“Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”
~ Frida Kahlo

Georgia O’Keeffe

“I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me – shapes and ideas so near to me – so natural to my way of being and thinking that it hasn’t occurred to me to put them down. I decided to start anew to strip away what I had been taught.”

~ 1935

“The spider—why the spider? Because
my best friend was my mother and she
was deliberate, clever, patient, soothing,
reasonable, dainty, subtle, indispensable,
neat, and as useful as a spider.” ~ Louise Bourgeois

http://www.moma.org/explore/collection/lb/themes/spiders

Harvest Moon – The Mockingbird Sings in the Night – another delicious poem by Mary Oliver – read it out loud…

No sky could hold

so much light–

and here comes the brimming,

the flooding and streaming

out of the clouds

and into the leaves,

glazing the creeks,

the smallest ditches!

And so many stars!

The sky seems stretched

like an old black cloth;

behind it, all

the celestial fire

we ever dreamed of!

And the moon steps lower,

quietly changing

her luminous masks, brushing

everything as she passes

with her slow hands

and soft lips–

clusters of dark grapes,

apples swinging like lost planets,

melons cool and heavy as bodies–

and the mockingbird wakes

in his hidden castle;

out of the silver tangle

of thorns and leaves

he flutters and tumbles,

spilling long

ribbons of music

over forest and river,

copse and cloud–

all heaven and all earth–

wherever the white moon

fancies her small wild prince–

field after field after field.

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

~ Maya Angelou

“Still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled ~ to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world.”

~ Mary Oliver

[love is more thicker than forget]

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

love is more thicker than forget
more thinner than recall
more seldom than a wave is wet
more frequent than to fail

it is most mad and moonly
and less it shall unbe
than all the sea which only
is deeper than the sea

love is less always than to win
less never than alive
less bigger than the least begin
less littler than forgive

it is most sane and sunly
and more it cannot die
than all the sky which only
is higher than the sky

Cameron Varnell

Cameron was born August 19, 2000 and he left this world on April 16, 2013, after a five-year battle with leukemia. Known for his bright smile and sparkling blue eyes, Cameron was brave, kind, mischievous, and full of an infectious energy. He loved playing video games, collecting precious stones, taking pictures, and playing with his little sister. He beat cancer five times! He stayed ahead in school, even when all odds were against him. He never lost his loving spirit, his curiosity about the world, and his joy in each day of living. He loved baseball and swimming, music and movies, and his friends and family. In his last battle with the disease, although he was in pain, Cameron made a brave choice not to be medicated but to be fully aware and present in his final days at home. He departed this earth free of fear and unafraid of his next journey. He willingly said goodbye to his earthly body, and to the fear and sadness that cancer had brought with it. Cameron is survived by his parents, Allison & George Tannehill and Lonnie Varnell & Bambi Nola, and a little sister, Cayenne, all formerly of Shreveport and now in Redway, CA. He also leaves behind a large and loving family, and many friends in both the Shreveport and Redway communities, as well as at St. Jude’s, where he spent much of the last several years. In addition, Cameron was an inspiration to the countless people who were touched by his story and the courage and strength with which he faced cancer over and over again. A celebration of Cameron’s life will be held from 12-3pm on June 8,2013 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Shreveport. Guests are encouraged to wear his favorite color, green, in tribute to the amazing, sweet spirit of this boy who was so loving to all and so very loved by many. ♥

I would like to honor Cameron and remember him as a soldier who battled cancer bravely, with a strength of spirit that inspired many. May his memory live on and continue to inspire others to have HOPE, LOVE and FAITH. Many blessings to the family and friends of this epic young man.

~ Drea Jensen