The final Friday of February is upon us before I am ready to let it go. I have really loved immersing myself in Black History Month so I plan on staying there for a bit longer. There is just so much to read, to learn, and to lift up.
Have a vision. Be demanding. — Colin Powell
And now… welcome to some people with incredible vision. For me, there is nothing better than hearing poetry read… but watching these brilliant productions might just be best of all!
Happy Friday everyone! I will be back on Monday with my February update to my word! Have a great weekend!
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips — Lucille Clifton (homage to my hips)
This week I want to share some poetry that, I think, is one of the best ways to celebrate Black History Month.
Poetry has become part of my daily life… I cannot imagine a day without poetry. It opens my eyes… it opens my mind… it opens my heart. This month, I have been focused on reading a poem or two a day from Amanda Gorman’s new book of poetry – Call Us What We Carry (and it is so very good!)
I also spent some time Googling Poetry for Black History Month and I found some of the most wonderful rabbit holes that exist on the internet!
Of course The Poetry Foundation has a wonderful resource that includes poems, articles, and podcasts… there is just so much to read here! I have been happily working my way through every bit of it. Some poems were familiar to me and some were not. There was one that I knew as a song but I did not know that it was written by one brother and set to music by another brother! And speaking of that song… was it just me or did anyone else find it more than disconcerting that this song was performed outside the stadium (versus being inside? watf…)
Finally, if you want to add a book to your Poetry Library (because don’t we all have a Poetry Library?? And if you don’t, you should!!) I am excited to get Tracy K. Smith’s book, Such Color. (And I am loving Call Us What We Carry!)
I am going to close with one of the poems from Amanda’s new book:
& So
by Amanda Gorman
It is easy to harp,
Harder to hope.
This truth, like the white-blown sky,
Can only be felt in its entirety or not at all.
The glorious was not made to be piecemeal.
Despite being drenched with dread,
This dark girl still dreams.
We smile like a sun that is never shunted.
Grief, when it goes, does so softly,
Like the exit of that breath
We just realized we clutched.
Since the world is round,
There is no way to walk away
From each other, for even then
We are coming back together.
Some distances, if allowed to grow,
Are merely the greatest proximities.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. — Nelson Mandela
It is Black History Month and in these days of an outrageous number of people wanting far too many books removed from libraries, I thought a good place to start this month is with books!
So I did a bit of Googling to see if I could expand my recommendations of books to include in your February reading and I found several great lists (that even included the books I have read!) I am sharing ones that I loved, ones that have been on my radar, as well as some that were not until I discovered them this week! I hope you find something you’d like to include in your February!
Now I am off to do some super-secret test knitting for my favorite knitting designer. Which means my Base 12 Hitchhiker and the February Gnome will be gathering some dust… sigh. But I have a very short time frame to finish the Test Knitting… very short. Oy! My yarn arrived late yesterday so you know what’s next… Let the Swatching Begin! Haha! I am hopeful that the Knitting Gauge Gods will be smiling on the process…. my fingers are crossed!
That is almost all I have for this week aside from this wee tiny post script for all you Wordle fans… it seems that all good things must come to an end…okay so maybe Wordle is not ending but soon it will no longer be free. This closing paragraph to the article might be the most brilliant thing I have read all week:
I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t get attached. I’m staying lower than lo-fi with my games from now on. A brilliant friend of mine — he’s nine — plays a variant called “Wordle in Your Head.” He thinks of a five-letter word, and you guess. He replies with your progress: green, gray, gray, yellow, gray. So far, he hasn’t charged a dime.
Yep… World in Your Head with a nine year old sounds like the best thing ever… unless I can convince a certain six year old I know to try!
Have a great weekend all! I will see you all back here on Monday!
“Why is equality so assiduously avoided? Why does white America delude itself, and how does it rationalize the evil it retains? – Martin Luther King Jr.
Hello, Friday and Welcome February! The January that seemed to go on forever has finally ended and a new month is upon us! Add to that each day there are a few more minutes of daylight are such a good thing! It is sometimes surprising how quickly those minutes add up!
Thinking about – Black History Month and today, I begin the 28-day journey with Layla F. Saad and her Me and White Supremacy workbook. I have been thinking about this with some trepidation – I don’t think any of us are happy to learn unpleasant things about ourselves but, I think that is the only way to truly change – seeing clearly and altering your course. I have also spent some time thinking about Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. I do not want to be a “white moderate” that is a grave disappointment.
Grateful for – All the wool clothing and a nice warm house this week and although next week looks like quite a warming trend is heading our way – it was nice to have so many wool sweaters to wear to help me stay warm! I am also grateful that despite The Great Fall my Amaryllis took this week, it continues to bloom! Note to self…find something to be grateful about in all situations and be more like the Amaryllis – keep blooming despite great calamity!
Inspired to – begin again! Daily photos, one second videos, and daily stitching had fallen off my radar and a new month gives me a new opportunity to correct that! The stitching project that I finished this week is waiting for the next step – a little bath and then framing. The little bird is coming together nicely, and I am going to join Christina the next 60-some-days and focus on peace. While I won’t be knitting any birds, I plan to stitch a few more!
Fun, fun, fun – This weekend is the Super Bowl – which seems a bit anti-climactic since the Steeler’s are not one of the teams playing. I think Steve is more excited about the “football food” than he is about watching the game however, he has several squares in the work football pool so we will watch at least part of the game! And, a football game always makes for excellent knitting time! Ha!
That is all I have for this week! Have a great weekend and stay warm everyone!
February is Black History Month and I saw Clint Smith’s Brief but Spectacular moment last week on PBS Newshour. It is so powerful and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Insomnia strikes again. I am not sure what it is, but it now seems like a habit that I wake at the 2 AM hour and I am sure it has nothing to do with the stereo snoring going on, right?
Through the Loops MKAL socks are both done through clue #1 – I caught up sock #2 yesterday while catching up with Victoria. Now, I have to tell you that the V&A in London is one of my favorite museums in the world. I really love history and I am enjoying tremendously watching this PBS series.
I have made more calls to my representatives in the past three weeks than I care to admit. Do I feel this is successful? Yes, and no. Will I stop? Nope. It is the most important thing I do right now.
