ORLANDO ASSASINATIONS

I'm not sure about adding my opinion about hate killings, but I think a lot about how easily some people come to hate.  The old South Pacific lyric about "you've got to be taught to hate" is, I'm pretty certain, true.  I find this almost a contradiction in America because so many people have closed minds to any sort of learning, which they apparently think can only be seeded intuitively in American minds.

I'm 70 and for most of my life for any admission or display of homosexuality one could expect ostracism at best, violence or death at worst.  I could not imagine people "coming out" to face atrocities.  So America's peculiar conversion to tolerance in recent years has been truly uplifting: some old dogs can learn new tricks.

But I don't kid myself that there is anything exceptional about this latest action by a religious idiot; there are likely hundreds of hate groups standing by in approval of his action, even if they don't share his religion.  They all probably want to accomplish the same result.  This is, after all, a political action too, completely in accord with many religious orthodoxies.  Our grief is important, adding very significantly to our empathy for victims of terror.

Donald Trump has heaped bombastic rhetoric on a saddened world.  He couldn't be so unfeeling, could he?  Of course he could.  His whole party is especially good at pointing out targets for unthinking vengeance.

One witness stated that the gunman made special effort to blow heads off.  Does this remind anyone of the movies, that ostensibly are aiming at myth or legend, but actually present cartoonish annihilation, especially with gravity-defying stunts?  Also don't be surprised if soon the movie version of this event is released.

OK many things and people is this world I find despicable.  But the victims of this event are not among them.   I hope we all saw and appreciated the enormous expressions of love for individual people who weren't celebrities.  KM

P.S.  If you find this prose kind of ragged or disorganized, I apologize.  KM

ALEXANDRA PSAROPOULOU A SPECIAL TALENT

Today I was introduced to Alexandra by way of Linkedin.  She kindly provided the link below so I could take a look at her fine poetry and illustrations.  If you do so to, I hope you'll be just as stunned as I was.  KM

Alexandra Psaropoulou

http://alexandrapsaropoulou.wix.com/books 

REDMOND ASSN OF SPOKEN WORD READING BY JOANNIE STANGELAND, FRIDAY APRIL 29.

I attended Joannie Stangeland's reading and wine sipping event last Friday.  I had not met Joannie before, but she's written some wonderful poems and reads very well.

Here's her blog link:

http://joanniestangeland.com/

The wine is produced at Cloudlift Cellars, which Joannie co-owns with her husband Tom.

http://cloudlift.net/ 

I was privileged to meet Michael Dylan Welch who puts on the show at:

VALA Eastside in Redmond Town Center (7330 164th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052)

My friend and blurber on my last two books, Chris Jarmick, was also in attendance to read.  I read a few poems from Prairie Events that Make Men Talk Out of Their Hats (tentative title).  Then I had to drive home to Port Angeles next day.  KM

FOLLOW BY EMAIL FEATURE ADDED TO MY BLOG

For all who want automatic notification of my blog entries, enter your email above.  KM

POETRYNIGHT IN BELLINGHAM WA HOSTS FINE POETRY

Please use the links below to contact the excellent reading venue of NW Washington called PoetryNight.  Poets will get a very friendly reception, which I know from personal experience.  Boris, Thom, Dobbie, etc. will do you right.  KM


--Boris D. Schleinkofer---------------------------

President, poetrynight [NPO]  http://blog.poetrynight.org/

Board, Whatcom Poetry Series 501(c)(3)  http://whatcompoetryseries.org/

NOISY WATERS READING AT FERNDALE LIBRARY

Various groups of contributors to the anthology are reading at different venues around Whatcom County (I'm a former resident).  I'm scheduled at 7:00 pm, Tuesday, March 22.  2125 Main St., Ferndale.  This is a few miles north of Bellingham on I-5.  Hope you can make it.  KM

To all interested I have created this blog to advise readers of the availability of my works.  Keith