Jeannine Gailey @ Webbish6

Well, my happy mood yesterday was kind of crushed after I found out (via Facebook, of all places) that a good friend from high school had died.

Later on I fell climbing the concrete stairs (still wobbly with the foot cast thingy) and hit my head, which made me dizzy and my vision really blurry, so Glenn took me to the hospital where, after some tests, blood tests and a CT scan of my head, they wanted to book me into trauma and give me 24 hours of observation to watch for something called a “delayed bleed.” I booked myself out of the hospital against advice at around 4 AM last night, and have only four hours left til the 24 hour period would be over. I thought probably someone much worse off than me probably needed the bed in the trauma center, and besides, I don’t spend the night in the hospital getting woken up by strangers if I don’t need to. I’m perfectly happy getting woken up by my husband, who kept checking my pupils and asking me the anwers to multiplication problems.

Bleeding disorders make head injuries a little trickier for doctors. I got a follow-up call this morning from a local hematologist to make sure I was okay. I actually had a good, sharp ER doc last night, someone who had just come on shift, who sat down to discuss the pros and cons of various medicines and procedures. So far I just have a slight headache where I bumped my head and a definite need for sleep . But I guess I’m glad they were looking out for me.

Wading through the grading of my class today, catching up on work…and of course, I want to write poetry instead!
Sick of your poem-a-day poems yet? Well, I finally got a draft I was happy enough with to post, though, admittedly, I have low standards 🙂 and I am still working on it…

Elemental [poof]

At April 12, 2009
By Jeannine Gailey
In cheetah cubs, Easter, Persephone, rebirth, Wild Animal parks
2

It’s a beautiful brilliant blue day outside after several days of overcast chilliness. I like the Easter story, which always somehow also reminds me of Persephone, emerging from the Underworld to bring spring to the above-ground. The sunshine, the flowers blooming, and my birthday coming up: it does feel a little like we are emerging from something, doesn’t it, every April?

Yesterday we took my folks to the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal park. We got to see a six-week-old cheetah. You just have to love baby cheetah cubs. And it’s really hard to be depressed looking at meerkats. Yes, I should have stayed with my zoological interests and become a zoo biologist, I sometimes think. There were also many great egrets building nests in the trees around the park, zooming overhead.

Also, I was able to write a couple of poetry fragments – beginnings and bits of poems – that I felt happy with. I seem to be writing longer poems lately, a bit at a time.

Anyway, here’s wishing you at least one chocolate Easter bunny and a bright pink bunch of rununculus. (Marshmallow peeps half-price tomorrow!)

Well, my dear readers, thanks for the well-wishes. I am feeling better, but I feel like I am falling behind in my poetry goals…Life has been intruding.
I have my parents in town for several days for the holiday, so I’m entertaining them, and I’m already neck-deep in grading and comments for my class (including several students who seem to never have been in a workshop before, which is weird, considering they’re MFA students, not high-school students or undergrads!) which I’m trying to do after my parents fall asleep, so basically the extra several seconds to breathe during the day…haven’t been spent writing or submitting.
But I am grateful for things. For my parents being alive and healthy and fun to be with, for my husband, for a mild winter and song sparrows. Today we went to Moonlight Beach and toured the huge flower fields in Carlsbad, taking picture after picture, even though the day was rainy and windy and chilly (well, chilly for San Diego.) I also helped my mom find a pair of jeans (she hasn’t been wearing jeans for years, and she looks great in them.) Doesn’t that sound like a day I should be thankful for?
I promise to post a poem again soon…

Short bout of food poisoning…will return shortly…

At April 07, 2009
By Jeannine Gailey
In new class starting, parents visiting, phosphorus
0

My class at National, Intro to Poetry Seminar, started yesterday, and my parents are coming in town on Thursday. Busy busy!
Here’s a little draft for today’s poem-a-day, NaPoWriMo, whatever you call it, project: Phosphorus [poof!]

At April 06, 2009
By Jeannine Gailey
In new blogs in the blogroll, poem-a-day, Slumdog Millionaire, the periodic table as inspiration
1

Two new additions to the blogroll at left – Victoria Chang is back online – one of the first poetry blogs I ever read – and San Diego poet and Barn Own Review editor Adam Deutsch.
I watched “Slumdog Millionaire” last night and it reminded me very strongly of the comic-book subplot of Blind Assassin where the kids are blinded and become assassins or prostitutes (really, it was the best part of that book) crossed with Quiz Show times gangster movies.
I’m worried my poem-a-day drafts are declining in quality. Really, I’m a poem-every-ten days kind of gal. So I may not inflict them on you, the readers, unless they seem to be up to some level of readability. Is that against the spirit of the experiment?
For those of you interested in the inspirations of the periodic table, in my last two poems, I used uranium again in one and snuck Lithium into another. My husband (a former chemical engineer) suggested Americanium, a radioactive element used in smoke detectors. I just don’t have enough emotional energy directed towards smoke detectors, but I love the name.

At April 04, 2009
By Jeannine Gailey
In Agitprop Reading series, reading reports, San Diego poets and guest stars
3

Reading Report – with guest appearances!

Well, thanks to K. Lorraine Graham, one of the AgitProp reading series curators, I got to see LA poet Allison Carter read (a great poem called “The Doctor’s Office” I think, was my favorite,) as well as Steve Willard – although he also sang, with electric guitar accompaniment. I ended up sitting across from Rae Armantrout and her very nice husband Chuck at dinner beforehand (and got to ask her and Lorraine about “the New Narrative” – by the way, if you know any good resources on that, let me know!) which was unexpected, along with other local poets who were all really friendly. Then, the first person I saw at the Agitprop gallery was none other than Rigoberto González, who was in town for a conference! At first I thought, did Rigoberto move to San Diego? Are we going to see him read too? And the charming and talented Jericho Brown was there, who is just one of those people who projects good energy. It was so much fun to talk poetry, and hang out with so many wonderful poetry people. I almost felt like I was back in Seattle again. Yay, poetry community!
Mysteries of the San Diego poetry scene: Many UCSD students at this reading; the last reading I went to was crowded with SDSU students. Do these students ever go to the same readings? Questions to be answered…)
I asked Jericho if it was unusual to see so many local poetry luminaries together in the same time, and he joked and said something like, well, there are only ten poets in San Diego.
So anyway, good times. I’m hoping to make it to some more poetry readings in the near future. Hey, I’m even giving one next month!
(PS – I wore my super-long jeans to cover my cast, for those who were curious about fashion choices for big-velcro-walking cast people. I think people might not have noticed the cast, but then they were probably just annoyed by the slow-walking girl in the long jeans.)

At April 04, 2009
By Jeannine Gailey
In NaPoWriMo drafts, poem-a-day, Uranium
0

Tonight, off to an actual poetry event, the Agitprop reading – in real time!

But for now, draft #4, a fragment for now: Uranium [poof!]

At April 03, 2009
By Jeannine Gailey
In Agitprop Reading series, April is Poetry Month, LA Festival of Books, NaPoWriMo drafts, Oak Ridge, Poetry Mashups
4

How is your April going? Are you doing anything fun for poetry month?
Tomorrow I’m going to the Agitprop poetry reading, and I’m excited. The only question: what kind of outfit goes with black-velcro-walking-boot casts? And I’ve made reservations – I’m going to the LA Festival of Books later this month. It’s a few days before my birthday, so I’m going to celebrate by visiting Santa Monica and other favorite LA spots along with the book festival.

Allrighty, today’s poem-a-day poem…[poof!]