When I Rest My Temple

My body is a mountain, formed by the ages, and my eyes are birds overseeing the mountain, pulling every bit of me through the sky. Together our journey is endless, and there isn’t a single day or night that goes through us, but only days and nights that go with us.

Together we carry the weight of the world with us, soaring through light and darkness the same; no setting is unfamiliar, but even after lifetimes, there’s still an endlessness to explore.

This endlessness leads us back up to the mountain, where the sky is an abyss, and where the birds perch themselves to reflect, and then to rest.

But even when we rest, we’re still soaring; we set the mountain down only to pick it back up again. We meet the abyss as it meets us: from days and nights that are each a world in their own right, and which together rekindle us for the possibilities of even more, together.

J.T.

There is supposed to be some shame in falling,

Or a great regretting.

Yet now I only marvel at the slip.

Born from dreams that died midair to begin,

There are other hopes now growing from the daze:

Fierce, wanting, and charging for the ground ahead.

Hey!

BeautifulGateOpenMic

Greetings Friends!

It’s my pleasure to invite you all to an Open Mic Night in Los Feliz this upcoming Sunday afternoon! In addition to holding a potluck, the event will also feature the return of the prolific Kim Mendoza to the stage! After a four-year hiatus from the mic, Kim will finally share some poetry with folks again, and I can assure you that you won’t want to miss it. In addition to Kim’s return, yours truly will also be sharing some words about JT, and there’ll be even more great performers to see!

Plus, just between us, there’ll be some magnificent Indian food to enjoy, as well as arroz con leche. The address to the venue’s located on the flyer, but if you need any more info, just contact yours truly.

Tia Chucha’s: The Friday Night Might

DSCN7336

DSCN7323

DSCN7352

DSCN7363

DSCN7382

DSCN7389

DSCN7402

While on any given night Los Angeles is home to nearly 4 million stories, it takes just one of those stories to humble one’s sense of place in the community. Last night at Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural and Bookstore was one such occasion for me; surrounded by poets, storytellers, musicians, and other activists from around the city for Open Mic night, I could only manage to get a few shots of the show before I just sat down and listened to the performers for the evening.

Continue reading “Tia Chucha’s: The Friday Night Might”