This is a link that will take you to a site that will tell you the story of Tony and Mabel Lujan. It is an amazing story! Last night we went to a fundraiser at the museum, to hear about the film documentary about Tony and Mabel. It will be a wonderful film, Ali McGraw read from Edge of Taos Desert, written by Mabel Lujan. The film will be released and shown on PBS. They hope to finish it next year.
Touching tenderly
Igniting a dream
Conjured up by a little girl
Decked out in red shoes
She could tap, whirl
And clap
Dancing days away
To the rhythm in her head
Dreams in color
Purple
Crimson
Blue and red
The smell of the studio
Intoxicating
Turpentine
Wax and paint
She runs her hand across
The surface of fine handmade
Paper
No other place drew her
Shut the door
And work
She is still there
Dreaming
Dancing
Humming to herself
Decked out in red shoes
_________
Tuesday Tryouts: Ancestors
Women Dressed in White/ Image from The Daughters of the Dust
My Family
They came in the 1840s
From Ireland
Built a farm in Trinity County
Raised cotton
My Great Grandmother
Gave birth eleven times
And each lived to old age
There is a photo
Though I do not know where it is
Showing women dressed in long white dresses
A picnic under the trees
Life was thick and rich
In Trinity County
In my family
Where there were surely women
The family stories
Were handed down through the men
He did it
He said it
He discovered it
He built it
His family
His wife
His children
His horse
His cow
I wonder where were the women..
And what was their story
I asked my Great Aunt once
About my Great Grandmother
What do you remember
She said…
I remember her walking down the road in
Cedar Bayou
She was coming for a visit
She wore black and held a black umbrella
It’s not much
Doesn’t take up much room
But it is all I have
And I keep it folded in
Tissue paper in a trunk
A treasured memory
In my heart
The Snake Charmer
In the Bayou Country
Life is lush
Luxurious
Snowy Egrets
Blue herons
Pelicans
Alligators
Snakes
Nutrias
And as many small creatures
As there stars in the sky
Bears and tigers
Oh my
The air is close
Hot and sticky
Be careful where
You step
A snake in the grass
Bears and tigers
Oh my
On moon lite nights
You may hear a melodic sound
Familiar
Though you have never heard it before
In his pirogue
A boy playes his flute
Charms the snakes
Bears and tigers
Oh my
Magpie Tales
Note: I took “Bears and tigers, Oh my” from the Wizard of Oz.
Carry on Tuesday: prompt “When I look into your eyes…”
When I Look Into Your Eyes
I see you
Looking back at me
I count the eyelashes
As they brush against my cheek
Eyes of blue
The color of the sky
On other days
Green the color of the sea
I imagine a black patch
A pirates’ costume
Ahoy Matie!
Roll those eyes
Across the floor
Its’ a game
Like marbles
The rules are written
On the whites of your eyes
A winner you say
Watch out for the cheaters
They play a different way
And…
Now I see the pain
You keep disguised
Your eyes are like windows
Everything exposed
Hide and seek
Another game
You try to play
Just as I look to far horizons
I look into your eyes
Faraway
annellannell 