The Poetry Festival

This weekend became a very personal, very emotional, very intense exploration of poetry, family and self. I wasn't at all expecting that.

The first thing that leapt out at me about these people is the tremendous appreciation they all had for eachother. We talked endlessly about Calooh, Brent, Alcuin, Derma and Leanne. Their names danced on our lips, and flooded out of our hearts the entire time.

We all had this feeling like, we were a family, and we were missing our brothers and sister. It felt incomplete in that way. LIke we needed them. We talked endlessly about those that are on the site, and those that we've published. We celebrated our shared love of language, our comittment to the magazine, and friendship.

We shared stories, food, drink, poetry, and hugs. We laughed. and we laughed. and we laughed. and we loved.

There were times when we talked about Alcuin and Derma that it felt like they were in the room with us.

I did not know how much I needed this. I needed to meet Tracey, Laurie, Julie, Colleen and Jasmine.  Now I know I need to meet Derma, Alcuin, Brent and Ruth just as much. Within the next 12 months, I am going to make a concerted effort to do that.

Poetry is about connections. The use of words to open minds and connect thoughts and thinkers. Amidst the buzz of Regie and Martin, Rhina and Pinsky -- amidst the raucous joy of Phebo and Patrick, we found the sublime joy of connecting bodies to the souls we know so intimately.

I imagine, this was a little bit of a sneak preview of the feelings of new arrivals to heaven.

Fondly, stephan