Joyful Writing

This piece is NOT political. It is not written as criticism of any of the people listed in this writing. It is also not written to be offensive. It is simply an observation about backsides often viewed by the watching audience. It should be taken with a box of salt and probably will never be published, but it made a point in my mind. All three incidents occurred in a short span of time and as this writer has already stated that humor is bound up in timing. Remember when the Reverend Jesse Jackson went to Germany and negotiated the release of three POWs in Yugoslavia? They were US servicemen of Hispanic descent. As Reverend Jackson boarded the plane, he turned and waved to the crowd. It was not a hamster trail terminal. He climbed the exterior staircase and I said to Bill, "hey, he did a really good job with this endeavor." To which Bill responded, "he's probably at the age where he shouldn't be photographed from the back. Later that week, Mrs. Clinton boarded a p...

These are watercolors kept in a drawer of art supplies for the grandchildren. What is inside their artist's heart and creator's eye that we cannot see? Similarly, what art might your students create from the raw materials found in your classrooms and stocked in your cabinets? And what if they have crayons, or pen and ink, or chalks, or other mediums, and you are not the art teacher? What if they could create with an artist's eyes and then write about their experiences and share with you and their classmates? Would you value their writer's heart as well as their drawn expressions of whatever prompt you offered, or from a self- selected prompt? These paints were once new and shiny and contained two brushes. Their holders were stacked neatly, invitingly at the store; just waiting to leave in a plastic or re-usable bag. All that is needed is imagination and a small cup of water, various sorts of paper, and a place to paint. Virginia Wolfe's famous "room of one'...