yiddish| #12

my new years resolution in a nutshell.

I thought about creating this long ass list of "things I should change/do in the new year".

But then I read this, and it summed up everything I wanted to say/do in 2011.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in slippers in the rain

And pick flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph [via]

yiddish| # 10

I just re-read For Colored Girls.

And then I re-read it again.

[begin powerful poetic reference]

& now she stood a

reglar colored girl

fulla the same malice

livid indifference as a sistah

worn from supportin a wd be hornplayer

or waitin by the window

& they knew
& left in a hury

she wd gather her tinsel &

jewels from the tub

& laugh gayly or vengeful

she stored her silk roses by her bed

& when she finished writin

the account of her exploit in a diary

embroidered with lilies & moonstones

she placed the rose behind her ear

& cried herself to sleep. - Lady in Red

[end powerful poetic reference]

Haven't been able to bring myself to see the film yet, because I think it'll kill the magic of this body of work for me.

The play is just too amazing.

Maybe one day...

yiddish| #6

[begin thoughtful poetic rant]

From ancient worlds I come
to see what man has done
what's fact and what is fiction
to judge to contradiction.

The future has begun
much work is to be done
you're running out of time
beware the silent sign.

Exploring new dimension
new lifestyle my intention
do not ignore advice;
You hold the key to life. - Klaus Nomi

[end thoughtful poetic rant]

i forgot how much i loved this.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start telling them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my steps,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal Woman,
That's me. (Maya Angelou)