When a whale dies, it becomes whale fall. Its body, an immense ecosystem, sinks slowly to the ocean floor. But that ecosystem changes. First come ratfish, hagfish and sharks – mobile scavengers who smell flesh and swim in to feed. For years, sometimes, the vast world sinks. When it reaches bottom, new colonizers – worms,…
A few weeks ago a friend from western New York sent me a packet of autumn leaves from her woods. They were still soft, just fallen, red and orange and yellow and chartreuse, bright with banked fires. I wept. Until I moved east from California to live with my sweetheart in an old farmhouse in…
I was surprised by joy this morning to discover that Verse Daily had featured my poem “Losing the Words” late last year! Somehow I missed it — and today was the perfect day to discover it! Here’s the link:http://www.versedaily.org/2015/losingthewords.shtml And here’s the poem: Losing the Words Wantons, they’d give themselves to anyone! See how they…
Welcome, everyone! I’ve changed the website a bit because I’ve been seeing lots of visitors, yay! and would like to make it easier to use and for you to find my poetry. Probably the best introduction to me and my work is this short video that was made on the winter solstice in 2014. So…
BODY SPEAKING Writing practice with Ruth Thompson Our bodies are the keepers of our stories. In this monthly series, writers and yogis of all levels will gather to explore movement, breath, meditation, and inner listening as a way to generate writing from the body. Each 90 minute class will include an eclectic blend of asana,…
In Tibetan paintings, the realm of the hungry ghosts coexists with this one. They fly around and around us, wailing their lack, screaming to be filled. They are pictured with long constricted necks and vast, flapping, empty bellies. There is no way to unknot the neck and receive nourishment, no matter how much – or…