Poetry...

This poem by an African kid, was nominated for the "Poem of the Year" in 2005.

"When I born, I Black, When I grow up, I Black, When I go in Sun, I Black, When I scared, I Black, When I sick, I Black, And when I die, I still black...

And you White fellow, When you born, you pink, When you grow up, you White, When you go in Sun, you Red, When you cold, you blue, When you scared, you yellow, When you sick, you Green, And when you die, you Gray... And you call me colored???........."

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My blog at Iranian.com

Inspired by Catherine

Checking my emails has become a morning ritual. I was moved and inspired by what I had received from my friend, Mitra.

It was a rather old short documentary about a climber, but by no means it was dated! The video depicts the 28 year old solo rock climber, Catherine Destivelle, who against the advice of the natives climbs a sandstone cliff in the Mali desert, solo and with no equipment whatsoever, other than her hands and feet and a chalk-filled pouch to dry her sweaty palms which reminded me of the opening sequence of one the Mission Impossible movies showing Tom Cruise hanging from a cliff!
Her beauty was attractive, her smile and generosity at minute 2:07 was heart-warming and her tenacity, focus and determination throughout the film was awesome.

On the day of the climb, she was accompanied by many women of the village and the modernized witch doctor who carried a jazz trumpet under his orange floor-length rope.

She started her ascent while the witch doctor played a tune with his trumpet, accompanied by chants of the villagers cheering her on.
By the time I was 5:05 minutes into the video, I caught myself all tensed, holding my breath and mentally pushing her forward!

In this 4th of July weekend, I am inspired by her sense of independence. Watch and listen to the comments and you will see what I mean and tell me how it moved you!

My blog at Iranian.Com

To you it is a backyard, to me it is my GARDEN!

I had a hundred ideas for my " GARDEN" when I moved in 17 years ago. My friend made fun of me and the way I talked about that small space. You see, it was "backyard or balcony" to visitors, but to me it was going to be my GARDEN.

Years have passed. Some of the ideas came to life and most of them did not but I still feel the same about my garden. This year in particular, it is lush and covered by flowers.

I was thumbing through the October '10 issue of "ReadyMade", a magazine filled with ideas and instructions for everyday life, and I came across a paragraph referring to gardening in small spaces and a related website: Life on the Balcony. The website is filled with suggestions, easy to follow instructions, and videos for gardening in small spaces.

I checked it out and instantly knew I have met someone who realizes how I feel about my "GARDEN".