Choices

Choices
Even the right man
Must wait for the right time
Because mother is right
That “career first” is the right path.

But when you're on the left path
Your heart keeps looking for the right man
You left behind
For all the right reasons


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017






“It was while she was in high school that Malvina first met William “Bud” Reynolds, at a socialist dance. He was a merchant seaman, seven years older, handsome, and even more shy than she. He was self-educated, having left school after the eighth grade. They read poetry to each other in Golden Gate Park, but when he proposed, she refused. Encouraged by her mother, she had her sights set on college and a career.

She married someone else, and so did Bud. He ran for governor of Michigan on the Socialist ticket, with the slogan, “You provide the evictions, we’ll provide the riots!” They found each other again after she was divorced, and this time she said yes.”

http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/malvina-reynolds/

Girl Power

GIRL POWER

Gentle and meek are things of the past.
I am
Ready to take on the world. To
Lead,
Persist, and
Open doors
With my own talents, my own skills, and my own
Expertise. World, are you
Ready for me?

©Mary Lee Hahn

Troublemaker

Troublemaker 

(Ever so slightly to the tune of "Little Boxes")

When we want
What they’ve got
And we ask for it
In the right ways
And the logic’s there
And the signatures
And they still tell us NO

Then we don’t stop
And we’re not quiet
And we make them
Pay attention now
To the voices
Of the people
Who pursue what they’re due.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

"I had first come to the attention of the principal’s office with a premature women’s liberation movement on the school grounds. At noon, the boys could leave the grounds to play around on the streets and to get hot dogs, hamburgers, coffee, and pop at the little store across the street. I circulated a petition that the girls be allowed out of the yard at noon also. The answer was no. It wasn’t proper for girls to be on the street. [The girls then asked that the boys be restricted, and were told] if the school tried to restrict the boys they’d just climb the fence. Probably in the same situation now, the girls would climb the fence. Then, nothing happened except that quiet, shy me was fingered as a troublemaker."

http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/malvina-reynolds/

Storyteller

Storyteller

Storyteller, storyteller
come on out.
Tell us a story.
What’s it about?
Pirates or dragons,
a farm or a zoo?
Zebras? Lions?
Kangaroo?

Storyteller, storyteller
spin us a yarn.
Make it a good one,
one that will charm.
One full of laughter,
or one full of fear--
no matter what you tell
all of us will cheer!


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017




"The times I have been happiest were the rare times when I was one of a gang….I had a kind of gang when we lived on Buchanan Street [in San Francisco]. I must have been seven or eight. We would sit in the light of the street lamp in the evening on the high wooden flight of stairs, a dozen of us, and while the bigger boys played “One Foot Off the Gutter,” I would make up long stories to tell the others. I don’t remember what the stories were about, but they must have been interesting; I can remember the young voices in the evening, calling me to come out."

http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/malvina-reynolds/

Quiet

Quiet

Sometimes
it takes a lot of loud
to be noticed.
Roar your truth
in a pride of lions.
Demand change
with signs and signatures.
Surge with the chanting crowd

and be heard.

However
you don’t need loud
to be strong.
Sing your truth
as confidently as a single wren.
Gently nudge change
to the tune of genuine smiles.
Harmonize in a chorus
of allies.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

Lonely Child

Lonely Child

I’m quiet
She’s loud
I like alone
She likes a crowd

I’m shy
She’s bold
She likes to tell
I like to be told

I’m a cloud
She’s a storm
Hard to believe
Someday I’ll perform

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017





"I was a lonely child; I can’t remember any friends in grade school except Esther. Why she picked quiet, shy me for a friend, I don’t know. She was bold, laughing, quick. She would sit back of me in school and slowly pull one hair out of my braid. Miss Geary would say, “Hit her! With your ruler!” I never would. I liked Miss Geary. I intended to be a teacher, and would be like her—a good sport….I am still shy with people. I can easily face and talk with and sing to a hundred or a thousand. But at a party, next to a stranger, I haven’t much to say."


http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/malvina-reynolds/

Childhood Dreams

Childhood Dreams

Dream, child, dream.
Your bed is a boat
on the wide sea

of possibility.

Close your eyes.
Fling your arms wide.
Dance in the light
on the stage.

You’re a movie star today,
tomorrow a dancer,
maybe a teacher.
Dream, child, dream.

©Mary Lee Hahn




“My mother, Malvina Reynolds, once told me that when she was young, she would lie in bed and imagine that she was onstage, dancing, with a spotlight following her. She wanted to be a movie star, but she assumed that that would never happen, so she decided she’d be a teacher instead and work a smaller stage.”


http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/malvina-reynolds/

Little Red Hen

Little Red Hen

Red is the color of socialists,
and what do socialists believe?
Everyone works, everyone helps,
together, everyone achieves.

Hen asked for help planting wheat.
The other animals said no.
Hen did all the work without any help,

from seed to plant, flour, and dough.

Little Red Hen is a socialist

and what do socialists believe?
Everyone works, everyone helps,

together, everyone achieves.

Work is a part of the process:
no help with the work means no bread,
no help with the work makes you lazy,
when the lazy don’t help they aren’t fed.

Little Red Hen is a socialist,
and what do socialists believe?
Everyone works, everyone helps,
together, everyone achieves.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

Red

Red

Malvina Reynolds’ parents were Russian Jewish immigrants
escaping discrimination and persecution
opposing World War I
subscribing to socialism
believing in common ownership of resources
wanting democratic control of decisions
hosting spirited conversations
filling the house with working class political activists
influencing Malvina’s young mind
coloring the way she would see the world.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

A Lifetime Filled With Change

A Lifetime Filled With Change

Malvina Reynolds was born
at the turn of the 20th century.
1899 turned to 1900.

She lived a lifetime filled with change.

Telephones were new but becoming widely used,
cities were being electrified.

First vacuum cleaner -- 1902.
First flight by the Wright brothers,
First World Series,
First crayons -- 1903.

Women were given the right to vote -- 1920.
Television was invented -- 1927.

Segregation and racial oppression escalated.
The Civil Rights movement
stood up and sat down
until
(and after)
the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Vietnam, Nixon, Apple Computers, Sony Walkmans.
Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malvina Reynolds lived a lifetime filled with change.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

Working for Change

Working For Change

“Anyone
who puts his or her talent and effort
toward changes for the better
has tremendous
muscle.

(Much more than the negative people,
the destructive people.)

Because they have history
on their side
and they have the desires of the people
on their side
so they really can be very powerful
without all that much effort.

If you want to change
you can’t be desperate
even if the situation is difficult.
The fact that it’s good for the cause,
it’s good for you.
Because you become part of a community
that’s working to change
and that’s a very healthy thing.

You’re not just
grousing
and
complaining
but you’re working.

That will take away your blues.”

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017


This is a found poem, a direct quote from Malvina Reynolds, taken from “Love it Like a Fool: A Film About Malvina Reynolds” at 25:35.

https://archive.org/details/loveitlikeafoolafilmaboutmalvinareynolds

Poetry Month 2017

"God Bless the Grass" has been a favorite folksong of mine for many years. Recently, I got curious to know if Pete Seger wrote it, or just performed it. That's when my research brought me to the amazing life and work of Malvina Reynolds.

As soon as I started learning about Malvina Reynolds, I knew that I wanted more people to get to know her, and I could do that with a month of biographical poems about her life and inspired by her songs. Her work is once again quite timely, and I'm looking forward to introducing my students and blog readers to an amazing woman, activist, songwriter, and down-to-earth human being. I want to honor her, and make sure that her creativity remains alive in this world.

Not a Decision

photo via unsplash

Not a Decision

I learned early

the importance of saving, collecting, keeping.
As if in response (or defiance)
my brain is determined to counter educate me 

in loss.

Memories slip away,
names and faces fade,
and though I reach deeply into recesses of thought to
fetch these memories,
no trick or strategy works.

This is a problem,
a puzzle I haven’t the ability to solve
because so many pieces
are inexplicably
gone.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

brain
decisions
memory
puzzle
problem
learn
strategy
flexibility
abilities
fetch

originated here.

Mother Nature Gets a Few Things Off Her Chest

photo via unsplash

Mother Nature Gets a Few Things Off Her Chest

The human race
is a disaster.
They use their big brains
to foam with wrath
about fake news and propaganda and change.

They ignore me when they aren't
paving
mining
fracking
polluting
damming
deforesting
acidifying
dumping
obliterating
or otherwise
killing
me.

I am the truth.
I will remain
when the last earthquake
or the last drought
erases
the last human
from this planet.

They are helpless.
I do not practice conservation.
They will pay attention and live in harmony with me
or they will be erased from the equation of life.

They seem to have made their choice.
May the end come quickly.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017




This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

truth

nature

earthquake

fake

disaster

conservation

wrath

helpless

propaganda

drought

originated here.

Baking Bread (or Life in The Modern World)

photo via unsplash

Baking Bread (or Life in The Modern World)

Why can't it be easy for once?
Instead, it starts off sticky
and keeps getting stickier
until necessary intervention.

Slow down.
Slower,
less speed,
deep breaths.

Suddenly, stickier becomes smoother
and by now you should know better --
difficult hides behind a screen of pliable
and soft is a precursor to crunchy.

Next comes growth.
A time of pure yeasty optimism
until the smashing and scraping
brings everything back into perspective

and before you know it
the boundaries are set
the heat is applied
the outcome revealed.

There is no such thing as easy,
only repetition after repetition.
Savor the warmth, the freshness.
Then start again.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017





This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

screen

shoot

stickier

soft

smashing

scraping

speed

smoother

slower

sticky

originated here.

They Can't Shut Us All Up

photo via unsplash

They Can't Shut Us All Up

They can shut me up
but they can't change the truth--
I'm Rosa and Hillary, Malala and Ruth.

They can silence my voice
but I'll lead and you'll follow--
I'm Keller and Earhart, Cleopatra and Kahlo.

We rivet and code,
we teach and we heal,
orbit Earth, win Nobels,
go to prison for ideals.

They can't shut us all up
and they can't change what's true--
we're here to write history in PINK, not in blue.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017




This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

they

can

shut

me

up

but

they

can't

change

the 

truth

originated here.

We Were Buoyant

photo via unsplash

We Were Buoyant

We were buoyant,
sure and confident.

Now, at the bottom of a chasm,
nearly buried in negativity,

we keep our eye on the edge
and work to relocate,

tow ourselves back up,
weather this disruption of democracy,

melt the ice that encases our heart
and remember who we truly are.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

ice
chasm
buoyant
exploration
relocation
disruption
buried
edge
tow
weather

originated here.

Memories

photo via unsplash

memories of you

hidden in every corner

of my heart

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

heart
women
escapism
roast
pudding
memories
touched
lasting
hidden
inspiring

originated here.

Mother Moon

photo via unsplash

mother moon
wandering ancient sky-paths
tilts me a smile

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017




This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

axis

rotation

wander

tilt

ancient

face

analyze

paint

creep

path

originated here.

Problem Solving Abecedarian

Problem Solving Abecedarian

Around the block I
bicycle, over and over until the idea I've
conceived is firm and true, every
detail considered from every angle. This
exercise
(four kinds: head, heart, legs, and lungs)
grants me
huge benefits; pays me vast
interest when
juggling all life throws my way.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017



This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

around

bicycle

conceived

detail

exercise

four

grants

huge

interest

juggling

originated here.

Education is Not a Business

photo via unsplash

Education is Not a Business

The child lines up his teddy bears
to teach them ABCs.
He guides them gently in the task,
"The way Miss Smith taught me."

"We learn to share, hold hands in line,
protect and help and hug.
At story time in the media center
we find our place on the rug."

The profits from our nation's schools
aren't measured with nickels and dimes.
Our future's there within those walls --
let's polish them 'til they shine.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017



This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

worldview
help
shareholders
safer
protections
dishonest
media
replace
business
Messiah

originated here.

Teacher

photo via unsplash

Teacher

Nothing prepared her for
the psychology of the actors,
the unfamiliar narrative framework,
the doubt she barely concealed
that bravery would ever find her.

And no one told her about
the tears that would suddenly pool,
the ache she couldn’t heal,
the glory of the learning
that would transcend it all.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017

This is a poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

psychology
actors
narrative
framework
pool
bravery
transcends
capture
conceal
doubt

originated here.

Three Nightmares

photo via unsplash

Three Nightmares

stranded
no poetry, music, art
TV blares news

accolades
forgotten or damaged
I'm fired

summer
bobbing in its wake
unrested


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017



This is a warmup poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

fire
accolades
summer
damaged
wake
news
suspects
french
shooting
stranded

originated here.

On the Way to the March

On the Way to the March

A wall of cars
blocked our lane.
They were lined up
not to appeal for freedom
or for suffering to be overcome
but for
the
car
wash.

It was an ordinary day.
They were thankful
(if they were even aware)
for the division of their spirit
from their conscience.
They lolled in 20th Century
thoughtlessness.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017





This is a warmup poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

division

wall

freedom

20th Century

overcome

spirit

historical

thank

appeal

suffering

originated in a German article about the people of Berlin urging Trump not to build a wall at the Mexican border. Not this article exactly, but something like this.

If Ranted

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Delete

If Ranted, Don't Ignore

respond
answer directly
communicate

communicate
exercise eloquence
impact

impact
influence and transform
unite

unite
with increasing volume

not simple, not impossible


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017




This is a warmup poem for Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem

rant
ignore
directly
answering
simple
volume
impossible
impact
respond
communicate

originated here.

The idea of using tercets was inspired by Michelle Barnes' post here.

Cold to the Bone

image via unsplash

Confronting Icy Water is Directly Linked to Revolution

Standing at the edge,
I brace myself for the harsh truth,
the cold shock that awaits.

My commitment pushes me
to dive deep, invisibilizing below the surface,
rewriting the liberation of my body.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2017





I am joining Laura Shovan's Annual February Writing Project. The words/phrases for this poem originated here.

Floating

single leaf, large lake,

fickle winds, dangerous waves,

floating serenely

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2016

My haiku appears to be a leaf in a lake, but the childhood memory is floating on my back in the pool, oblivious that swimming lessons had ended, deaf to shouts from poolside. Someone had to come in and rouse me from my serene floating. I wrote it for a Ditty Challenge at Today's Little Ditty -- a poem of refuge or solace.

#haikuforhealing

An unsolicited email showed up in my inbox. Rather than spam, it seemed like a message from the universe. Here are the big ideas:

5 Insights for Recording Artists, Performers, and Creatives 

1. Make Art for Social Change

2. Channel Your Pain into Art

3. If You See It, Say It, Sing It, or Sculpt It...

4. Be Visible

5. Collaborate

In a seemingly unrelated email, Carol Wilcox asked if I was planning to write a haiku a day in December again this year. 

My creative spirit, who has been sitting out on the porch with her head between her knees for the last couple of weeks, looked up and nodded. Yes, that seems right, she said. A response to the news of the day, shared in the concise metaphorical form of the haiku. 

#haikuforhealing

Perhaps a month of haiku won't heal the world, but it may begin the process of healing my spirit. Join in if you'd like, by using the hashtag on Twitter or FaceBook.

Tanita's haiku are at [fiction, instead of lies]
Michelle's haiku can be found archived in one post at Today's Little Ditty
Linda Mitchell's are at A Word Edgewise
Margaret's are at Reflections on the Teche
Heidi's are at My Juicy Little Universe
Catherine's are at Reading to the Core
Carol Wilcox's are at Carol's Corner

Buffy Silverman's are at Buffy's Blog
Jone Rush MacCulloch's are at DeoWriter
Diane Mayr's, posted on Thursdays, are at Random Noodling
Julie Johnson's are at at Raising Readers and Writers
Carol Varsalona's are at Beyond LiteracyLink
Linda Baie's are at TeacherDance

All haiku on this page are ©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016.

image via Unsplash

waning moon

darker nights ahead

light the lanterns

11/25 Black Friday

autumn leaves
windblown into the corner
some still fly free




11/26

mob of cawing crows
one hawk flying sure and low
ducks the raving flock





11/27 #BetsyOurLoss

bushels of apples
vibrant orchards with strong trees
menace of blight





11/28 #commonplacemarvels

chickadees and wrens
nuthatches, cardinals, finches
all share the feeder

11/29

after rain
puddles reflect
dark clouds

11/30

overcast skies
unexpected kindness
ray of hope

12/1

Hello, December

Orion races west

Big Dipper empties

12/2

cold wind

oak leaves rattle

long winter ahead

12/3 

(using Linda Mitchell's last line--modified--as my first)

winter tide: rest, rest 

ignore moon's pull: lull, lull 

wave goodbye: surge, surge

12/4
(a meditation on birthdays that are past the half-century mark)

another year
snowflakes gather in drifts
spring melt looms



(in response to a Turkish haiku in #haikuforhealing)

butterfly wings
small movement stirs the air
revolution



12/5

five birds
huddle on the wire
welcome one more



12/6

woodpile expands
winter heat stored in neat stacks
stoke the fires



12/7
(after reading articles about Trump's lies about jobs saved at the Carrier plant
and his designated security advisor is perpetuating fake news
and he knows squat about the Constitution)


brave little mouse
this lion can't be trusted
be vigilant



12/8

dark horizon
menacing storms build strength
children play tag



12/9
(a fun exchange)

from Van Allen (@GRProject43X), in reply to my 12/8 haiku

Your 5-7-5
is short a few beats. Why? Why?
A butterfly weeps.


my response:


my 5-7-5
is not worth tears, butterfly
who's to say what counts?



12/10

Trump Picks Scott Pruitt, Climate Change Denialist, to Lead E.P.A.

naked emperor

prepares to bask in the heat

of a dying Earth



12/11
Poetry to the rescue.

in emergency
dial nine-one-one for body
eight-one-one for soul




12/12
6:00 a.m., The Morning After the Neighborhood Lighting

sheltered
one luminaria
shines on



12/13

prickly day
softened by sticky snow
balm of silence




12/14
Hat-tip to Renee LaTulippe for the first line.

predator-elect
poised atop the food chain
not my keystone




12/15

fifth grade --
teaching parrots
to think




12/16

yammering cuckoo
eagle remains vigilant
beware the talons




12/17

rain stops, ice melts
temperatures keep rising
shroud of fog



12/18
For Birds...and Friends at Solstice Dinner

even a few seeds
are enough for these birds here --
feed your flock

12/19

so much can't be fixed
but when the sink starts to leak
out come the tools




12/20

one bird -- one squawk
a mighty din -- the whole flock
add your voice




12/21
Winter Solstice

our darkest day
followed one spin later
by more light




12/22
#senryu

laundromat
honest work, like-minded folk
everyone comes clean




12/23
Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa

light and levity --
we gather all the candles --
blaze away darkness




12/24

under snow
at the base of the old oak
trillium sleep





12/25
Tyrannical Regimes use Isolation as a Weapon of Oppression

harmony, beauty --
haiku sung acapella --
join the chorus




12/26

planet is heating
sixty-eight in December
slow, comfortable death




12/27

sunrise looks forward
lights all the dark corners
fades all the stars




12/28
There are no big box stores, shopping malls, freeways, or stadiums,
but Eastern Colorado has this:

bolt of night fabric
black velvet stretched tight with stars
Milky Way ribbon

or

black bowl of night sky
overturned on plate of land
Milky Way flows




12/29

homecoming
moving target
bullseye shrinks




12/30

ganderless goose
takes young chicken under wing
comfort for both


in the village
a stranger calls for help
answer comes quickly


fuchsia sunrise
be glad for another day
shadows be gone




12/31

mother bird
you raised your chicks to fly
don't be sad


this treacherous road
built by those who came before
fellow travelers


Fox News is Blaring on the Nursing Home TV

giving thanks
for print media's page turns
for website browsing


old oak stands silent
bare branches ache for spring
leaves will return


small town life
so slow, squirrels are safe
no roadkill




1/1
Happy New Year?
You've already forgotten?
Fresh hell awaits us.



I Feel Violated, Not Safe

security
groin alert requires pat down
you could smile, she says



1/2
The Return of Civil Disobedience

Hello, 2017.
Civil disobedience
knocks at your door.




1/3
rain
incapable of deceit
transparent

Unlike this one: Asked if Trump is playing the media with his comments on who was culpable, Woolsey said it was a "possibility," noting that 
Trump is an "expert in weaving around" on issues like this.




1/4
west wind
bitter cold barrels in
chimes complain




1/5
a different kind of #haikuforhealing

cold
(pass the Kleenex)
hazy fog




1/11
As I ponder whether my work with 5th graders
will survive the crazyweird to come...

Collaboration.
Will you remember this, kids?
Practice it as adults?

Accepting difference.
Will you remember this, kids?
Do it as adults?

Outrage over hate.
Will you remember this, kids?
Act on it as adults?




1/12
Rumors. Fake news. Anything that's not the real issues.

flash
heads turn
wolf advances




1/14

sunrise
please help me believe
in today



1/17

sense of urgency
every word and action must
promote harmony




1/18

today's mountain
eventually a hill
but oh the rubble

Life is Full of Pain and Glory

Life is Full of Pain and Glory

Like a single leaf
spiraling lazily down
through a china blue sky.

Like a hangnail
which, in careless irritation,
is yanked and bleeds.

Like a fragile, confused iris
blooming in October
one block from the hospital.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016

Quite So Much

Quite So Much

If it weren't for the clouds
I wouldn't love the blue
quite so much.

If it weren't for the cold shock
of the first step into the river
I wouldn't love dry land
quite so much.

If it weren't for the surprise of bright yellow fungus
I wouldn't love dead trees
quite so much.

If it weren't for the constant chatter
and the loud enthusiasm of children
I wouldn't love silence
quite so much.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016


Our fifth graders went to Highbanks Metropark last week for a field trip put on by the Ohio River Foundation, a group that works towards "protecting and restoring the Ohio River and its watershed." The Olentangy River, which runs through Highbanks, is a part of the Ohio River watershed. Our students took part in several activities that determined the health of the Olentangy River, and that reinforced the need to conserve our fresh water resources. This poem was inspired by our field trip.


Violet is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Violet Nesdoly | Poems.