Monday, May 17, 2010

Teaching the Terrified Tongue (Part XXXVII)

The pensive man . . . He sees the eagle float
For which the intricate Alps are a single nest.
Wallace Stevens, Connoisseur of Chaos

The surprise is to arrive. Our hearts beat hard. The decoded message sublimates our anxieties. The Waterways Project of Ten Penny Players in partnership with the Office of Alternative High Schools and Programs began publishing Streams in the spring of 1987. The pages that follow will tell the story of Waterways’ work with schools and its role in the emergent field of arts in education.

The snow, that fell last winter, is no longer on the ground. It’s the middle of spring. Barbara, Thomas, and I walk our dog, Chewbacca, about the hills, trees, homes, and parks on the north shore of Staten Island. We’re an unconventional family living in an old house filled with pets and papers. Our relationship has structured our way of thinking, working, and writing.

I come to this moment with my fears and hopes--

all the despair and the making music
something like wave after wave
that breaks on a beach
something like bringing the entire life
to this moment
Muriel Rukeyser, Poem White Page, White Page Poem

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