Poetry in Motion

Poetry in Motion, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

Say what you want about the New York City transit system but their
Poetry in Motion series is great. Love this poem.

Fun with Friends

Fun with Friends, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

Over Memorial Day weekend I went down to DC to see A Servant of Two
Masters at DC Shakespeare Theater. What an amazing show! And got to
spend some quality time with two of my favorite classmates/people
Danielle and Corey.

United Nations

United Nations, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

My view for the week.

The Broadhurst View

The Broadhurst View, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

I'm sure the view is even nicer when each of those seats is filled and
the lights dim on the house...

Morbid Anatomy Library

Morbid Anatomy Library, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

Proteus Gowanus calls itself a "interdisciplinary gallery and reading
room." I'm not sure I'd get much reading done there. Too many
curiosities all around to pull my attention and spark my imagination.

Playing the good tourist

Playing the good tourist, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

Finally walked to the end of the Santa Monica Pier, parents in tow.
Watched the sun set, froze my butt cheeks off. If I have to do that
again I hope I'm getting paid for it.

Red Bastard "a dangerous, seductive comedy monster"

Red Bastard "a dangerous, seductive comedy monster", a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

The second piece of good theater I've seen in LA. He's everything the
title promises to be, plus a dash of "challenge honesty," at least the
night I saw the show.
Oh, and he told us to take the picture. And the theater told us to
post it. So, no theater rules were broken. Promise.

My preferred daily breakfast

My preferred daily breakfast, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

LACMA

LACMA, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

Jogging...

Jogging..., a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

... This is what I see along my path.

Sidewalk Coral

Sidewalk Coral, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

No I was not under water. This was just somebody's front lawn
shrubbery in California.

California Fauna

California Fauna, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

In awe of the beauty around me.

Apartment Hopping

Apartment Hopping, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

I've spent a lot of time with children in the last 8 months, working
as a part-time nanny. As a result, I've also looked out on Manhattan
from some lovely apartments.

Train along the Hudson

Train along the Hudson, a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

Slivers of sun slice through the murky sky
traveling west.
Inviting.
Teasing.
Fleeting.
More tomorrow?
Or is this simply a projection of the day past,
imagined...

Another Airport Visit...

Another Airport Visit..., a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

My mom and I took my dad to the airport on the second day of 2012. He
has to go to China for a month because my grandmother, my dad's mom,
is in the hospital with pneumonia. If you come from an immigrant
family, you're always being taken or taking someone to the airport.
You're always saying goodbye, or hello, but with the knowlege that
goodbye is coming.
The last time my mother and I put my dad on a plane by himself, I was
five years old.

A New Year...

A New Year..., a photo by jo.mei on Flickr.

A good beginning...
I crossed into the new year in with my parents. And the first thing I did on the first day of this year is to go for a run around the little peninsula we live on. Good job Jo (giving myself a little pat on the back)!
Somehow, Jack Gilbert has been on my mind a lot in the last 24 hours. I don't know why. I have never met the man but I did try to call his house once because his number seems to be in the phone book. I just wanted to tell him what an important artist he is, to me, and I hope he remains healthy, and I hope to meet him one day. I think he would be amused by that.
Jack Gilbert is a poet. He is an artist I admire so deeply that I am unable to explain why. Look him up. Buy a book of his. There's only three. Perhaps he'll speak to you the way he does to me.

FALLING AND FLYING
By Jack Gilbert

Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.
It's the same when love comes to an end,
or the marriage fails and people say
they knew it was a mistake, that everybody
said it would never work. That she was
old enough to know better. But anything
worth doing is worth doing badly.
Like being there by that summer ocean
on the other side of the island while
love was fading out of her, the stars
burning so extravagantly those nights that
anyone could tell you they would never last.
Every morning she was asleep in my bed
like a visitation, the gentleness in her
like antelope standing in the dawn mist.
Each afternoon I watched her coming back
through the hot stony field after swimming,
the sea light behind her and the huge sky
on the other side of that. Listened to her
while we ate lunch. How can they say
the marriage failed? Like the people who
came back from Provence (when it was Provence)
and said it was pretty but the food was greasy.
I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of his triumph.