She Came in Through the Bathroom Window ...

(The view from Joseph Legaspi’s bathroom window)

September surprised me. I thought I would have been more productive, at least blogged more this month. That hasn’t been the case. It comes down to the ebb and flow of creativity, and how it’s impossible to predict how productive a person can be at any given time. But, I also feel this has been a month of great personal growth. I went to NYU last week to pay tribute to a friend, Phebus; finished an article about about her for Callaloo (it was good to get those words down on paper), and read in public twice this month. All of this amidst the bump-and-grind of the everyday. All of this and I’m still here.

This morning, my son woke up at 3:30 a.m.—he needed help going to the bathroom. Back in bed, staring at the inside of my eyelids, I took the opportunity to reflect on the last few weeks. It’s been one heck of a ride; busy doesn't even cover it. Yet, I’m thankful my friends and family are healthy and happy. And I think participating in Phebus' memorial reading reminded me that life does go on.

So, now that it’s daylight, it’s time for me to put my head down and get back to it—doing the things that I do best. Wife. Mother. Poet.

This is my revised to-do list. It represents the things I’ll focus on for the rest of the month.

• Jena 6 – I was so moved by the protest that I started a new poem. Will finish and post it this weekend.
• Send out poems to a journal a week – I need to start doing this with more frequency.
• Devote time to the NEWS – We’ll be announcing fall readers in the next few days.
• NPR – I've always wanted to write a commentary for broadcast on public radio. This may be the right time to try.
• Freelance work – I’ve been kicking this idea around for a while. I do so many free endeavors that it would be nice to get a few freelance gigs. Mama would like to put a few extra gifts under the tree this year.
• Screenplay – For years, I’ve thought that the complicated life of Anne Sexton would make an interesting screenplay. So I think it’ time to jump into this. I’ll conduct research, and then start to write in November. My hope is to complete it by April.