To be velvety swords, feeling fire and breezes.
In visionary water flows dry rivulets,
Glows cascading embers with ovoid grace.
It knows simplicity of form.
(Photo by David Stroup)
Dune
Month: November 2017
Dean and JoJo: An Inter-species Love Story
Coming soon from Creativia Publishing the revised version with new photos and stories!
Peace Weaver Poem
We are the weavers of children
Whether they are wading, treading, or drowning
Each child is reaching out
For lifelines to pull them from their semi-fluid perceptions,
Yet many find flimsy ribbons braided with Achilles tendons
That split, then disconnect buoys
As they struggle in turbulent effluent.
Sometimes suspension bridges splinter
And they hang mid-air over purgatorial precipices,
Bodies flailing and thrashing.
And so we come,
The weavers,
Bringing strong cordage and twine of seraphic gossamer
To silence their cries and give them hope.
And when we set to work,
The floundering souls reach out for lifelines.
For we know the secret.
We have only to pluck the hairs from atop our heads,
Begin intertwining them with gentle words of a peaceful future
And thus create:
Blankets to keep them cool on hot summer days
Or safety nets for acrophobic trapeze artists
With loving words we
Spin arks to race arid currents,
Or create buoyant suits that deflect each incoming wave,
But we must remember
To continue weaving at our numinous looms,
And make our fingers deft
To find places where weft meets warp
And make fibers of
Ethereal clouds to moisten parched radices.
When our eyes grow weary of patterns too subtle for children to see,
Or when aching backs and cramping forearms make for troublesome twining
Even when our hands become bloodied by sharp sutures from the unknowing
or the insane,
We must endure
We are the weavers,
Intertwining and intersecting,
Spinning fibrous cable that children cling to
That they will wrap round their waists
Before plunging into cavernous incarnations
To discover,
In the depths,
A reflection of the future
A reflection of themselves
A reflection
Of the peace weaver they can become.
The Artanian Prophecy
Our world was born from the magic of two.
The smiling twins whose creations grew.
They painted walls with ideas anew.
Until the dark day we came to rue.
When one jealous hand used mud to undo.
And the life of many too soon was through.
But listen to this prophecy with open ears.
To know what happens ever thousand years.
The Shadow Swine will make you live in fear.
Bringing death to those whom you hold so dear.
For they will open the doorway so wide.
That none of you will find a place to hide.
And the Creators will stop
As their dreams are drained.
Before 12 moons wax and wane.
But hope will lie in the hands of twins
Born on the cusp of the second millennium.
On the eleventh year of their lives.
They will join together like single forged knives.
Their battle will be long with 7 evils to undo.
Scattered around will be 7 clues.
And many will perish before they are through.
But our world will be saved if their art is true.
Kendall F. Person’s Inspiration
We have the wisdom to understand who we are; a small but intricate piece of humanity….
Noted with pleasure: The empathic envelope
We should all give children a sense of belonging…
Often our first thoughts are, “How am I damaging my child?” “What irreparable harm have I caused by this action?” ” What’s the one right thing to do?” We picture our child in twenty years on a therapist’s couch or in a support group complaining bitterly about us or — with a little imagination — exposing to millions our toxic parenting on some “Donahue ” of the future. With all these concerns, parents are in danger of becoming parent-therapists, not parent-people; child-bearing technicians, not human beings. And the absolutely central fact that parenting is learning how to connect with kids is being lost.
Fortunately, when you get past all the “shoulds” and “should nots” in childrearing connecting is not such a complex and mysterious business. I think the same dynamic exists in all families where parents stay connected with thier children, and where children grow into healthy adults. regardless of…
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Kid Mediation in 5 Easy Steps
Children Mediating
I believe in empowering children, in giving them the tools they need to successfully mediate conflicts on their own. So, Using the Dean and JoJo Anti-Bullying DVD of one man’s friendship with a wild-bottlenose dolphin named JoJo I work with students engaging them in activities to create positive conflict resolution. They create Peace Cards with positive alternatives to conflicts and share them with one another as well as engage in writing and role playing activities to model good communication. With this program I have helped other educators teach children how stop bullying, avoid arguments, and maintain healthy friendships.
Dolphin Mediators are a group of 5th and 6th grade students who have volunteered to act as a go-between for other kids who might be having a conflict. With Mrs. Woodward as the faculty advisor, they use a prepared script to help others learn to take turns, communicate with “I feel” messages, and come up with win-win situations. At recesses they walk around, clipboards in hand and offer advice, guidance, and rewards to those who resolve conflicts peacefully.
If you’d like to learn more about how to implement anti-bullying activities on your campus, contact me. I love to share!
Dolphin Legacy Contract!
I just signed a publishing contract with Creativia for The Dolphin Legacy, one I co-wrote with dolphin naturalist Dean Bernal.
Imagine ocean swimming in crystalline waters. All alone. Then three small dolphins join you. They’re all splashing, clicking, and whistling but one young male keeps staring as if he has known you since the days of Atlantian myth.
That’s what happened to Dean Bernal in the turquoise waters off the Turks and Caicos Islands. In that moment, his friendship with a wild bottlenose dolphin, named JoJo, began. He didn’t know it then, but their relationship would become world famous, inspiring millions.
After the death of his two dolphin companions due to human ignorance, JoJo grew closer to Dean. This lone, social dolphin introduced him to the waters and fellow creatures of his ocean realm and provided me with an extraordinary gift previously bestowed to no human: the secret life of a wild dolphin.
Making Mom Proud
“Laurie, guess what was in my inbox?” She barely waited for me to ask what before giddily telling me she’d gotten an Amazon ad with my book at the top.
“My daughter, the star,” she said giggling.
It looks like my publisher is hard at work again. Promoting its authors. Well. Thanks Creativia Publishing. It’s nice to know that even at my age I can make Mom’s proud.
Laurie Woodward 