It's Hard To Believe

I know many of you will agree with me when I say I can’t believe we are just completing the second week of the 2017.  Time is just flying by.  I hope each of you had a good holiday season.  Some like me celebrate religious and spiritual holidays with families and friends.  Others may get swept into the fray. Hopefully you have had some enjoyable moments.  

When I sat down to write this blog, I decided I should reread last months to see if I wanted to carry over the theme.  My concern for the need to dialogue and have meaningful discourse remains. Without it we sink into negativity and negativity serves no one. It breeds distrust, antagonism and adversity.

 

Dan and I sat riveted to the TV Tuesday night as we listened to President Obama give a civics lesson in his farewell speech, reminding us that a democratic society is only as strong as its citizens’ willingness to participate fully.  I ask each of you reading this to consider what you will do in 2017 to become a better citizen of our great nation. Please let me know what you decide.

 

This weekend we celebrate the birth and life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.  My dear friend from college days at Brooklyn College, Luciana Duce is an artist and poet.  She shared with me a poem written to honor him that appears in her newest book of poems.  With her permission I share it with you:

 

Warrior of Peace

Today we celebrate

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King

Blackbird of Peace, of Passion,

of Courage and Compassion

 

You shone your light

on the dark forces of evil,

of hate, of racism, of bigotry

and inequality

 

Beautiful Blackbird

with wings open wide

you flew peacefully

but with a power so fierce

you shook the heavens

 

not to speak of thousands of souls

yearning for your message

You soared and flapped

and dove into our midst

 

Until the hunters came

hungry for the Blood of the Innocent

they shot you down

you fell as a Mighty Warrior bird

wings outstretched

 

No bullet can pierce

The glory of your name

Nor can ten thousand guns

Silence your voice

 

Soar onward

Hallowed Warrior of Peace

Soar onward!

 

Until the Light of your presence

Fills every dark corner of the earth

And every man, woman and child

Is Free to fly to the top of that mountain

You once named “I Have a Dream.”

 

From the book Wild Herbs,  by Luciana Duce-Dugan

Herimages@aol.com

 

Last, but not least, my partner Dan Snow is the featured artist at the Cathouse FUNeral Gallery Booth at the New York Outsider Art Fair January 20-22, 2017.  This is the 25th Anniversary of the Fair and “Totem” a piece by Dan that was in last year’s show has been selected to represent the 24th year of the Fair’s history.  We hope to see you there.  http://outsiderartfair.com/fair/1869

Previous
Previous

Nesting In the Blizzard

Next
Next

Thoughts This Holiday Season