Poem for Wednesday

San Antonio
By Naomi Shihab Nye

Tonight I lingered over your name,
the delicate assembly of vowels
a voice inside my head.
You were sleeping when I arrived.
I stood by your bed
and watched the sheets rise gently.
I knew what slant of light
would make you turn over.
It was then I felt
the highways slide out of my hands.
I remembered the old men
in the west side cafe,
dealing dominoes like magical charms.
It was then I knew,
like a woman looking backward,
I could not leave you,
or find anyone I loved more.

--------

Also, from my alma mater's school paper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, of which I was once feature editor: "An Ode to the Commode", because the poetry in this article made me howl.

Today I did lots of reading, a little article-writing, no arguing with parents because they are giving me the silent treatment, some contented but confused Veronica Mars watching, caught up to within 30 comments and wrote an entire fic because I had a relentless narrator in my head. This one is getting non-domestically betaed, as the characterization is walking a much finer line; you might get to see it tomorrow night, after my decadent morning of Highlander with and my busy afternoon of trying to do all the work I won't get done in the morning. And after Smallville and The West Wing, of course, because I must have my Josh Lyman fix. In the meantime I would like to express my adoration of (and her Remus and Sirius), and , whom I blame for the most garrulous Remus who chatted at me earlier.

I've forgotten from whom I nicked this meme, and I did it several days ago, but I had snow pictures to post so I postponed it. The idea is that you answer the survey questions, then put your answers into Google's image search and post the best results from the first page of returns for each. In other words, I took none of these photos. Some of them made me grin enormously.

1. First Car: Toyota Corolla 1988 LE

Greatest car EVER. If someone had a brand new one of this make and model for sale, I'd buy it all over again.

2. Place You Grew Up: Potomac
]
Here, the river with cherry blossoms and willows. Wish I'd taken this one!

3. Place You Live Now: Suburban Hell

Mine has fewer cats, which might make it less suburbanly hellish, but I could not resist the photo.

4. Your Name: Michelle

I've posted this before, for the "Google your name" meme. It's still my favorite thing that comes up on the first page.

5. Grandmother's Name: Fannie

Often associated with chocolate a la Fannie Mae and Fannie Farmer, which is only appropriate as she loved the stuff. And speaking of:

6. Favorite Food: Chocolate

Milk, dark, European, American, expensive, cheap, I don't care. Gimme.

7. Favorite Drink (alcoholic): Bailey's Irish Cream

I am not a big drinker, and I actually tend to prefer things flavored like liqueur to the alcohol, so any kind of Bailey's Irish Cream pie is going to make me smile.

8. Favorite Song: Jubilee

I don't really have a favorite song but Mary Chapin Carpenter seemed as good a choice of performer as any, and a little Queen Victoria can't hurt.

9. Favorite Smell: Vanilla Cinnamon and Cloves

Sadly, if the soaps are scented too strongly they will give me a rash. But I'd love to sniff them.

10. Favorite Shoes: Merrells

Most comfortable, durable, walkable, hang-out-about, climbable, put-on-furniture-able shoes ever.


Happy Groundhog Day, happy Imbolc, happy Candlemas, happy Mardi Gras.