“Meet Larada” I wrote in a workshop with Natalie Goldberg in 2002. I’m rummaging through old notebooks and journals for poetry for my new poetry book, and I found this one.
Meet Larada
Larada enjoying lunch in Spain
I am turquoise, red, hot pink
And purple, a kaleidoscope
Of color rearranging
Changing as the parts of
Me fall into place.
The turquoise reflects the
Peace and calm deep within me
Like the waters of the Mexican Caribbean.
The red in me ignites into a flame—
Passionate and energetic
but hot to touch.
The hot pink cries out
Notice me, I’m present—
You can’t ignore me
Anymore.
The purple states my power
That place inside me that has
Matured to womanhood
But still holds a girlish twinkle.
A waltz,
A jitterbug, a Swing Dance,
The Latin rhythm of rumba,
Or Bolero.
The depth of me express itself
In dance,
The spiritual connection to
The music,
The beat,
The magic and the sway!
The me totally revealed on
The dance floor,
Vulnerable,
Bare,
Connected to my partner
And me
And the song.
About This Poem
I love this poem because it shows the many sides of me, a multi-faceted personality. If you know anything about me, you know that dancing has been a major part of my life and I capture my passion here. Meet me in all the stanzas and their descriptions.
This is a short post this week because I’m exhausted—we danced all weekend at a festival here in Albuquerque and I’m tired with a smile on my face. Lots of laughter, saw old friends and made new ones—the side-benefits of dancing!
Who are you? Have you ever thought of you as a color(s)? Your favorite activity? Hopefully in reading this you meet me in different ways. Also, take the time to describe yourself in a variety of ways.
Jewels, yes, but not of the sparkling variety! Rummaging through folders on my computer and old journals, I found some of my poems & stories I wrote years ago—some real jewels!
Last year, I decided to gather all my poetry together and I thought I had enough for a three books series from the poetry just on my computer. But something whispered to me last fall—“you used to write with your students at the beginning of class each day.”
My Two Blue Journals From Long Ago
So, out to the storage shed I went, and I knew immediately which box to look in. I found two large blue journals and squealed with delight! Yes, yes, yes! When I brought them into the house, I sat down and opened them, realizing one held my writing from December 7, 1995 to December 2, 1996. The other one dates from April 8, 1997 to May 20, 1997, ending one school year, and from September 4, 1997 to August 28, 1998, covering parts of two school years.
Because of recent life and health issues, I put them in a safe place out of the way but never completely forgot about them. They kept nagging at me!
Last week, they screamed at me, so I grabbed them and brought them upstairs to my computer and started dictating poetry out of the first one. Wow! I liked what I saw—I had written about middle school life and my students, writing, my dad’s death and horses! I caught myself thumbing through the journal and reading the prose, too. To my surprise I found a couple of stories too! So that poetry series might bust through three books to four or more!
Just now, I took a break and went out to the storage shed, thinking there had to be more journals. That thought overwhelmed me though! So far, I’ve dictated thirty poems and I’m not half-way through the first journal! I looked through my box of journals and found four more journals I wrote in with my students. In the same box, I also found personal journals that go back to the mid-80s!
My discoveries in all of this rummaging—I have lots of my personal resources to look through for jewels I can share with you. Also, don’t throw away any of your writing!
Here’s a story I found in the back of my first blue journal, dated December 2, 1996. Last night, I added the ending. Again, I dictated this into a Microsoft Word document. (In the dictation process of the thirty poems, I found out Scrivener, a writing app, also has a dictation tool, so now I dictate my poems straight into Scrivener. At first, I dictated into Word then copy and pasted it into Scrivener. This saves me a step.)
The Elderly Couple
The elderly couple walked into the department store in their small country town to buy a special gift for themselves. Their feeble hands held tightly to each other—a steadying force that kept them both upright.
Her lips were pursed tight, holding back tears, she wouldn’t cry—not here, not now. His brow wedged a wrinkle so hard and tight it looked permanent. Just by their appearance, they faced an uncomfortable mission.
He cleared his throat as he prepared to talk to the clerk. She clasped his arm in her skinny trembling hands.
“Where are the VCRs?“ he asked in a soft, gentle voice.
“In the electronic section in the back of the store,“ she replied, taken back by the couple’s individual weak appearance, yet solid strength as a pair.
Slowly, they wobbled to the TV section, stopping once to catch their breath. Both panted deeply and leaned against each other for support.
Neither one knew what a VCR was, but they were bound to buy one – it was their special gift this year.
As she thought of the reason for the shopping trip, tears streamed down her cheeks. No, she wouldn’t think of it— not now—later, when she was home, and could cry in privacy.
His hands trembled as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with tears streaming down his cheeks, too.
They managed to purchase the VCR and get it home and attached to their TV. The helpful clerk had written out specific instructions for this task, and he followed it precisely. His hand shook as he turned it on and slid the tape in to play.
They moved their chairs closer to the screen. Sitting on the edge of their seats, they awaited the moment— the moment they would see their only granddaughter get married, their only granddaughter who lived 2000 miles away. Because of the distance and health reasons for each of them, they couldn’t attend in person. Their daughter came up with the idea of videotaping the wedding and sending it to them. The wedding had been three weeks ago, and they checked the mail daily for the bulging envelope with the tape. Finally it arrived, but now they had another problem—they didn’t own a VCR. But now they did
With squeals of joy, she clapped her hands together. There she stood, their beautiful granddaughter dressed in white in her grandmother’s wedding gown and her prospective husband, saying those words so familiar.
He whispered, choking back a sob, “She looks just like you did in that dress sixty years ago!” She whimpered a yes in response, knowing how her granddaughter felt in her wedding dress.
The grandparents both mouthed the “I dos,” as the young couple started their life together. When the ceremony ended, he stopped the VCR, and grabbed a Kleenex for both of them.
Yes, they didn’t get to see the ceremony in person, but they got the next best thing—to witness it at long distance and celebrate the beginning of this new life.
Clearing her throat, “I think we’re gonna like this VCR thing,” she said, with a smile.
He nodded in agreement but turned it off as the clerk had instructed him. He returned to his seat beside his wife of many decades, grabbed her hand, and they set silently in the bliss of this moment and remembering theirs from so long ago.
Finally, my writing comes from my heart, and to see what I’ve written before I seriously considered myself a writer astonishes me! I have a question: should I add to this story and enter it into a contest? Let me know!
Do you have any hidden jewels you can dust off and share with the world? Do it and let me know!
MAJOR SALE: Buy my first book, This Tumbleweed Landed, at a 60% discount at my Etsy Shop, Larada’s Reading Loft until February 29, so grab it now!
