Alphabet Soup Compiled by Martha Allen
Poems by Lagunitas Community School 6 th and 7 th grade class
El Tiempo by Keren Vallejos-Mairena
Wait For the Right Time by Eli Age
El tiempo Con mis ojos veo la manija Que hora sera? Que ya no aguantare mas A que hora avanzaras? Talvez dije aquello sin valorarte Y solamente apresurarme
Waiting for the right pitch Wait, wait, wait The cheering rings over and over again in my head, it loops. Don’t swing yet Wait, wait, wait Strike one! sadness roars all around the field Swing now.
Don’t You Ever Forget by Soleri Flick
Don’t you ever forget, the place that you were born. Don’t you ever forget, the cries of the sky as the cold tears splash on your head. Don’t you ever forget, the petals of the magnolia, and cherry blossom. Don’t you ever forget, the whistle of the branches as they rustle among themselves. Don’t you ever forget, the glowing beams that took eight minutes to reach you. Don’t you ever forget, the yellow sun flowers, stretching high above you. You can forget names, people, and where you put your things.
En mis recuerdos vuelvo a ver aquella manija Que se mueve con paciencia Y nunca se apresurara Pero por alguna manera solamente hoy Decidiste apresurar Tiempo ya no corras Porque justo hoy avanzas Mas rapido, dejame sentirte un poco mas Antes de que te vallas
Crack! Foul ball
2 strikes and 0 balls Just need a hit to win Here is the pitch
Smack! It’s going and going could this be a Home Run!
Just don’t you ever forget Nature. Even when there are no trees left, still remember the wonderful world, that used to live outside your window.
Hable en mi memoria para mi misma Y en mis memorias se repite una y otra vez sin Parar, quisiera apreciarte un poco mas denuevo, sin Embargo no pense en aquello Aquel momento, ni se me paso por encima eso En aquel tiempo Pero que mas da no regresara, solo avanzara y probablemente Se esfumara, espero no olvidarte, quiero seguir repitiendo En mi memoria
Last Sound by Olive Winningham
Forest Floor by Indi Zimring
Puffy clouds turn to dust And the last piece of paper fades
I look up the canopy of leaves letting in beams of sunlight here and there like sparkli ng crystals of warmth I feel the mossy damp log beneath me the trees above reminding me of the times when I used to stand tall my head in the clouds too far from earth to care but now... now I am just a lonely log on the forest floor
People nowhere to be seen No puzzle piece in place A woodpecker pecking wood The last pepper is plucked from the vine Last drop of water falls Goes down the drain and cries Dry soil cracks And so does the earth Last swing is swinging from the last little girl Last bullet shoots and falls to the ground
The Storm by Ziggy Greenholz
The winds howl like wolves on a blue moon the clouds fly like the songbirds in the summer sky
Last chance for everything To make the slightest sound. sitting rotting like meat letting everything and everyone around burrow deep inside me tunneling to my heart I am just a lonely log on the forest floor waiting for something that may never come. Editors Note: This is Martha’s last poetry contribution to Stone Soup. She is planning to retire from her 20 year volunteer gig (after 30+ years of high school teaching). We want to wish Martha all the best and thank her for her decades of service to children! the rain falls like the leaves in the fall the ground is drenched in ice cold water the kids are cozy warm inside the storm is coming so watch the sky.
Reflections by Suzanne Sadowsky Goals and Aspirations
Google:says: Aspire (v.) “strive for, seek eagerly to attain, long to reach,” c. 1400, from Old French aspirer “aspire to; inspire; breathe, …” (12c.), from Latin aspirare “to breathe upon, blow upon, to breathe…. to seek to reach; infuse,”… spirare “to breathe” (see spirit (n.)
And so, I made a list of eight Goals. This is what I came up with: Keep writing Organize my files Clean house and get rid of unneeded stuff Take care of business Step down from being in charge Keep knitting Keep in touch with old and new friends Breathe… Now that I am leaning into my Nineties, here is my Progress Report:
Seven years ago when I was 83 years old, I enrolled in a mem- oir writing class at the College of Marin. It was a wonderful, inspiring class taught by Melanie Vetter. I had done a lot of writing in my professional career at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and then more, after I retired for local nonprofits. In my work, I came to realize that for many people reading a table of statistical data is like reading a foreign language, but for me it came naturally. When I worked for the BLS, I wrote analytical reports and press releases on the local economy: the cost of living, employment, unem- ployment and such. My writing was technical and factual, but understandable to the lay reader. Years later when I worked for the San Geronimo Valley Community Center and volunteered for other local nonprofits, I wrote annual reports, flyers, brochures, fund- raising materials, and grant proposals that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the SGVCC and the Two Valleys Community Land Trust. But memoir writing is altogether a different kettle of fish. It is personal, and revealing and informal. It means writing about my life and my feelings. The class at COM got me started on this new journey: memoir writing is about self-discovery, about who I am now as an old woman. The classes at COM ended abruptly during Covid when in-person classes were cancelled and online classes had not yet been developed. I floundered about, not sure about how to proceed on my path of self-discovery when I found out that my teacher Melanie would be teaching a class sponsored by West Marin Senior Services on Zoom. I took that class and soon after the class ended a bunch of us who lived in the Valley decided that we would continue to meet regularly, in-person, and share our writing. I have been writing ever since. This piece is a result of that process. The final class assignment at COM was to write about our Goals and Aspirations The question was: What would you like to do or see happen in your life as you look ahead? In thinking about the subject I soon realized that there is an essential difference between a Goal and an Aspiration. A Goal has finality about it, an end product--an Aspiration –not so much.
1. Keep writing Since the class at the College of Marin I have doubled down into writing personal stuff. But after so many years I find myself running out of things to write about. So I decided to review some of the older material and see if there’s anything that speaks to me now -- things that I want to continue to reflect upon as I age. I’ve gone over the same material over and over again. I have terrible handwriting. I used to type a lot but I’ve never been a good typist and besides my fingers are not quite as nimble as they once were. I have some peripheral neuropathy–numbness in my fingertips --probably as a result of chemotherapy years and years ago. But thanks to technology I no longer have to write or type my meandering thoughts and instead I can just sit in front of my laptop which has become my personal stenographer. What a blessing of new technology. I no longer actually write or type but instead, I speak into my computer and Microsoft Word types what I say and then I can go back and edit it, but I have run out of new material so I have begun to recycle some of the older stuff that I wrote years ago. Grade B+ I actually did achieve one real goal. I completed a book that I had written 30 years ago. The final proof of The Woodacre Torah was sent to the publisher just a few weeks ago. But more about that, another time…. 2. Organize my files This is a tricky one. I guess in some ways I’ve been a hoarder. I have papers, news-
Page 14 SGV Community Center Stone Soup
Reflections continues on page 19
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