Thursday, October 27, 2005

Halloween's Coming!





I was trying to remember the last time I ever went "Trick-or-Treating." I think it was sometime around seventh or eighth grade. I can't recall what costume I wore for that last spin around the neighborhoods. It was probably something cheap, homemade, definitely not one of those glossy, plastic, store-bought costumes. I do remember that I didn't go as far into the neighborhoods as I had in my younger days. The whole idea of wandering in the sharp evening air left me with many doubts about the efficacy of "Trick-or-Treating" as a means of achieving a sick candy buzz.

I suspect I stopped dressing up for Halloween because I was tired of pretending. It all probably had a lot to do with going through puberty . . . I was in a hurry to be somebody, but I wasn't sure who that somebody was just yet.

Anyway, kids will be swarming the streets this Monday. We live in the suburbs, flanked by homes with children. Meredith's filling our candy cache. I did a little decorating around the house, stuffing a garbage bag witch with newspaper. The witch is a cheap 99 cent decoration, but she has her charms. There are also rubber bats, plastic spider webs, and jack-o-lanterns set here and there. Meredith has also bought me a costume. . . It's a felt Devil's mask. I suppose I'll carry my Halloween demons with me when I answer the door to the tune of sappy Halloween sounds (a disc Meredith also bought). Mere, of course, has a Frankenstein felt mask. The dog shall remain unmasked, though we do have a pink wig he likes to wear. He's pretty certain he's a dog. He likes being a dog.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Back in the swing of things; talking about the weather.

October is always one of my favorite months. In New York, the early part of October is when all the foliage starts to really turn colors. Here in Washington, some of that is happening too. Folks are no longer wearing shorts (I hate wearing shorts, by the way), and the scarves, hats, and winter gear are getting taken out of their boxes and placed in the high-use drawers. Personally, I always enjoyed dressing for Fall. The mornings are crisp and cold, but in the afternoons it might be warm enough to wear a light jacket.

Also, school seems to be running full tilt. I know now I don't feel as wound-up about prepping for classes. A routine has settled in and that always seems good for both my teaching and my writing.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Dipping Back In

. . . to the Prose Poem all because of a graduate course I'm teaching this quarter. You know it's psychologically difficult to switch from "lineated verse" to "non-lineated verse." Quotes are up because the class is in the midst of grappling with the issues of genre.

If you're curious, here's the reading list:

Models of the Universe. Ed. Stuart Friebert and David Young. Oberlin: Oberlin College Press. 1995.
Edson, Russell. The Tunnel: Selected Poems. Oberlin: Oberlin College Press. 1994.
Volkman, Karen. Spar. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. 2002.
Simic, Charles. The World Doesn't End. San Diego: Harcourt Brace. 1989.
Tost, Tony. Invisible Bride. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. 2004.