Works in Progress

So tonight was the big night! Alyson read a bunch of poems at the Mills College 'Works in Progress' event. It was so much fun to go and watch her do her thing. I've heard some of her work in private. They are deeply personal and revealing. I understand it took some major cajones to read them in public.

(So sorry for the poor picture quality, all I had was the phone to take pics with. My other camera is on special assignment in LA. More on that in my next post!)

Alyson of course brought the house down. You could hear a pin drop while she was reading. She had the place totally in her grasp, then when she finished it erupted with applause. So cool!

Alyson's friends Erin and Loet were there reading poetry too. I actually thought I would enjoy the prose more. I do likes me a good story. But the triumvirate of poetesses changed me around. I ended up liking them the best!

Some of our Peemer friends came too. Here's Kate talking to A's Mom. She came with Eli and we also saw Gretchen Nicholson and Alexis too. Yay to the Peems for the support. Alyson really appreciated it.

Ah, but gentle reader, did you think I would leave you out of the fun? I managed to secure an exclusive for this here website. I happen to know the Poet intimately and convinced her to let me share one of her works with you. So here for your reading enjoyment is her Poem "My Girl." -E

My Girl

Will know the structure of a woman
How to hold a butter knife
The curve of tongue
How to change a tire.

I will teach her the quality of light at gloaming
The shape of longing
The way a voice curls around sorrow.

Entering into this world divided
She will learn to decode the printed page
Hold a man stiff against her
Feel the ground beneath her feet
The spring of a basketball
Her palms wrapped around kneading bread.

She will learn fighting and swimming and sex,
How to hold a hammer, a child's hand, a gavel,
The shape of a woman's body, the way a man breathes in sleep.

She will fight strong and fair, velvet fisted, flinty eyed, feet planted,
Dive into the belly of the beast and crawl her own way out.

-Alyson, 2006

Tilden Park

Today Eric and I went hiking in Tilden Park. It was beautiful. The sun was shining and we hiked so high we could see the Sierras, Hunter's Point, Mount Diablo, and the San Pablo dam, which I had never seen before. There the moss on the trees that was intricate and textured, a million different shades of greens and grays. We hiked until sunset, silvering crimson over the Bay.

We also went over to Gene and Kim's house to watch the very very end of the Superbowl. We used tivo to watch the cool commercials. My favorite parts of the superbowl: the winning coach cried and hugged his girls and his wife, the Dove commercial about girl’s self esteem. Slow changes that give me hope.

I am really looking forward to going to Australia in March with Mom, James, Eric, and Daniela. The smell of the eucalyptus tress at Mills are reminding me of the hugs and jokes of my family and every time I hear someone telling me "no worries" it makes me smile.


Sunset, silvering crimson
your rough fingers against mine
breathing mossy green trees, misting amber twilight

- Alyson

Next week: The Amazing Adventures of Grass-Pod and iGal

Part 1: iGal Gets a New Hat (and Grass-Pod thinks it's dashing):