Poetry and Prose by Writers’ Workshop (2020)

Since its inception in 1992, more than fifty people have participated in Writers’ Workshop. The workshop provides a safe place for people to develop their own voice through poetry, fiction, and non-fiction prose.

The Workshop meets seven or eight times a year from January through June and September through December, on the third Tuesday of the month.

All are welcome to participate, gathering in the Boardroom at 4:00 pm. Express your interest to Peter Flachsbart, facilitator.

These group members displayed the following examples of poetry and prose as part of Faith & Arts Sunday (February 16, 2020): Willow Chang, Peter Flachsbart, Donald K. Johnson, Jean-Paul Klingebiel, Kathryn Klingebiel, Nedra Walker, and Rebecca Woodland.

refuge in the garden shop

willow chang

khoda hafez

willow chang

kwan yin with a smile

willow chang

requiem

i write this requiem

for trees unjustly felled

whose bountiful embrace held

a million birds, now homeless

this requiem

is for every guru

who shared with me and showed me

the ways of the artist

the rebel and the scholar

the pitfalls, of the misunderstood

the delicate balance

of creation and commerce

i write this requiem

of haunts torn-down

dives and greasy spoons, that fed bellies and spirits

after the witching hour

places filled with theater folk, club kids

the jet-lagged, barflies and the broken hearted

i write this requiem

for those who know who they are

but feel others may never understand

for those who deal in the currency of love

in a market, of disrespect

for those who dream big

even when someone yells at them, from the other room

words, i will not print here

this requiem

is my simple way to say

i see you

i hear you

i feel you

i remember you

i remember

willow chang

secret Chun Hoon run

willow chang

The Double Feature

willow chang

A Review of the Movie “Green Book”

Last month I went to see the movie “Green Book” at Kahala Mall with my wife Jan and her sister Elaine. Unlike me, Jan and Elaine had seen the movie before. The film received three Academy Awards: best picture, actor in a supporting role, and original screenplay. I wanted to see “Green Book,” because it takes place just seven years before my trip through the South in July of 1969. I wrote about that trip in an essay I wrote for Writer’s Workshop on December 10, 2018. The Green Book was a travel guide used by African American motorists to avoid social obstacles prevalent during a period of racial segregation in the U.S. The Green Book listed businesses that would accept Black customers.

The movie “Green Book” is part comedy, part drama, part history lesson, and part social commentary on the meaning of friendship and race. The film is based on a true story that occurred in 1962 when gifted black artists could entertain all-white crowds in the U.S., but not sit or dine among them—or even use the same bathroom. The director, Peter Farrelly, cleverly reveals the tension between the two main characters: Tony Vallelonga and Dr. Don Shirley.

Viggo Mortensen plays a night club bouncer named Tony who loves popular music. He is married to Dolores played by Linda Cardellini. They live in the Bronx with their kids and Italian relatives. Dolores is more open-minded than Tony about race relations. Mahershala Ali plays a black pianist, Dr. Don Shirley, who prefers the music of Chopin. He also prefers the refinements and culture of his home near Carnegie Hall in Manhattan. In the movie, Shirley and two other musicians present themselves as the Don Shirley Trio. They have booked a series of concerts, many of which will take place in cities in the deep South. Dr. Shirley hires Tony to be his personal chauffeur for the trip. This reversal of traditional roles inspires many scenes—both humorous and tragic—in the movie.

Dr. Shirley maintains high ethical standards that irritate Tony’s blue collar lifestyle.

Dr. Shirley refuses to lower himself to Tony’s vulgarity or even listen to the popular music that Tony wants to play on the car radio. Dr. Shirley is clueless about popular music by black musicians. He can’t tell how Aretha Franklin differs from Chubby Checker. Dr. Shirley fully understands that the moment he steps off stage, he is just another black man to the white people who moments earlier applauded his musical talent. Sadly, Dr. Shirley’s personal life is a mess and somewhat of a mystery. He no longer talks to his brother (for reasons that are not too clear) and his marriage has failed, because he is always performing on the road. He also tends to drink a lot, because he is all alone in the world. But he has a powerful friend (Robert Kennedy) in the White House. Robert Kennedy gets Dr. Shirley and Tony out of a small-town jail when Tony punches a police officer who had stopped their car for a minor infraction. Near the end of the movie, Shirley finally becomes very emotional when he confesses to Tony that he doesn’t fit into either white or black society. Near the end of the movie we also learn that Dr. Shirley is gay. As the two men become closer friends, Dr. Shirley helps Tony with his daily letters to his wife Dolores. With Shirley’s help, Tony’s letters begin to sound more romantic.

The two lead actors give strong and convincing performances. The director (Farrelly) allows both actors to shine in completely opposing ways. Mortensen gained more than 30 pounds for his role as the chauffeur. Ali took extensive training on the piano to portray a concert pianist. The stark contrast between Tony’s rough Italian bravado and Shirley’s more refined demeanor—yet vulnerability—made me laugh and cry. Both actors deserved an Academy Award in my opinion, but Ali won the award for best supporting actor. One reviewer wrote that the movie is a love letter of sorts—to a friendship that’s a reminder that the world needs more empathy and human connection. The music from the Don Shirley Trio is easily worth the price of admission.

Peter Flachsbart
March 18, 2019

CANCER

Don Johnson
March 8, 2010

Mouse Wisdom

Don Johnson 2014

Green Man

Jean-Paul Klingebiel

Musings

Ode to Terns

The Stuff of Songs!

Jean-Paul Klingebiel

Englyn – Poème gallois – A Welsh Poem

Kathryn Klingebiel
2012-03-12

inside the kingdom of sentiment

inside the kingdom of sentiment #1

 

inside the kingdom of sentiment #2

 

inside the kingdom of sentiment #3

Kathryn Klingebiel

kitchen haiku

Kathryn Klingebiel

my words’ worth on the beach

Kathryn Klingebiel
2012-09-23

street chair man

Kathryn Klingebiel
2012-04-15

writing to my brother by the light of the moon

Kathryn Klingebiel
2014-11-09 (rev 2019-11-03)

The Brightest Star

Nedra Walker

The Mask

The mask is crafted beautifully—

No flaws, no errs, no cracks to see;

Unblemished as new fallen snow,

Hiding all the cracks below.

 

A weary one all cracked inside,

Will crawl behind the mask to hide;

Thinking not of cost, nor task,

Thinks not of burden, dons the mask.

 

But you can’t wear the mask for free—

It’s crafted much too beautifully;

But once it’s donned, you find too late,

It cracks you more to bear the weight.

Nedra Walker, 2004

Standing

Nedra Walker, 2004

Who’s Screaming Now?

Nedra Walker, 2004

Edith

Edith is angry, but she dare not show it. After all, she considers herself a good person, a Christian, not one to lose her temper. Why is she upset? Oh, there are so many reasons. Basically, things are not the way they used to be. Things are not the way she wants them to be or expects them to be. Things are not the way they should be, at least according to her way of thinking.

Edith had retired more than a decade ago, from a prestigious (at least in her mind) position she loved. The first few years of her retirement were spent caregiving, a taxing task. She had little time to herself, and it made her feel good to feel needed. But circumstances changed, people passed on or got well, and she was no longer needed in the same way. She was free to create a “new” version of life for herself.

Edith continued her involvement in a few volunteer activities. She is a hard worker and very reliable. These involvements absorb several hours a week, usually over two or three mornings. She now has plenty of time on her hands.

Her focus has shifted.

Edith considers herself a leader, a discerning woman of God, and she secretly believes that she is a tad more spiritual than most. As such, she considers it her God-given duty to analyze and critique (just a fancy word for “criticize”) those whom she considers less spiritual or capable than herself, and people whom she believes are not doing their job ~ at least not doing it the way she would, or the way she wants it done. She believes she is exercising discernment, doing a good thing, and somehow motivating people to do better, work harder, or accomplish more of what she deems important. Thinly veiled as spiritual concerns, her criticisms and judgments about people and issues she does not understand (and refuses to see through any lenses other than her own) have fermented into gossip. To even a casual observer, it looks like backstabbing. Edith will not address the persons or issues directly; she expects the rest of us to do her dirty work. Yes, I said dirty work.

Edith gives orders. She was never in the military, but she would have been a good sergeant. Her language, whether spoken or written, comes across as demanding, insistent, and VERY judgmental. She seems incapable of using words that encourage, support, motivate, or inspire. Apparently, she has never heard (or believed) the old adage that you catch more flies with honey.

Edith used to work the elections, staffing the check-in desk at her neighborhood polling station. She did this task with great efficiency and officiousness. She took pride in checking details, especially voters’ I.D.’s, which she examined with a microscopic, suspicious gaze. On the rare occasions she found a slight discrepancy, Edith took immediate action and swiftly ushered the would-be voter out of the building, with no explanation. Edith worked during several elections, including both Bushes. She misses the polling station and is looking forward to getting back in the action for the upcoming election.

Edith is disgruntled about the way the government operates. (Aren’t we all?) City, county, state, federal, and international government affairs are major cause for concern. She counts it her duty to bring up the latest horror story or issue she has read about, sending emails to her circle of friends and acquaintances to solicit awareness, agreement, and prayers. Her concerns motivate her to reach out to everyone to remind them to register to vote. She contacts her representatives and senators, city council, and anyone else who might listen, insisting that they upgrade their efforts to get more voters registered. After all, it is their responsibility! More voters would influence the outcome of any election, creating a better outcome for all. Her zeal is relentless.

* * * * * *

Election day has dawned. Edith arrives early to her secure her spot at the check-in table. She waits. Voters begin to trickle in. She does her job and waits impatiently for more people to show up to vote. Crowds are sparse compared to what she recalls from previous elections. She is concerned. During a brief break (she claims she needs to use the Ladies’ Room) she calls her Representative and Senator, and the Governor’s office and Mayor’s office. Frustrated because she can’t get through, she leaves vitriolic messages on their answering machines, castigating them for their “obvious” negligence in getting voters to the polls, while expressing her profound disappointment in how they are doing their jobs. She returns to her desk, satisfied and smug knowing that she had fulfilled her civic duty by making these calls.

The day progresses. The stream of voters is slow but steady, more like a drizzle than a stream. Edith’s concern escalates. What is happening? Why so few voters? She is worried and quietly seething. If only the elected officials would do their jobs and get more people to vote! More rallies, flyers, networking, or whatever it takes. It is obvious they must be slacking off.

Mabel (Edith’s co-worker at the check-in table) senses Edith’s irritation, very thinly disguised as concern. By now, Edith’s concern is distracting her from doing her own job correctly, and Mabel is picking up the slack. Edith vomits her concerns to Mabel, who explains that this voter turn-out is normal now that most voters in this district choose to vote by mail (absentee ballot) or vote in advance at City Hall. Edith isn’t buying it. She relishes the action and excitement of election day at the polling station, the way she remembers it.

Near the end of her shift as the crowds trickle to only a handful, Mabel suggests that Edith take this opportunity to vote. Mabel searches for Edith’s name on the list of registered voters for this district and this polling station.

Edith’s name is not found. A further search revealed that Edith is not even a registered voter. In fact, she had not voted in any of the elections she had worked!

Conclusion (Choose your favorite):

1. This “oversight” of failing to register to vote apparently did not faze her. It is everyone else’s fault that the number of people at the polls was fewer than she expected. It is the responsibility of elected leaders and government officials to demand their constituents get out and vote. Edith continues to harass them, but never gets around to registering to vote.
2. Edith tries to register to vote at the polling station, but she has forgotten her government-issued I.D. and her Safeway Club Card does not count. She is unable to register to vote in this election.
3. Edith’s preferred candidates each lose by a single vote. Her vote would have made the difference. She tries to demand a recount on behalf of the losing candidates. Recount is denied. Edith is upset and lashes out by writing scathing letters to the editor, of course omitting mention of her own negligence.
4. Edith assumes she is automatically going to work the next election and is shocked to learn that she no longer qualifies, as a new rule for the job requires that the applicant voted in the previous election. Also, word has circulated about her behavior, attitude, and rudeness. No one wants to work with her. She does not represent the spirit of aloha or democracy.
5. Edith sees the error of her ways, emails apologies to all the government officials she harassed and blamed, begins regular sessions with a clinical psychologist, writes a letter of apology to the local newspaper, registers to vote so she is ready for the next election, and joins a 12-step program for control freaks.

Rebecca Woodland
Honolulu, Hawaii. September 30, 2019

Ruth’s Car

The year was 2019. The month was July, the month before her safety check would expire. Her trusty Toyota, purchased in 2002, had battle scars but other than that it provided reliable transportation. No mechanical problems, thank God. Ruth needed this car to get to work. She lived out of range of public transportation, but she also used her car on the job. She had a lot of stuff to haul, far too much for the bus or a taxi.

She had a roof over her head, a modest lifestyle, and not a penny to spare. Her tenant had suffered a stroke a few years prior, was unable to work and got far behind on the rent. Six figures behind. Ruth understood her plight, as she had herself once been in a situation that necessitated grace, patience, and trust on the part of her landlord.

Ruth covered the tenant’s deficit, which the tenant is now repaying as she is able, but the years of covering the deficit had a ripple effect of incurring massive credit card debt, at least it felt massive to Ruth. She had never carried a balance on any credit card. Things were different now.

Ruth checked her mailbox. The only piece of mail was a notice that her car registration was due in a few weeks, and verification of a current safety check was required to accompany the registration payment. She made an appointment to get a safety check. Ruth took pride in being on top of things, responsible, and paying all bills on time. She had never, in all her 68 years, had a late payment on anything.

Her car passed every item on the checklist for the safety check. The car passed, but the tires did not. Worn tread, dangerously thin, on all four tires. The mechanic could not, would not issue a safety check until the car had four new tires.

This was not a surprise she was prepared for. Four new tires would cost nearly a thousand dollars, money she did not have. Her credit was as thin as the tread on her tires. The car was a hazard on the road, according to her mechanic.

She cautiously drove home, avoiding potholes and rough patches as much as possible. How would she solve this situation? She called a friend to share her dilemma.

“Have you heard about the transportation assistance fund? It was set up to help working women who have transportation issues. It’s offered through an organization you and I are involved with. I think you would qualify. It’s a short form, pretty easy to fill out. I’ll send you the link.”

Ruth sighed in relief. If she could get money to help pay for new tires, then she could pass the safety check and send in her car registration before the deadline. She opened her email, clicked on the link, and spent the rest of the afternoon answering questions that she felt were a bit invasive…but she desperately needed financial assistance and she understood why these questions had to be answered. Ruth completed the application, attached the required documents, and hit send.

Several weeks passed. Ruth prayed her tires would hold up until she could replace them. She hoped this would happen before her car registration was due.

One morning Ruth received an email informing her that she qualified for substantial financial assistance. She responded by email, thanking them for their generosity. She had no idea how or when the funds would be available. She didn’t press the issue, as she did not want to seem ungrateful, entitled, or rude. She wrote a simple thank you, without qualifiers or questions.

The next day she learned that the funds would not be issued to her directly. The administrator of the funds decided to send the entire amount to the automobile dealership where Ruth had purchased her car. What?? That made no sense. Her car had been fully paid off fifteen years ago. All she needed was a new set of tires and some help paying the several hundred dollars to renew her car registration. What was the car dealership supposed to do with the money?

The would-be benefactors had their rules and procedures. They stated, in no uncertain terms, that accountability was paramount. Yes, of course! But why would they assume that a corporation, a car dealership no less, would be more responsible and accountable than she, a person they knew to be trustworthy?

Ruth was informed through a third party that because she did not request in her thank you letter that the funds be sent to her directly, they wouldn’t be. Excuuuuse me! Ruth could not believe her eyes when she read this message, which had been sent to a mutual acquaintance.

Some people are just TOO ha’ole! Control freaks. My way or the highway. Cannot and will not put themselves in someone else’s shoes.

If accountability was truly their concern, Ruth would gladly provide them with a copy of the bill for her car registration, receipt of payment after the bill has been paid, as well as a written statement from Costco Tire with prices for the kind of tire Ruth’s car needed. Ruth did not have the money to pay for this up front and wait for reimbursement from the transportation fund.

But the people administering the transportation fund, who (by the way) had never fallen on hard times financially, had their protocol and their own ideas about “accountability”.

Write your own ending:

1. The money is sent to the car dealership and falls through the cracks. The check never gets to Ruth, and never gets cashed, so the funders assume she never really needed the money. Ruth can’t buy new tires > can’t pass safety check > can’t renew her car registration > gets into an accident when her tires blow > no car insurance because of all the previous > sustains accident-related injuries > can’t get to work because car is not drivable > loses her job > loses her health insurance which was tied to her employment > loses her home > both Ruth and her tenant join the ranks of the homeless.
2. The money is sent to Ruth directly, who uses it to buy new tires a pay her car registration. She sends receipts to funders, with another thank you note. Ruth continues driving, keeps her job and her insurances, and carries on with her life.
3. The money is divided. First check goes directly to Costco Tire, to pay for 4 tires. Second check goes the DMV to pay her car registration. Ruth continues driving, keeps her job and her insurances, and carries on with her life.
4. The administrators of the transportation fund lose their positions. More compassionate, akamai people replace them.
5. The original administrators embezzle thousands of dollars. Eventually they are found out. They all end up in prison.

Rebecca Woodland