inglenook

a right click, though, is a refusal of engagement. it's a violence - it states not that i will look at you, but *inside* you. a right click is penetrative.

Oh, hi, didn’t see you there.

Excuse us while we get ready for a little summer vacation! See you again in the Fall!

[image ID: Text reading Texas State Aquarium staff stated that the animals have been getting a little restless. One of the employees had an idea to let some of the land animals spend time with some of the sea animals, and it has worked out brilliantly.

Putting the sloths near the dolphins was the biggest surprise of all. The dolphins are absolutely delighted with the sloths, and the sloths, normally very quiet animals, have been squeaking replies back to the dolphins for hours at a time. Who would have guessed these two species would be such a great match?

Frogs wearing flower hats!

- juice from green persimmons (hachiya especially) contain a large amount of tannins, which is what makes unripe hachiya persimmons so bitter. these tannins are necessary in the dye process

- it's a unique dye because it's UV sensitive and doesn't require heat to set the colour, only sunlight. therefore the goods being dyed only need to be scoured (washed), and don't require a mordant

- the dyeing process is somewhat similar to indigo in that the fabric needs to be dipped in the dye liquid, then left out to dry in the sun to 'cure' the dye, and subsequent dipping and drying in the sun creates deeper shades

- overtime the dye will darken with more UV exposure, so as the dyed fabric ages it will actually increase in colour rather than fade

- persimmon juice makes the fibre stiff but will soften with use

- application of persimmon dye makes the dyed materials water resistant

- the dye on its own is a rusty orange-brown, and dipping persimmon dyed fibre in an iron bath turns it black

- in japan it's traditionally been used to create waterproof paper stencils for fabric printing when combined with a sweet rice paste that prevents dye from binding to covered areas, similar to batik wax technique and other resist dye methods

any time someone is in any kind of crisis or upheaval, offer to feed them. tell them they don't have to choose what it is if they can't make decisions, just ask about allergies and preferences and tell them you're just gonna make food happen at their house.

friend having a baby? delivery gift certificate to order food to the hospital after the kid shows up.

someone's relative passes away? offer to make them dinner.

buddy gets laid off? ask if you can order them lunch.

pal stuck in a depressive episode? offer to drive them to fucking mcdonalds, if that's what they want.

people in crisis are tired and sad and angry and the last thing most of them are doing is thinking about feeding themselves. so if you have the ability or time or money, providing that is always, always a good move.

The highest form of research is essentially play.

She uses form as a way to destabilize English, as a direct way to respond to and critique colonialism and linguistic colonialism. A lot of her work engages with  Lakota language as well, and very much pounds on the door of all the ways English is limiting, restricting, and destructive to Native American languages, as well as being incredibly unsuited to talking about Native American issues. She feels deeply the injustice of talking about the horrors of colonialization in a colonizer’s language, and her poetry is so damn good at expressing that. 

The connection between land, language, family, and self is alive in her work, and I cannot recommend her enough. 

Her first full-length collection was published in 2017 and is called Whereas. It is, among other things, a scathing and in-depth critique of the Congressional Resolution of Apology to Native Americans, which was signed in 2009 and is essentially a sham document which never actually admits to any wrongdoings nor uses the word “apologize” in the body of the text, and was also not actually directed towards any Native person or peoples. The second half of Long Soldier’s collection just rips the whole thing to shreds. The rest of the collection is a deep exploration of language, motherhood, family, and identity. It’s so, so, so good.

Here are some poems from it!! (I’m sorry for the image quality, my camera and lighting suck).

From ancient to abstract, this one sure got around.

Being loved is NOT a reward for being beneficial or useful in any way. You don't become less deserving of being loved if you aren't productive for a day or if you have a bad day and can't get out of bed.

X

M. A. Thompson - I Won’t Write My Poem ‘Till I’m In My Right Mind X

Mary Oliver X

Richard Siken - road music

George Sand (Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin) in her letter to Gustave Flaubert X

Ada Limón - The Carrying X

Nikki Giovanni - Mirrors X