most organs are donated upon death. A single donor can save up to 8 lives and help more than 75 people. A cousin of mine lost her son in a tragic accident many years ago, and she donated some of his organs to two different people. She has kept in touch with those two men throughout the years and finds her relationships with them to be very rewarding.

Some blood donors have been making donations as young as the age of 17. Donors can donate a pint of blood every 53 days. One pint of blood can save up to three people. If you’ve never thought about donation, you’re one of the 17 percent of non-donors. However, only 37 percent of the population of the United States is eligible to donate blood, so every donation is important.

What better way can you celebrate love for others than to become a donor!

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalDonorDay

If you’ve received the gift of an organ, tissue, marrow, platelets, or blood, share your story.

If you have donated blood write about why you do it and how it makes you feel. If you’re on an organ donor list, write about your process of deciding to donate.

Look into becoming a donor. Visit donatelifenw.org and organdonor.gov for more information on organ donation.

And for Valentine’s Day, write about love of any type: spouse, child(ren), pets, friends, family, favorite activities, or whatever you feel loving toward on this day!