October 12 2024
Yesterday I attended an author chat at UNR as part of Literary Crawl. It was informative and so wonderful to meet you @kiminthewest! I’m inspired by you! 💖💖💖 Thank you to Nevada Humanities for the Literary Crawl!
2024 Nevada Literary Crawl! Wonderful to see my poetry friends shine and share their talent. Thank you to @nevada_humanities for organizing this fantastic event! 🖤🖤🖤
October 6 2024
An oldie I don’t think I shared. 🖤
Goodbye
I’m leaving
I’ve done all I can
The disappointment that keeps getting delivered
Fractures my heart into a trillion pieces
My nervous system simply
Cannot take the rise and fall,
The dopamine hits
Of the delicious intense encounters
And the heart breaking let down
Of disappointment
Farewell
I’m headed to the craft store
To buy glue, steel, and comfort
I’ll glue the pieces of my heart
Back together,
Melting the steel
Into the crevices
Smooshing in words of comfort, strength,
and resilience
More glue,
More melted steel
More words
So long
I’ll calm the elephants stampeding
Across my heart
I’ll take the love that has hit a dead end
The love that has no where to go
I’ll feed it to the elephants
Pouring the love into them,
Onto them, over them
Until they slowly calm
Inhaling the love with their snouts
Wrapping me in their herd
Taking me into their trust
Showering me with that same love
Showering me, rocking me with their love
Until my heart has healed
Reviving my ability to love
Showering until my light returns
Until the joy returns
They disperse
I disperse
Having a fortified heart
Feeling calm, peaceful
Dare I say
Ready to do it
All over again
That is, of course,
After this process has
Repeated from
Five to five hundred and fifty five times
Goodbye
Farewell
So long
Camilla Downs 2024
October 5 2024
I forgot to share Lillian’s birthday pictures. Good times were had!! 🎉💖💖💖🎉
October 5 2024
Deep dive into my classes. Power, Identity & Social Justice – I love this class. This is an introduction to gender, race, and other identities and inequalities. Currently, I’m minoring in Social Justice. I met with the GRI advisor last week to get clarity on whether I’m keeping this as my minor or switching it. I really liked what he had to say, and am leaning towards keeping it as my minor. I’m meeting with a few other advisors in different departments next week to further that clarity.
Our big project is a group project. Each group chose a local social justice organization from a provided list. We are to research the history of the topic the organization focuses on, interview someone from the organization, and write a paper along with a presentation. My group chose Canyonwalker Connections. (Looking at you Kathy V. Baldock!!) I suggested three organizations of which I know the founders or directors, and my group mates were most interested in this one.
I had my first midterm last week. Whew! Anxiety hell, y’all! In one month, I register for Spring 2025 semester. Onward!!
October 4 2024
I had such a great time at Monday Night Poetry. Awesome poetry was shared, and I was very happy with the two poems I shared. I encourage any local friends to check it out. Heck! Even if you aren’t local, find a spoken word event close to you and go! 🖤🖤🖤
September 28 2024
Deep dive into my classes. Writing About Literature – I’m very much enjoying this class. We are being taught how to do a close read and analyze texts using critical thinking skills. Fortunately, it seems I landed with one of the coolest, laid back professors for this class. (Thanks to Thomas for the “rate my professor” website tip!)
We are reading three banned books, analyzing a chunk at a time in class. We each had to choose one of these books for a full length literary analyses. Then we will create a mock school board meeting where each of us has to either defend the ban or defend against banning the book we chose to analyze.
The books:
Flamer (we are reading now)
The Bluest Eye
The Poet X (I chose this one) The author is a spoken word poet. Of course I chose this one!!
We are having some pretty lively discussions analyzing the text and about book bans.
We were in groups last week to analyze cartoon texts. I commented to my group members that one of the ideas our cartoon was conveying was about not reinventing the wheel. Lawd have mercy! I guess I showed my age with that one as they all looked at me like I was crazy and had no idea what that meant! I had to explain it.
Onward with my Spidey senses, or something like that with these selfies! Oh, and if I haven’t responded to you, or you haven’t heard from me; this is taking all my spoons, brain power, and socializing energy!! When I get home, I’m depleted!!
September 21 2024
It’s been four weeks since I turned my life upside down, inside out, sideways and shook the hell out of it. The first two weeks were the hardest. I had to down Lillian’s CBD oil the entire first week just to be able to fall asleep. My brain would not turn off. I alternated between thinking I’d utterly lost my mind to being in love with my decision, in between anxiety attacks.
I have finally moved past that stage and am fully in love with and happy with my decision. As I walked to my class yesterday morning, I looked up and there was my beautiful child headed towards me. This is quite the experience attending college at the same time as one’s child. I was able to see their new hair cut, give them a hug, and tell Thomas that I love them. We had dinner together last night with the most lively, fun conversation. I went for my walk last night with a full and happy heart.
Let me say, the walking. So. Much. Walking. It’s about a half mile walk from parking to classrooms, then to other classrooms, and back again. I love all my classes. Dance Appreciation, Introduction to Language (Linguistics class), Introduction to Literature (learning how to analyze texts), and Social Justice.
The poem I wrote and shared last Monday is about this current phase of my life. It’s titled, “i go”. I’m happy to share more if anyone is curious. Ask away!
September 20 2024
There’s a reason why Monday Night Poetry won the number 1 slot for open mic!!! These people are simply the best. I wrote and shared what I think may be one of my best poems to date. I showed it to Thomas tonight, and they said I should submit it for publication. That’s damn high praise. Thomas read the title and I thought they said, “That sucks”. Nope. “That fucks”. And now I know a new term to compliment something that rocks. 🤣😂🤣 The poem is titled, “i go”.
September 15 2024
I’ve had this bathroom to myself for a month and a half now. 🎉🎉🎉 Finally having a hot epsom salt soak. 🖤🖤🖤
September 15 2024
Congratulations to my wonderful, thoughtful, amazing child. Thomas has been asked to be on the editorial board for The Meadow. They also have two poems being published in the next issue. I’m sure you can absolutely feel the pride and joy shining from this post. We celebrated with ice cream!! 🧡💥🧡 Keep going. Keep creating. I love you G!
