In Praise of Small Stories
This seems like a really good time for poetry...
Last week happened. It just did. In my Canadian neighbourhood, there was a hush on the streets, like America had suddenly been sucked into outer space…and we were left alone with CBC Radio/Radio Canada. The circus packed up, the big story was over, and everybody turned back to the day to day. I’m pretty sure most Americans were doing the same thing.
I found a great image of Dem VP candidate Tim Walz sitting in a chair with a cat. His daughter took the photo, and I decided to sketch it. It’s perfect, because it seems for a moment he’s back in real life after the blasting limelight of the campaign, and he becomes relatable again (and his cat agrees). The E-result may be disappointing…at the same time he’s comfortable and knows what’s important. Tim Walz worked as a teacher, a job that gives you a fairly grounded perspective on things, especially if you’re teaching youth. The caption on the photo says: The earth keeps spinning and we live to fight another day.
Like most Canadian kids near the border, I watched a lot of American TV growing up. I absorbed all the positive vibes from Sesame Street, where every day you just went out your door, talked with everybody, and that’s how you kept the story going. The show taught kids how to count, and more. (Shout out to Mr. Dressup on CBC TV who did the same in Canada).
Like I’ve always told my students: Everybody is a star.
This seems like a really good time for poetry.
Here’s one by Du Fu (or Tu Fu), from the late T'ang era (618-907).
A Pair of Golden Orioles by Tu Fu
Golden orioles warble melodies
in the green willows.
Snowy egrets scribble a white line
across the blue sky.
Facing west, framed by my window:
peaks ice-capped a million years.
Facing east, moored at my door:
a small boat ten thousand miles from Wu.
- in Huangshan Poems from the T'ang Dynasty, Stanton Hager (tr).
The Blue Potato: Notes from the Ground is a newsletter about connecting to the earth through writing, reading, and life on the daily. Eco-friendly. Monthly-ish. You can read more about me at my website: Veronica Gaylie.