Neighborhood party

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… Continue reading Neighborhood party

Liver spring

The season of spring is vigorous and forceful because things have to grow. We need to move like the wind and in fact, wind is the weather of spring. Spring is the the color of bright green, the element is wood, and the organ is liver. Liver’s partner is the gall bladder. Anger is associated… Continue reading Liver spring

That Clear and Certain Sound

By Pamela Haines Book review by Mary Ann Petersen What rings true? Something with “that clear and certain sound.” This book by Pamela Haines is short and dense with content. It is part of the series Quaker Quicks. As Haines describes it, she assembled the book from a series of essays and meditations she had composed over… Continue reading That Clear and Certain Sound

Office Hours

I’m holding office hours Saturdays 11:00-1:00. Drop-in, in-person or zoom option.  Stop by if you need to check-in. No need to sign up in advance.  Keeping office hours creates a window for inquiry. A structured framework for interaction.  I have friends who host office hours. They said often no one comes. I am prepared to… Continue reading Office Hours

I am yew

If I were a tree I’d be yew Live in an old churchyard in the British countryside Remembering when my limbs were used  To make bows for arrows   For the battles of the short-lived ones on two legs I’d stand bent over Hiding my poison medicine My toxic healing Stretching out the reaching branches… Continue reading I am yew

Crow habit

I have a crow habit. I know them: Crow, Crowie, and Croatia. There are more but I can’t remember their names. Some have asked me to paint them as they see themselves. It’s hard to describe but they don’t see themselves like we see them. They can be oversized black squares of energy that talk… Continue reading Crow habit

Quaker book review

Quakers Do What! Why? by Rhiannon Grant Reviewed by Mary Ann Petersen I am convinced again, Friends! Credit goes to Quakers Do What! Why?, a 72-page booklet from Quaker Quicks, written by Rhiannon Grant. In it, she takes the reader through a wide range of beliefs and practices of unprogrammed Quakers, using a friendly, conversational… Continue reading Quaker book review