Preparing for Austin

          I spent Friday trying to decide which poems to take to Austin. Went through the journals where I’ve been published, my own books and chapbooks, folders in the file cabinet and nine years of poems on this old computer.  I basically write four types of poems: about my past, about my present, assignments from writing classes, and poems inspired by current events. By the end of the day I had selected forty, of which I’ll probably read eight to ten at the State Poet reading, and two or three at smaller local readings and open mics.  Which leaves me with more deciding to do . . .

          I won’t know a soul in Austin and hope that I can meet some of the other 200 or so poets who will show up.  With twenty venues, I imagine there will be poets I never do encounter.  It’s all quite overwhelming!

          Yesterday, as a sort of rehearsal, I read two poems (five minutes total) at the Unity of the Hills talent show.  I was in the second half. The first half of the show was fabulous!  The songs and poems were much better than I expected. At intermission we viewed art work, jewelry, woodwork and books set up in an adjacent room where chocolate truffles and other rich desserts were provided. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and didn’t want to have food in my teeth when I read, so I just mixed and mingled.

          When it was my turn to read, I took off my glasses and approached the microphone. I set up my poems on the music stand and all the while my heart was racing. Why was I so nervous? Because at most of the readings I’ve given I’ve had a glass of wine beforehand! But this was late afternoon and I was totally sober.

          Following me was Bill singing the song I wrote, “Bump in the Road”.  It elicited lots of laughs because Bill asked two of the “regulars” to come up and act out some of the lyrics and I thought how I’d never have been allowed to write these lyrics in 1963 which is the last time I was in a talent show: Color Cotton Day at Paul Revere Junior High. I played Snidley Whiplash in “Silent Movie” with Joanne and Julie and Marilyn.

          Yesterday’s last two acts were really fun: female choir members in pajamas with stuffed animals singing “Grandmas Feather Bed”, ending with a hot boogie-woogie piano number which had half of us, me included, dancing in the aisles. I love belonging to a church that knows how to have fun!

          And now, today, a blustery cold front has descended in the form of gusting winds and clear sunlight.  This place is wild!  Out with Walter at 7:30 AM it was partly cloudy, 70 degrees, humid – tropical, really. Then bam! So different from living in Southern California where the air is usually stagnant except for when Santa Ana winds blow in from the desert, a constant dry whistle that hisses and crackles; or the Mono winds of the Sierra Nevada that fiercely scour the mountains. Here we’re unprotected, our lovely rolling hills are vulnerable to wind from any direction.

          Fritatta for dinner, followed by Dancing with the Stars. It’s always cathartic to watch. Tonight tears streamed down my face as Petra danced for the survivors of the Indonesian tsunami. . .

          A few days ago I finished Cutting for Stone and have not been able to commit to a new novel since, because I’m still under the spell of that luminous writing, the believable (and loveable) characters and the fascinating medical descriptions, not to mention the recent past history of Ethiopia.

          So, tonight I’ll cozy up with my Kindle and browse literary fiction in the comfort of my bed, while John, out in the garage, continues to perfect his new speaker designs which he’ll take to Dallas next month.