Street roots
June 8, 2012
Psychology of Touch
By Melissa Vliet
Stormy skies
In modern times
A kiss, a hug
A gentle good bye
A touch, a mug
To say hi
A whisper to the day
Night will be far away
A crying baby, a toddler mild
A mother panicked, a fatherless child
Angel wings on my back
To what I may say
More pressure to my baby
To heal, to hurt
To feel, to burn
To stop, to go
From above, to down below
The rain and the pain
My heart is healing again
My children, my teachers
My classmates, oh so much
To love and loss
To hold and lose
So much more
To have hope and move
To hold to the dying day
To love when not away
To hold from birth
To the grave
A love, a touch
To the day
A careful touch
A healing hold
A rubbing tummy
A reassurance to my child
A nightmare banished
A love, compassion, healing touch
To know that you’re needed much
Mitigation Among the
Sybarites
By anonymous
We were late and how it happened
We could even see them:
Outside, four boys from where,
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Cornelius?
Leaning against a chain link fence
Keep them out of left field —
Inside, fourteen thousand
Stretching to catch foul or fly.
We paid -for six general admissions,
Then turned, walked back.
Handed each a ticket:
Here, happy Fourth of July.
By the time Terrmal Sledge cleared
Leather over the wall
In the bottom of the fourth,
We, who had just come from
Fried chicken, fudge brownies,
Handpicked golden raspberries
(Ours a long history of self-serving),
Stumbled over another way to score.
How many celebrations are there
We can crack open a wallet
Until it sings O’er the land of the free
In plain, hands-on English,
Without demanding allegiance?
Flower from Paloma
By Leo Rhodes
Times are hard
Times are tough
My life is very chaotic
Seems like it’s getting stressful by the hour.
I was talking to your mother
I stopped a couple of times to say, “Hi.”
When you, Paloma, noticed my distress
You quickly looked into your stroller
Then your little bag
Your mom and I where watching you
You fished around
Then with a big smile
You pulled your little arm out of the bag
Facing me you smiled real big
And said, “Here.”
In your little hand was a small flower
Surprised I looked at your mother
She stood there with a big approving smile
I leaned over to make eye contact
Looking for words to say
All I could muster was “Thank you”
Waving to you and your mom as you were leaving
All I kept thinking was how someone so small so young
Made me feel all was right with the world
To be through birth
And death. To be there
In the beginning to the end
A love without end. Amen
Answers on page 6
B y Cole Merkel
Sudoku
Crossword
Across
1. Java-slingers
9. Underbred mongrels
14. Most suspicious
15. Surroundings
16. Take notes
17. Catch
18. Element 10
19. Handymen
21. Crow’s cry
22. Clandestinely married
24.1996 Olympic torch lighter
25. Whiner
27. Let off steam
29. Hard times
30. Peace Corps cousin
31. Chromosome part
34. “Nature” essayist; NE
Portland sidestreet
36. Starts
37. Enter by force
39. Low, fast throws
40. Lives in harmony
43. Snitch
44. Cloth weave
45. Matterhorn, e.g.
47. Tropical, fruit-bearing
evergreen
49. Informal greeting
50. Makes amends
51. A dissertation, perhaps
54. Mouse, for one
55. Most frightening
56. Clothe
57. Recklessness
Down
1. Sauvignon
2. Lover of Dido, in myth
3. Wide acclaim
6
4 8
7
9 1
2
8
9
4
3
4
9
7
5
7
5
6
1 8 7 3
5 8
The objective of Sudoku is to fill all the blank squares with the
correct numbers, from 1 to 9. Every row, column and square must
include all digits, 1 through 9, in any order.
4. Caddie’s offering
5. Dog command
6. Oolong, for one
7. Horoscope helper
8. Tea ball
9. Subcompact
10. Beyond the legal power of
a person, corporation or agent
11. Indefatigable
12. Attack
13. Dines
15. Honey drink
20. Continual steadfastness
22. Contents of Pandora’s box
23. Building block
26. Rocks for commerical
extraction
28. “The Joy Luck Club” author
30. Having to do with Sanskrit
relgious texts
31. Jump
32. User
33. Big-footed bird
35. Skirt for the modest
38. Highest ranking
41. Chiang Kai-shek’s capital
42. Most deceitful
44. Clenched fingers
46. Shindig
47. Reddish-brown gem
48. Animal shelters
49. It’ll grow on you
52. Beaver’s work
53. Before: Prefix
Office Cat Rooty says
thank you to all our
volunteers who work so
hard to keep us moving
forward. You re the best!
Thank you!