Category: Senryu

Oak

like the wood grains of an oak

the lines on my face,
like the wood grains of an oak,
show how I have grown.


Photo by FWStudio from Pexels

Before I give my resource on this post, I want to provide an update. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 in the Philippines was signed into law earlier this month. This law has the potential to strip the right of freedom of speech from a million+ people. To my readers from all around the world, but especially in the Philippines, stay safe, even (or especially) online. Here is a resource with ideas of how to do so.

And, just to end on a bit of optimism, here are two recent human rights victories:

The case of Elijah McClain’s murder at the hands of law enforcement has been reopened by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis due, at least in part, to an online petition signed millions of times.

After years of protesting led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Dakota Access oil pipeline has been ordered to be shut down while a review takes place about its environmental safety. Such a review is necessary because the Army Corps of Engineers did not adequately consider the effects of potential pollution on the Missouri River (which would likely disproportionately affect the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation).

Keep fighting the good fight, even when it’s difficult and even when you aren’t seeing the results you want. These two cases are evidence that it does make a difference.

Whelp, now my ending section is significantly longer than the poem to which it is attached. That would be like writing a book whose epilogue is longer than the novel itself, which gives me an idea… Just kidding! Anyway, I hope y’all have a great weekend!

Peace out!

Glow

Even if you
cannot see it

Glow! — Even if you
cannot see it at this time,
you still hold a spark.


Photo by Jordan Graff on Unsplash

Today, June 30, is the last day of Pride Month in 2020, but learning about LGBTQ+ history should happen all year long! Stonewall Forever is a virtual monument that includes videos and resources about the history of LGBTQ+ movements in the United States, from the resistances that preceded the Stonewall Riots to modern day Pride. They also have a documentary that I have yet to watch. If it is good, though, I will include it as a resource in the future.

Also, I have an update about my article that was stolen by another website…The stolen article was removed! If you want to read more about what I did to get it taken down or just see me rant about the process, I did a full update on the post about the content being stolen. You can read that here.