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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 2012)
street roots Nov. 9, 2012 History of Nature Writing group offers safe place to share By D e n n is K. R o llin s History is a vein in sorrow. It is a shallow ending It is a day given too quickly First it’s noon, then it’s midnight Two skills you learn in a day: How to speak and how to walk Never fight. BY COLE MERKEL S T A F F W R IT E R Years gone by Days turned into months Time goes quickly For the essence of a raindrop is the value of the rain It’s a circle of faith for it dries up the next day When the sun comes out. For the price we pay is in vein Just a solid bit of history For the sky has a value in it Like dirt has a value Dirt is gravity like the sky Its gravity is the clouds Deep, high above the mountaintops Yearning for enchantment not plague The trees are radiant to the dirt To bring poisons out of our air we breath For history is only a beginning but an ending Of Nature. he Street Roots creative writing group has been meeting every Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. for the past year with a simple mission: to create a safe, inclusive space for anyone who wants to join — for one meeting or many — to discover the transformative power of writing. The rules are easy: After reading a selected poem or short story, participants can write whatever they want, even if it doesn’t follow the prompt, and then share their work with the group. The results have been profound with writers discovering new voice every week through poetry and short stories on subjects ranging from cats to patriotism to the holidays. Each participant brings his or her own unique experience and point of view and uses these perspectives to compose poem and narrative that reflects his or her place in life on a particular day. The group is often a safe place to escape: one hour every week where participants can put aside the harsh realities of living on the streets, enter the open, non- judgmental atmosphere of the Street Roots office and connect human-to-human over the basic, healing power of writing and personal reflection. This page features a sampling of some of the word composed in the group. In celebration of National Novel Writing Month, the four meetings in November will focus on a sp e c ts of novel w riting, T tfr Come The Rain By D e n n y W a lk e r Rain seeks the embrace of mother earth journeys the path of least resistance Flows untiringly to the sea by many tributaries destiny unfolding moment by moment foretold by the ages Never resting, never questioning obeys only its own instincts Pounding rocks to dust, carving gashes on the face of its matriarch Pulling, pushing, carrying, un-tethered, and eroded victims to another abode to await the coming of another rain. 9T actvi Fallen Angels development. All are welcome to join. By R ay V a u g h a n Street Roots strives for accuracy, but we're human. So we also strive to correct errors in our paper whenever possible. Please report any errors to our managing editor, Joanne Zuhl, at 503-228-5657, or write to joanne@streetroots.org Answers to puzzles on page 15 1 n H s d 3 1 s 3 1 a 3 a 3 V a 3 3 i 1 3 AA 3 A IAI O a 3 3 1 V a 0 H S a V IAI | aa V a V 3 a N À 3 1 3 1 a 3 A a O ± N i 1 s V H a 1 0 3 V 3 0 N V « o 0 1 a 0 H 3 0 a 3 0 N 1 3 AA V 3 3 V s 3 3 a d a S 3 a N V V 3 3 3 a A 3 3 V IAI N V H O V O 3 S V 1 1 d 1 ■ ■ ■ 6 9 z Z 8 9 Y L 9 9 k 8 fr 8 8 L 9 fr 8 6 L L 8 Z V V 9 fr 6 8 t7 9 3 6 8 9 3 V à A V a d y 3 n d V 0 1 V 3 d 0 A 3 3 d 1 a n V d 13 0 s a V a 3 N 13 0 0 3 S s 3 d 3 a d s a 0 s 1 T i 1 V 3 a N i i ■ 1 1 d 11 P k 9 8 6 L 9 L 8 8 Z 6 L 6 fr 9 Z 9 L 9 V 9 8 Z L 8 fr 8 L 6 9 fr L 8 Z 9 8 6 P 9 8 Z 8 L 9 Don’t miss a single issue! Visit our web site at www.streetroots.org, friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get regular updates. Falling down Can you tell me what is going down? As sand of times flow through my veins Is it reality or is it insane? As sands of times flow through me Tell me, fallen angels, what do I see? People living in the streets, Hungry, cold; no shoes on their feet. President says “Let’s fight a war.” Tell me, Mr. President, “What are we fighting for?” Fallen angels, are you there? Tell the truth, you just don’t dare. Police harassing most they see People imprisoned without need. More for power, self, gain, and greed. Fallen angels, fallen down Fallen angels hit the ground Sands of times flow through my veins Telling me, all’s insane. Fallen angels, tell me why. All you say is one Big Lie. Is it for liberty? Freedom? Rights we need? Or is it for oil? Religion? Money, power, and greed? Fallen angels you know what else I see as sands of times flow through me.
