Things Talking

 My hangouts can be found here.

It's rainy here in San Diego. I wrote a poem and podcast last year about rain. I was in an Airbnb for two months because my bathroom was being renovated. It seemed fitting to send it to you again..

Here's the writing 

"I’ve been taking a masterclass from poet, Joy Harjo.  She says -- one of the elements to writing good poetry is listening. Everything has something to say. The trees, the sky, the potted plants on the front porch.

So  I started listening.

I was stuck in an Airbnb in hillcrest for two months and started listening.

And what I found is that if you pay attention closely, things are talking,  A LOT.  

The desk, refrigerator, the sink, the comforter, my robe, the fern  were all were chatting.
 The coffee pot was percolating in laughter, the heat was humming a mambo,

 the cabinets were complaining about crumbs.

Where once there was silence, there was  a cacophony of conversation…because I was listening.

My attention turned to outside the window where the talk was louder.

This Airbnb was on a busy street and the street was wet from rain.

Every time a car went by it said sssssssshhhhhsss,  which I believe was “yes”

Every time a car passed by on the wet concrete I heard the word “yesss”

When a group of cars went by one after another,  it was a flurry of yesess in a tag team procession.

The yeses came and went… nothing ssstayed yesss for long,   

The noissse evaporated into sssilence as sssoon as the cars …. passsssssed.    

So I asked the quessstionsss I wissshed were anssswered with yesss.. 

Will people ever live and let live? Will peace ever stay? Will the violence stop soon?

There was a sudden absence of cars. Silence, no “yessses.”   

Not too long after.  more cars came, but they didn’t say yes, …

They said, “wisssh … wisssh .. wisssh..”   

That’s what I heard as I listened to the cars driving on wet pavement…” wisssh “

A truck said, “Get out of my way”… then a bus said, “Same old routine, same old.. route, day after day.”

The rain came down heavier and it started talking, I listened… this is what it said:

Yes, is not the ansswer to your impossssible questionsss,  …. that’s just your wisssh,  

Peaccce can be elusssive,  …    lisssten closssely…   the carsss aren’t saying yesss…and they aren’t saying wisssh : they are saying thisss too shall passsss the rain, the darknessss, the conflict

[yes] this too shall passss,   carsss on a rainy street,   the thought you’re thinking,   the pain you’re feeling,

  thessse too shall passss, and then whatever comes next, that shall passss too.

 Listen to the peace inside of you."