Letter #51

Hi Dad,

I haven't written to you for awhile.  That doesn't mean nothing has been happening in my life.  The roads must roll!  (weird sci-fi reference) I went to Mental Health First Aid class and Connections Support Group training.  The first is going to be helpful, no doubt.  I'm having second thoughts about doing the support group.  We'll see.  We meaning me and J.  She is not ready to start it up yet, plus May is not looking good for that either.

I'm signed up (finally) to take the Entrepreneurship/Small Business program.  For the first month at least, May.  I'm ambivalent about it.  Part of me would just like to crawl into a hole and pull it in after me!  That part of me is tired of trying and never getting anywhere.  The other part of me is, dare I say it, a little bit excited about this program.  I'll see how it goes.

random photo:

I didn't write all 30 poems for the April poem-a-day challenge.  I think I wrote 17.  That's 17 more than I would have wrote if I hadn't tried.  April never seems to work out as well as the November challenge, not sure why. 

It always helps to write to you.  I've had a bad couple of days, friendship troubles.  They've (sort of) been resolved.  So I feel better now.  Regular programming will resume tomorrow.  I hope!  It was really hot today, around 80 F.  I spent part of the afternoon in the garage reading.  Sending cosmic hugs to you, wherever you are. 

All for now.

Sleep well...

LOVE

Anne

Day 10

Day 10 of 100 Happy Days... reading in the garage on a hot spring day...

Day 9

Day 9 of 100 Happy Days... OK, I'm not happy today... but if I was it would be because it's a beautiful day out my window...

those brown blobs are deer, btw...

April Poem: "Childish Things"

Childish Things

Station wagons

and Jell-o,

Lucky charms

and Kool-Aid.

Sesame Street

and long hot summers.

Peanut Butter and Jelly,

tuna fish sandwiches,

grilled cheese

and tomato soup.

Black and white TV

with no remote,

blanket forts

and castles made out of refrigerator

boxes.

Cinnamon rolls

and chili

in the Elementary School

cafeteria.

Bicycles,

the Roller Rink,

climbing trees,

the art show in Amon Park.

The library full of books,

magazines, and librarians

who said, “Shhhhh…!”

Where have these golden days

gone?

Only memory remains.

© Anne Westlund

prompt:  write an elegy

April Poem: "High Beams"

High Beams

My heart turns over

like a cold V8 every time

I see him.

If I could only get this beast

out of Park and into Drive.

We stall at intersections.

While horns honk and middle fingers

salute, I look over at him.

He shrugs.

He’s too old for this.

What do I have to do to get his attention?

The car alarm goes off, over and over.

He sees the red hair, the brown eyes, the paint job,

racing stripes.

He compliments me on my chrome rims.

Finally, a pulse.

I’ve got his attention.

Shit!

He’s lost in the headlights.

© Anne Westlund

prompt:  write a love poem or an anti-love poem

April Poem: "If I Were Smarter"

If I Were Smarter

I’d care about their bank accounts,

job security.

The women’s magazines, my mother, the TV talk shows

say look for status symbols, shiny trucks,

good shoes.

At the meetings I go to I only meet broken people.

After leaving the meeting I go back to my real life.

What do I find there?

Broken people.

Broken men.

© Anne Westlund

prompt:  “If I were (blank)”

April Poem: "Whaling Expedition"

Whaling Expedition

I ensnared you in my net, unwittingly.

I was looking for bigger fish to fry.

Instead, I head back from the deep ocean,

a sea turtle on the deck.

I decide to keep you for a pet.

You lumber around the ship slowly,

but with determination.

I do my best to untangle you from dangerous

situations

and conversations.

You watch me take notes, Latitude,

Longitude, wind speed.

“You have the handwriting of a serial killer.”

A harpoon leans against the mast.

“Think so?”

Always the last to know.

© Anne Westlund

prompt:  write an animal poem

Day 8

Day 8 of 100 Happy Days... Matt Damon (cutie!) and Elysium made me happy today, I was crying at the end of the movie... happy tears!

Day 7

Day 7 of 100 Happy Days... spending time with friends makes me happy, even if it's educational! With Janet Evans at NAMI Connections Support Group Training.

Day 6

Day 6 of 100 Happy Days... my comfy bed! I once saw this bumper sticker... "I'd rather be sleeping."  :)

Day 5

Day 5 of 100 Happy Days... Betty Boop makes me happy!

Day 4

Day 4 of 100 Happy Days...spending time with my friends makes me happy, even if it's educational! With Mary Smith at Mental Health First Aid Training in Aberdeen, WA.

Waves of Words 1st Kickstarter Campaign

 

Waves of Words, the event in April where I shared my poems needs your help!  Please donate $1 or more to the Kickstarter page for Waves of Words.  It would be great if we could make our very first goal!

******************************************************************************

Holy frijoles! We are over halfway to our goal on Kickstarter! Woohoo!!

But also… uh-oh… we only have 4 days to go…

We thought we might take just a moment to share some very basic thoughts on what funding this project means for you... The answer to that depends on what your interests are…

It at least means that there is another advocate out here helping our children, and adults, learn the love of reading. Take a moment to think about what your favorite book was growing up. Now think about – what if the author of that book was someone you could have met at a local event? And had a conversation with? What kind of impact might that have had on you?

If you are a published author with ties to Grays Harbor County, it means you have partners in getting your books into the hands of readers. And, whether you are published or working to be, you’ll be part of community working together who share similar passions, experiences, challenges, and lessons learned. You’re not alone out here!

Please help us grow. Please donate – even if its only a dollar. And, please share with others you think may be interested!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1126772377/second-annual-waves-of-words-book-fest-2015

Day 3

Day 3 of 100 Happy Days... spending time with other writers/authors makes me happy! Waves of Words post-Book Fest meeting, Ena Myers and Jasmine Cole.

April Poem: "Lost"

Lost

We go “to Town,” Aberdeen.

We go to the City, Olympia.

In a blue moon, we go to the Big City, Seattle.

Most days, I’m stuck in this Podunk town,

on the edge of the human universe,

as far west as you can go and still

be on the mainland.

I’ve made peace with it.

Found benefits to small town life,

even while missing the hustle and bustle,

the easy shopping,

the variegated restaurant options.

I’d be lonely there, same as anywhere.

© Anne Westlund

prompt:  write a city poem