Women Bearing All

What we learn from those we admire!

This is a stamped emblem in the sidewalk at Filbert and Green in San Francisco - just a moments walk from the Cafe Trieste and City Lights Books (of Lawrence Ferlinghetti fame).

My sister lives on this block and I just visited. The whole time I lived in San Francisco, I didn't know this was there. It has no doubt been there since the Beatniks ruled The City. Trust me, I want to know more about this - how many more are there in San Francisco? - is this the only one? It seems to be made of something incredibly sturdy - metal stamped into concrete - saying, "Poets are here to stay!" Don't you love that?

I just got my copy of "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg down off the shelf and noticed a very similar logo for CityLights Publishers - so it was probably commissioned. But honestly, how fun is it to have found this right on the corner of the block where my sister lives?

Rare privilege

My husband never ceases to shock me. He gave me a tremendous boost yesterday. He read one of my most devastating poems without really meaning to, he happened upon it - one that I still cannot read out loud without crying. This is a poem that is probably 10 years old. No matter how much time has passed, there are still parts of our histories that hurt deeply. I have worked through so much - and feel that today I live mostly in joy. Yet, looking at this poem brings it all back. He is not much of a reader of poetry. He likes car magazines. I completely accept this because if he were to start describing in detail some car part that he was excited about, I would draw a blank and not understand a word he was saying. This is how he generally feels about poetry.

He came to me quietly, and put his arms around me. He said, "I'm one of the people who truly 'gets' you. But now, I think I know you even better." Later, he continued to talk about what he had learned of me through that poem - and how much more protective he feels about me after reading it. I cannot imagine a better gift from my mate than for him to clearly tell me how much something I wrote spoke to him.