She said, this is what it’s about. Community. Vote for your community, she said. I said, yeah, totally.
It was 44 degrees and raining most of the time and also muddy. Still, people showed up at this neighborhood party that was advertised on sign posts.
I walked over with a couple poems in my back pocket to catch the open mic part. When I saw open mic, I knew I was going to do it.
The first person I met was Kathleen and she asked me if I turned in my ballot. Not yet, but it’s by the door I told her. It’s her job as a volunteer to make sure people vote. She said this neighborhood is easy. People are into voting here.
The person closest to the party, which was on a narrow gravel road next to a cemetery, wore a loose fitting natural fiber unbleached apron as she carried out fresh pizza she made in her kitchen. There was wine. Kathleen had a splash of red. There were non alcoholic choices too. Kathleen said, hey if I’m gonna have the carbs I wanna have some kick, you know?
A child played in a mud puddle.
I got into a conversation about honey bees. One woman had been a swarm catcher and she used to keep bees but stopped. She wanted to do it naturally but she became disenchanted with the whole thing.
Bee business has a dark side, like I guess they artificially inseminate* queen bees for I don’t know why but it all started sounding very corporate and Monsanto.
*It is a way to control mating and genetics.
Ethically, it bothered my neighbor. I was with my people. Even if we were in the mud and rain.
I asked a man huddled with me by the fire, are you going to do the open mic? No.
I am, I said.
He responded with- I am going to go home to walk my dog.
End of that chat.
While in a different circle, a neighbor mentioned she was the one who put up hazard tape the last two summers to tell people to avoid the yellow jackets in the tree by the sidewalk. “Maybe they have the right to be here” she said. I was glad I hadn’t said more before knowing who she was. She said they must be doing something we need, and I said, what? I now wonder if they are helpful in any way.
Before open mic started I talked with both band guys and it turned out we were all very shy about speaking loudly with authority to a gathered group. So we had slightly awkward conversations about how to officially start the event.
There were more people than I expected. A lot of very hip young people and I kind of wanted to back out but the guys said I should read.
Just then water spilled off the tent roof and onto the head of a woman and everyone stopped talking. After we all laughed about the now wet woman (who also laughed) I said, ok hi I’m gonna read some poems now. I’m Mary Ann and I live at the house with the Squirrel Yoga sign on the fence. All eyes were on me and it was more eyes than I had expected. There were maybe 50, could have been 25, appeared to be 500 people there. They listened to my poems. I read two. Here is one of them.
Then the band set up to play. They were good!
I met a bunch of neighbors and it was friendly and great. We all contributed to a sense of place. I just read that “a sense of place is a piece of the whole environment that has been claimed by feelings”(Alan Gussow).
The choice to participate in this event was better than a lot of the regular options because people talked, performed, clapped and snacked in an organic let’s get together and see what happens way. It happened very nicely. Thanks community!
I vote for you!