Sharing that my poem about my mom, “First Grandchild,” is now part of the ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER series on Silver Birch Press; my blog post about it is here.
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/05/22/one-liner-wednesday-let-the-confusion-commence/ (Check the link to learn about “up commas”!)
I am honored that my poem “First Grandchild” from my chapbook Hearts (Kelsay Books, 2023) is featured today by Silver Birch Press as part of their ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER series. Many thanks to Melanie and the Silver Birch Press team for including me in this series!
The first grandchild in the title is my daughter E, shown in the photo above holding baby ABC with my mother, known here at Top of JC’s Mind as Nana, and me.
You can read a bit more about the writing of the poem in the author’s note at the link above.
Having this appear at this time is especially poignant. May 16th would have been my mother’s 92nd birthday.
Tomorrow, May 22nd, will be the fifth anniversary of her death.
It’s a good day to remember the immense love and care that she showed for all of us for so many years.
Her love lives on.
(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
Over the last several decades, it’s become customary to ask the electorate in the run-up to presidential elections if they were better off four years ago.
I can safely say that our family is much better off now than four years ago.
During Trump’s last year in office, we spent a lot of time in either complete COVID isolation or significant restrictions. There were shortages of many consumer goods. While we were fortunate that B’s job could be done remotely, our finances had been negatively impacted by the Trump/Republican tax cuts, which saved wealthy individuals and corporations millions of dollars but raised federal income taxes for those of us who live in states with higher property and state income taxes by restricting our ability to itemize. (Republican Claudia Tenney was our representative at the time and put out an illustration of how much a family with three children under 14 would save in federal income tax, ignoring that the vast majority of her constituents didn’t fit that model and certainly a household like ours, older couple with no dependents, had a significant tax increase, not a cut.) Our retirement savings took a hit as both stocks and bonds were suffering from the disruption of the world economy due to the pandemic.
While we were fortunate to have a stable home and employment, 2020 was generally a scary time. Many in our community had job losses and health problems, including serious COVID cases. Too many people suffered lasting health consequences or death from the pandemic. While our state government did their best to deal with those early pandemic months, President Trump was a hindrance rather than a help in safeguarding our well-being.
In this final year of President Biden’s first term, things are much better for our family. With federal support for vaccines and treatments and with our own precautions, we have only had one relatively mild COVID case in our household. While inflation has raised some of our household costs, wages have gone up, too. We have appreciated higher interest rates on our savings and the record levels of the stock market have helped our retirement savings to recover and grow. The current unemployment rate in Broome County NY, where I live, is 4.5%, slightly higher than the national average of 3.9%. By contrast, in April 2020, our county set its record high unemployment rate at 15.2%.
While I know there are individuals who were better off four years ago, the majority of people are healthier and in a more stable situation than they were in 2020.
Still, many people feel differently. Perhaps, the trauma of the early part of the pandemic caused them to forget the fear, illness, job losses, shortages, and isolation we experienced. Perhaps, their personal income wasn’t able to compensate for inflation. (For the record, the supply chain problems that caused some of the inflation surge have resolved but the extra profit-taking by companies has not, especially with products that have only a handful of suppliers. The blame for price gouging should fall on greedy corporations, not on the administration.) Perhaps, some people are victims of fear-mongering or misinformation about the economy and public policy.
Admittedly, as I decide which candidates to support, I prefer to look at the broader picture of my local community and the country rather than the small picture of my household. In my area, there are lots of infrastructure improvements underway, especially with our roads. The local hospital just opened a new building. There is lots of government and private support for new and expanding business because we are a nationally recognized center for battery technology. Old factory buildings that were sitting vacant for decades are being renovated for housing and business use. Our regional airport is undergoing enhancements.
Many other counties around the country have similar stories of positive change.
I hope that voters will look honestly at their own past and present when evaluating the economic and health aspects of deciding among candidates. Don’t let other people or the media tell you what you should think. It’s also helpful to look at how government helped or hindered the economy or public health. The United States economy, including employment and inflation, has recovered much more quickly from the shock of the pandemic than other countries with advanced economies. The actions of the Biden administration are a factor in this economic strength.
An example of how public sentiment diverges from legislation and statistics is this poll from late April which finds that, when asked whether Biden or Trump did “more to promote infrastructure and job creation,” the results were 40% Biden, 37% Trump, 12% both equally, 12% don’t know. The fact is that no major infrastructure bills passed during the Trump administration while the Biden administration was heavily involved in crafting the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This law along with the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act have contributed to 15 million jobs added to the US economy under President Biden while the Trump presidency saw a loss of 2.9 million jobs. That the poll opinions deviate so dramatically from the legislative record and statistics suggests that other factors are at play, such as dis/misinformation, taking personal experience as universal, fear, and partisanship. Robert Reich had an interesting piece on his Substack yesterday exploring some of the facts, possible reasons they aren’t breaking through with the public, and possible ways to address the disparity.
When I look at this question of how my family, community, state, and country are doing during the Biden presidency and contrast it with the Trump presidency, it’s clear that Biden has the better record and plans for the future. I will vote for Biden and for Congressional candidates who will support Biden’s agenda.
I hope that all voters will evaluate the facts on the economy as they make decisions about voting.
A family of woodpeckers turned our house into theirs.
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/05/15/one-liner-wednesday-ten-years-and-two-months/
(Photo credit: The Fenimore Art Museum website)
The recording of the staged reading of Eva Schegulla’s Fall Forever is now available on the Fenimore Art Museum YouTube channel for a limited time. It will likely be taken down mid-June 2024.
I wrote about the staged reading here. I know through reading Eva’s blog, Ink in My Coffee, that she has already completed revisions that grew from the staged reading and that she is submitting it for fully staged production. I’ll be sure to keep you posted when it debuts so that you can attend if you are in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, enjoy the recording for the next month!
In the US, we are observing Mother’s Day today. While its origin was in a call for peace after the Civil War, today it is celebrated as a tribute to mothers of all types and ages.
Since the death of my mother in May, 2019, Mother’s Day has felt bittersweet to me, as it brings back that time when, within two May weeks, there was my mom’s last Mother’s Day, birthday, and the date of her death. It’s complicated further by having daughter E and granddaughters ABC and JG five time zones away.
This year has brought the additional worry of a family member’s upcoming surgery and the possibility of an underlying disorder yet to be diagnosed.
Then, there is the general upheaval in the US and so many other places in the world, war, hunger, the climate crisis, disasters, and I will end the list here, but we know it is much longer.
It’s a lot with which to contend and I’m not coping very well.
I mentioned in a Stream of Consciousness Saturday post in mid-April that I was hearing a sound in my left ear. This, along with some additional symptoms, has led to several primary care visits, a diagnosis of tinnitus, some attempts at treatment, and, on Friday, a decision to order an MRI to rule out various tumors or other abnormalities.
Of course, there is the possibility of not “ruling out” but discovering.
I admit that I’m struggling. I’m practiced with blocking things out or setting them aside to concentrate on caring for family members. Part of my problem right now is that the timing is unfortunate as I am the main driver and errand-runner and don’t want to be out of commission when I’m needed to help with surgical recovery and follow-on medical appointments. I know spouse B will drop everything at work to take care of things but I also know that his project is in a critical phase right now.
I need humility, trust, and the grace to step aside and let others take over the work I should or have been doing and put other things aside for a while, but it’s hard and I’m worried and tired.
Maybe they will examine my head and not find anything.
Wait. That doesn’t sound right.
Maybe they won’t find anything dangerous.
Maybe, I can get a grip when the MRI is actually scheduled and on my calendar. After all, this is not my first rodeo with medical mystery ailments. Some of them have even been mine. I’m just more annoyed with my own. I know I need to channel some of the compassion I have toward others and apply it to myself.
And maybe take a nap.
It’s been helpful to write this down. I am questioning whether or not it is wise to post it, but have decided to do so because authenticity is part of the charm? hallmark? conceit? of Top of JC’s Mind.
And, yes, it’s Mother’s Day and B is making lamb spiedies and grilled asparagus with his homemade tiramisu for dessert.
And there have been sweet cards and a present.
And the lilies of the valley are starting to bloom.
They were my mother’s birth flower and a favorite of hers.
The photo is from my mother’s 87th and last birthday, lilies of the valley from our yard and cards from my father and their artist-friend Jim.
Miss you today, Mom.
April is National Poetry Month in the United States and I had a busy time this year, so I thought I’d do a post with links for those who wanted to catch up.
On April 14th, I sang with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton in a concert entitled America Speaks. We sang settings of poems by American poets with readings by members of S.T.A.R. (Southern Tier Actors Read).
On April 2oth, I travelled to Cooperstown for the Write Out Loud 2024 performance which included my poem “Some Time Else” from my chapbook, Hearts.
On April 27th, I read with the Grapevine Poets at the Broome County Arts Council, where their POETREE was on display.
Throughout the month, my poem “North Adams Public Library” was part of their National Poetry Month display.
I contributed to the Tioga Arts Council’s Poetry Out Loud series with a recording of my poem, “The Bridge.”
On April 30th, current US Poet Laureate Ada Limón read at Smith College, which, though I could not attend in person, I wrote about here.
One thing that was missing from April this year was attending workshops with the Binghamton Poetry Project, which is in the process of being re-organized as the Binghamton Writers Project. I missed the chance to learn from Binghamton University grad students and other community poets who attend these workshops.
I took another step forward with my full-length poetry collection by sending a revised draft to April Ossmann for review. April has sent me extensive feedback so there will be more revisions and then a new round of submissions. Stay tuned for updates!
Early May bonus is that poet Samantha Terrell is featuring me in the SHINE section of her website.
I love it when National Poetry Month goes into overtime!
I’d love to hear in comments about others’ National Poetry Month experiences this year. Stay tuned for more poetry news – and more eclectic musings – here at Top of JC’s Mind.
We need to remember across generations that there is as much to learn as there is to teach.
Gloria Steinem
Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/05/08/one-liner-wednesday-taking-bunny-pics/
About the featured image: Ada Limón, as poet laureate, has begun an initiative called Poetry in Parks in conjunction with the National Parks Service. To complement this project, she invited poets to write new work centered on our relationship with nature. In April, Milkweed Editions published You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World as a testament to that enduring relationship.
Ada Limón, 24th poet laureate of the United States, gave an amazing reading at my alma mater, Smith College, on the last day of National Poetry Month, April 30, 2024, followed by a conversation with Matt Donovan, director of the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center at Smith.
So many things struck me about the reading, many of which resonate with my own poetic sensibilities. The sense of place and relationship with the natural world. The vast possibilities for poems that surrounds us. The exquisiteness of short poems, just long enough to offer what needs to be said. The way the mind seeks myriad connections. That there are poems written for oneself that may never be shared with others. The interest in received forms without the compulsion to write them for public consumption. The honesty and authenticity of her work and of her speaking between poems and responding to questions.
I was not able to be there in person but I know John M. Greene Hall, where the reading took place, well, having spent many hours there as a student rehearsing and performing with choral groups and practicing the organ. It’s a cavernous space, which seats about 2,000 people. I was awed at the intimacy that Ada Limón was able to project, as though she were reading and talking with a small circle of friends in a living room after dinner.
I wish I had been able to be there.
Maybe, someday, I will hear her read in person.
As a musician, I think first of musical notes. How many thousands of them have I seen in piano or organ scores, choral music, hymnals, study scores, the Sesame Street Songbook still sitting on my piano, even with no little ones around?
Of course, I think of written notes, too. I still write myself reminder notes or notes to leave on the kitchen counter for the rest of the family when I need to go out. I used to write long-hand notes to people quite a lot, although many of those have been replaced by email at this point.
Does email still qualify as a note?
*****
Linda’s prompt from Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “note.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/05/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-4-2024/
Joanne Corey 