Dec. 25, 2011

Our guest essay this month is from Rayn Roberts. Poetic Matrix Press published his book, Of One and Many Worlds in 2006. One of the things that struck me while working on the book was this quote that he placed at the beginning:

"Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murders, and for a time they may seem invincible, but in the end they always fail. Think of it: always."
- Mohandas Gandhi

As I read through Rayn's essay I'm thinking that Gandhi resides right here, this is what he is referring to. What Rayn is saying here is the "always".

Also we have an end of the year essay from this columns editor, James Downs.
- John

What I Did On My Winter Vacation

by Rayn Roberts

Yes, I'm still free and unscathed by trouble, even though I show up at Occupy Seattle today to help shut down the West Coast Ports. I went straight to the terminals; didn't march from downtown; waited with others for about an hour. People called with news of where the main march was and how many were coming.

I met another teacher, a woman a bit older than me. I enjoyed talking with her and keeping company. There was some discussion about having done "this sort of thing" in the 60s and whether or not we are both having a mid-life crisis or not. We decided we weren't.

When the march arrived, signs and flags, banners waving, they were probably 350, maybe 400 strong shouting slogans and chanting. Komo News will say 200 --even so; the 675 on Facebook that said they'd come, did not.

But it was a respectable number for a protest.

They were mostly young, but a good many older people too. I saw young parents with their children, Vets, Poets, Anarchists, Democrats, the Unemployed, the Underemployed, College kids, the Drunk and the Homeless, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Independents, Gays, Laborers, Lesbians, Socialists, Working Families, Single parents. The sun stayed out all day blessing us.

Mt. Rainier shined above the city.

There were three zones: Green (no arrest), Yellow (chance of arrest), Red (high risk). I stayed in the Green for hours, watched the yellow zone, then walked through and over the Red to leave. As I did, I exchanged email addresses with my new friend.

The response of young people to why I was there was often funny/odd/interesting all at once. I talked of seeing Dorli Rainey on the News and what an inspiration she was. Some thanked me for coming, as if I were doing something above and beyond the call. It was exciting and fun. It was good to see some on the Left making an impact again or at least trying to.

Walking over the Spokane Bridge I saw 4 cameramen taking shots of something below. I ran over and looked. There were about 200 protesters who'd blocked the main street into Harbor Island. This was the Red Zone. Traffic was way backed up, miles into the city for a good 2 hours. The police were restrained, but I knew they'd use force to open the route again. I didn't wait to see that. Truckers blew their horns as they got by, the kids cheered back. There were many blasts of horns.

It was getting dark.

Driving home I heard about Occupy on NPR and how the police had removed the barricade and protesters using stun grenades and pepper spray. There was a lot of physical force, pushing, shoving, knocking of heads. Many were arrested, the most passionate, the angry rebels, the most inspiring.

I'm home in my own condo now, Christmas music and Pinot Noir. I don't feel guilty drinking it after a hot bath. Though I have such things, I'm still part of the working poor. But I lived wide today; I did well. I will sleep with a clear mind and heart without waking.
- Rayn

"Waiting for things to float down"

It is cold outside. Very cold for California. Minus one degrees Fahrenheit cold. And the funny thing is that it is too dang dry at the same time. I would not usually be griping about this, but I live in the mountains and the ski resort here is high and dry and cannot open. Waiting for things to float down.

I have never wanted a white Christmas as much as this year, because dear friends are waiting, waiting for jobs they cannot yet do: cook, ski lift operator, children's instructor, groomer and administrator. Many years they would have already been at work for the Thanksgiving holidays. As I sit here now in my warm apartment, away from the cold, with a job each day to go to, just tens of miles away from those dry slopes that cannot open, I am reminded that the lack of snow is an act of Nature, not meant to help or hurt anyone.

This brings me to this 2011 holiday season. So many people hurt by the economy and by the political actions of other folks, and everybody fighting about it all, in between.

These are actions that we as human beings CAN do something to alleviate. If we treated each other with respect, if we thought of how our daily and long-term actions affected others, if we went out of our comfort zone to help each other, the heavy lifting of life situations would be lighter for each of us. It really is strained down, boiled down to one essence: love. It's just love, Baby, love.

It is cold outside. So as this year winds down and prepares for another, let each of us re-dedicate ourselves to making all our lives a little bit warmer. We can't wait for things to float down - let's make our own part of the mystery - for each other.

Best to each of you, now and in the new year ahead.
James Downs
12-24-11"