Witnessed

Today, on the walk into town to church, I witnessed these 2 things: 1) a young man being handcuffed as he was walked across the street by 2 police officers and 2) "Happy Birthday Karen" in pastel sidewalk chalk. Unrelated, but probably both related to students. Two were walking behind me, noticing and commenting on the handcuffing incident, and I turned to ask them about it, but they were just witnesses from afar, like me.

"He came out of the apartments," they said. They had just come out of a CVS under these apartments. Later, closer to church, the birthday greeting was in front of another set of student apartments and visible from a dormitory.

In church I learned of the unrelated deaths of two students on Friday night, found in their residence halls. Heart goes out to their parents, friends, to all affected.

So much heartache, so much trouble. Side by side with so much joy, so much com-passion.

Take a look at this short account of Mather Schneider's book, He Took a Cab, in the new issue of Prick of the Spindle. (I'm the Poetry Cheerleader again.) Then take a look at his book. It's an education in being human.

Ah, and, in church, to celebrate Women's History Month, pastor Susan gave an account of Margaret Sanger, who gave us birth control (Thank you!), and, at Susan's request, I read this poem, "Unauthorized Version," by U. A. Fanthorpe, a New Zealand poet, setting the record straight in the persona of Mary, sister of Martha.

Rose pix taken by my daughter. (Thank you!)