Poem, Day 6
Chill with this re-blogged haiku tonight :~)
Dawn’s damp chill hanging
behold divinity etched
Master’s piece in ice
— Ava Wood
peace of ice
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Author Archives: valaida
one and twenty days
one and twenty days
thoughts tick mercilessly
mocking my mind unceasingly
each hour searches increasingly
minutes second-guess me so easily
every trace of time misses you.
ava wood
Poem, Day 5
What a difference a day makes—for better or for worse. Happenings months ago inspired this piece and since then my emotions have come full circle and are now tilting toward one-eighty. Funny how time does that.
Everything
Poem, Day 4
Give it a real go.
Give it everything you got.
And give it some time.
ava wood
♦
This month, on April 27, I’ll mark nine years since the idea for the Giving Back Project seized upon me while attending a philanthropy conference in Seattle.
If nothing else, this journey of nearly 3285 days has taught me the three points composing the haiku above, which was posted in observance of National Poetry Month. So when you choose to pursue something meaningful, dream big, prepare well, go hard…and hang on tight for the dizzying roller coaster ride! — VF
Passage
Poem, Day 3
Nearly ran out of time today, so I’m re-blogging this poem titled “Passage” from 2014. Enjoy!
Never feels quite right
Too long bundled and uptight,
like a Nubian entombed or plainest Mennonite.
Tension risen, watch the bite
Mind churning, so burst it might.
Eternal tunnel absent a whisper of light
Sun conceded to perpetual night.
Well-plumbed valleys, nary a heavenly height
Nearly convinced no mercy in sight
Then, I write.
— Ava Wood
There she goes again. And why not, it’s National Poetry Month!
‘Full Circle’ by Quentin Talley
Poem, Day 2
In 2008, I commissioned longtime friend and poet Quentin “Q” Talley to create a group performance piece for a community philanthropy conference. Later, he refined it and then came and delivered it at one of my giving circle‘s planning retreats. It was 2009 or 2010 when I asked Q to edit the poem for inclusion in the book I was writing. Now Full Circle is featured using kinetic typography in Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited. Delighted to share it here again for National Poetry Month!
To hear Q recite his poem, listen here.
Re:versed, Again
dazed by days of prose
april comes showering poems
state reversed by verse
Poem, Day 1
Originally posted on 4 April 2013
Today is the first day of National Poetry Month! In fact, this April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. It has grown to become the “largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.”
To join in the celebration, new and favorite poems will post here throughout April—possibly every day! I call my poetical alter ego Ava Wood and plan to tap into that voice to produce new poems this month. Each year, I relish the challenge of creating poetry, like the haiku above and like this and this and this. — VF
Legacy Matters
Happy sums up how I’m feeling about tonight’s event with the members and supporters of the African American Legacy (AAL) at The Chicago Community Trust. I’m also looking forward to sharing the stage with Liz and Don Thompson, founders of Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education, and Xavier Ramey, senior assistant director for social innovation and philanthropy at the University of Chicago. It’s certain to be a good night.
Soul-Full Synchronicity
Portland, Oregon is a city I’ve yet to visit (with the exception of a airport stop en route to Thailand years ago, but that doesn’t really count and I digress). Until recently it was completely off my radar. But over the last few months it’s been like a magnetic field, pulling me and dynamic, creative minds in proximity.
Last year, while working on a project with artist and designer Dimeji Onafuwa (a longtime collaborator with me AND graphic designer of my book and exhibit), he said his family was relocating to Portland. Surprised, I pressed him to tell me about Portland and its appeal. Dimeji spoke fondly of the civic culture, scenery and opportunities. He offered to host me if I ever found myself in the Northwest.
Then weeks later, while working on a project with artist and designer Marcus Kiser (also a longtime collaborator), he was excited to share that his exhibit, Intergalactic Soul, might have a showing in Portland. Marcus’s art exhibit brings together science fiction and social awareness—imagination x consciousness. He asked about my experiences with a touring exhibit, and I shared some vendors and wisdom gained from The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited.
Within days of that conversation, an inquiry about “The Soul of Philanthropy” arrived from Portland’s MRG Foundation—a philanthropic institution working for social change in Oregon communities for 40 years. A few days after that, a second Oregon foundation called about hosting my exhibit in Portland. [cue theme music from The Twilight Zone] “Whoa…what’s up with this reoccurring Portland thing,” I mused.
To cut to the chase: It’s now March and last month Marcus, along with artist Jason Woodberry and performer Quentin Talley (who’s another super-longtime collaborator and whose poetry is featured in The Soul of Philanthropy) traveled to Portland for an “Intergalactic Soul” exhibition at Portland Community College, in conjunction with a panel discussion and performance. “The Soul of Philanthropy,” pop-up edition, will be hosted by MRG Foundation and community partners in August—Black Philanthropy Month. Together, MRG Foundation and The Oregon Community Foundation will then host the comprehensive version of “The Soul of Philanthropy” with community-wide programming for three months, starting in January 2017. Whoa, indeed.
We’re picturing social change.
— VF
Black Giving: Celebrating Our Past, Redefining Our Future
Coming up next week and pretty excited about it! I’m eager to tighten connections with and learn more about the work of the African American Legacy, an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust. Chicago is such a spectacular city, and after the 30th I’ll share updates on my visit.
equinox
Today marks the vernal equinox and first day of spring—a beloved time of year. Perhaps because my birthday comes along with the season, the arrival of springtime happenings (greenness, jonquils, morning bird songs, warmer weather, budding trees, brighter days) is a source of supreme delight. Conversely, fall is my least favorite season. This is evidenced in the poem below, written exactly six months ago on the autumnal equinox.
fading daylight hints its approaching
the rustling cues my lament and loathing
hustled, leaves surrender verdant hues
a pall befalls every branch in view.
its cooled breath, a cause to brood
déjà vu dreading of a bluest mood.
never ushered, seemingly flung in
the season liked least of them
alas, here again: autumn.
ava wood
valaida 