"Sugar and Sabbath"

Sugar and Sabbath

We are very much supportive of the family

—the biblical definition of the family unit.

Dan Cathy, Chairman of Chick-fil-A

 

A chef, my cousin-in-law,

theorizes that the lure

of customers to Chick-fil-A

is a pervasiveness of sugar

 

in every item. Their closure

on Sunday for worship

will surely feature

sweet benevolent biscuits

 

by Monday. The wait tantalizes

tongues longing to waggle

where wrappers are tossed aside

like clothes and a juicy nibble 

 

is ordained. A sensuous

sandwich is a sensuous sandwich.

Let us pray for any delicious

pairing that heralds bliss domestic.

 

~LCMH

"Take a Poem, Leave a Poem"

A park ranger who is also a poet has figured out how to place poetry in the park via a nightstand. "Take a poem, leave a poem" is the cue for a passerby to pause. As someone invested in bridging poetry and community, I love this project. 

Art by JR Korpa

Some of the original writing left in the nightstand is making its way to Instagram. This means that a form of publication is happening from unexpected sources––from people whose poems would never be shared so widely. And this excites me. Good poetry can be showcased outside of journals, magazines, or books. And, good poetry can surface randomly, in the park, prompted by a piece of furniture and the encouragement to settle into an inner voice.

Read the story here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/01/05/poetry-nightstand-park-ranger-sanfrancisco/

Read some of the handwritten poetry on Instagram at ccsf_p4p (Poetry for the People).

Warm Wishes,
Charise

Festive Imaginings

 

 Happy holidays from my home to yours...

 

An Indonesian puppet gets festive, while the poetry books are held by a lion on our Korean stairs. The 'things' in a space speak of places and imaginings. 

 

Thank you for being part of my imagining world, dear reader. 

Warm wishes,

Charise

"Dance Critic Cut"

Dance Critic Cut

 

Dismissed, in a retrograde move.

Fall without recovery.

 

Dance is a mirror–– 

pointing to motifs.

 

Choreographies grapple

with headlines, staged and restaged.

 

The Washington Post disposing

of a vital limb of its body.

 

Out of step, out of steps.

The wrong tempo, the worst time.

 

Neurons of narratives quelled.

A paper without poise.

 

~LCMH

 

 

*December 1, 2022, “Washington Post lays off Pulitzer-winning dance critic in spate of cuts“

Local Readings

Find a local coffee/tea shop, and you may very well find a poetry reading event. Wherever I travel, it's a joy to spot a sign for a reading––to know that poetry is alive and thriving here––where I'm sipping chai or matcha. Here, in this case, is Hot Springs, Arkansas, where my family gathered for Thanksgiving. 

Kollective Coffee + Tea
Wednesday Night Poetry since 1989

Where do you find poetry reading events? 

Cheers,
Charise

"The Dance Performance"

 Glissade is a special dance themed issue of The Pine Cone Review

 

This is where you'll find "The Dance Performance"

https://thepineconereview.com/glissade-poetry-the-dance-performance-by-charise-hoge/

 

and a bonus, prose piece, "Our Human Dance"

https://thepineconereview.com/glissade-prose-our-human-dance-by-charise-hoge/

 

Thanks for gliding by...and glancing...

 

 

Cheers,

Charise

Streetcar & Stage

These photos, taken a week apart, show how related the two arts of dance and poetry really are. I could say more about this, but the images speak clearly. One is from a streetcar poetry reading for Art All Night H Street, DC and the other is from a performance for "The Power and the Voice of Women in Dance through the Millennia."

"Let's Go Poetry" Art All Night, DC

 "Let's Go Poetry" is my event for Art All Night, H Street, DC, on the streetcar!  

September 24, 8:00-9:00 pm.

 

Have poems, will travel...