It’s Poetry Friday!
Nevermores poetry partner and author-librarian extraordinairre has the Roundup this week!
Join Marcie Flinchum Atkins here .
She’s prepping for the Sealey Challenge and you can get a peek at a couple of photos from our glorious handful of days writing in Lake Tahoe.
National Anthem
by Christopher Kempf
If, then, a country could be saved, may we
all be its pulse & schematics. May our flags
kneel for us. May nothing reign. May one day
mean Tuesday, & may our planes on alert
over Khost & Riyadh whisper love songs
to the canyons beneath them. May weddings
go on for months.
This week….
Poet George Bilgere featured the poem above on his blog earlier this week (Thank you Karen Edminsten for introducing me to him last year). I think of it as poem-hope.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R – Illinois) is a voice of reason rising above the din. Read his substack posts here. I love that after the January 6th insurrection, he had the courage to to call for the use of the 25th Amendment against Trump– the first elected member of his party to do so.
Indivisible is doing the hard work of building resistance to authoritarianism. I’m signed up!
The Nevermores wrote together—in person – in Lake Tahoe!
I was present to celebrate the INCREDIBLE work of Public Justice , a national non-profit legal advocacy organization, and see my college roommate step up to serve as its next Board president. They fight deceptive pharmaceutical companies, irresponsible manufacturers, unscrupulous payday lenders, unjust employers, punitive credit card companies, unfair school athletic programs, inhumane government detention centers, dangerous food producers, reckless polluters and more.
Continued our #YearToPlay in the Columbia River Gorge and (and on to Vancouver/Victoria this weekend)– with a brief stop at the Mt. Hood ER (broken elbow, toe, and bruised ribs…bike fall).
The accident aside…I’m feeling inspired.
Unfortunately, I’m unable to use my writing hand –so please forgive me for any slow responses this week!
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Great choice, great words, great poem, Patricia. Timely and most pertinent. I shall be pasting it into my current notebook. Thank for this thoughtful reimagining of nationhood.
I do love how my compatriots are finding our grit. When I was in Europe this spring I told German friends, that we Americans are not quick…but when we do come round to what’s right, we are mighty. I’m hoping, hoping, hoping that we can coalesce into mighty and right soon! But, if not soon, I’m in for a little bit of change every day. I’m behind on my postcards (to politicians) due to summer travels. But, I’ll catch up on them soon. Thank you for sharing the poem by Kempf! It is inspiring.
The Nevermores wrote together—in person – in Lake Tahoe! That is AWESOME. So sorry about your accident. Happy healing…it forces us to slow down, which I’ve found can be a blessing. xo
So sorry you were hurt in the fall. I hope your recovery goes smoothly. I like Kinzinger more each time I see him speak. thank goodness we have some Republicans that can think for themselves.
Patricia, first, so sorry to hear about your broken elbow! That sounds very painful. Wishing you speedy healing. XOXO
So many “feels” from your post! “May guns gather bullets back into themselves like fishing line.” “The sense that we’re all locked in a cage match and nobody remembers why it started.“ “Unity built on personality always collapses into ego.” Thank you for sharing all the powerful resources and links. Much appreciated.
“May/we, in the poem of our country, be such/exquisite stitchwork.” Beautiful.
I’m sorry about your elbow, Patricia. That sounds awful.
I love your zest for justice! Let’s gooo!
The “May” in this poem creates such powerful images of hope. Speaking of hope, I hope your injuries heal soon and don’t keep you down too long. Sounds pretty miserable. I’m glad you had the writing retreat. What a wonderful time together!
I’m so sorry to hear about your bike spill and the breaks and bruises. I hope your recovery is a speedy one.
Thank you for sharing this much needed poem. And thanks too for sharing Adam Kinzinger’s substack post. It was a well-reasoned and thoughtful piece.
I came here (backwards in the order of the roundup) from Irene’s “If I Were to Paint You As a Mountain” and it startled me to see…a MOUNTAIN!!! hahaha
Sorry to hear about your bike accident! OUCH. Use the slow-down time to your advantage.
Finally, YES to George Bilgere’s daily poems. They balance reading Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter and somehow help me to keep a few shreds of my sanity.
Gosh what a powerful poem! I hope that your celebration with your friend was marvelous. And I hope that you are healing quickly. My son broke his elbow on a trip once, and we had a visit a Catholic hospital’s ER where they refused to take my co-pay. They were so kind.
Patricia, I’m so sorry about the accident — I hope you heal quickly! Thanks for this rallying call-to-action post. It’s heartening to be part of a community of like-minded people. Bilgere’s daily poetry picks are a balm, aren’t they? Often they are just the right thing on just the right (or wrong) day. 🙂
Patricia, I’m sorry to hear about your injuries. I hope you are better soon. Rest and heal. How wonderful that you were together with your writing group and in beautiful Lakew Tahoe! Thank you for the link to Kempf’s powerful poem. I signed up to receive Indivisible’s emails in my area, but they stopped coming. Thank you for the reminder. I will check my junk. I receive many emails from Women’s March and emails from Mothers Against -I can’t remember what, but I always sign their petitions. Are you in CA right now? I hope you are safe away from the coast.