Category Archives: Key Largo

ORGANIZERS: David Gitin and Gloria Avner

CONTACT: ddgitin@gmail.com

We are on for Saturday, the 28th of September. Will we be the most Southeastern celebrators on Turtle Island? It’s too soon to say, or care, but our small corner is going to have a lot of fun, blowing down the sun with Maryann’s Queen Conch, Donnagaye’s LaKota drumming and blessing songs, Wardell’s didgeridoo vibrations, David and Gloria’s poetry along with a mix of words from friends. We are happy to be part of this world’s wordsmith community.

Twelve people joined for joyous celebration at sunset tonight, this Saturday eve. Friends who’ve painted together, partied, feasted, fasted, raised funds for many causes over the years, came together to share poetry and song for this world wide event, “100,000 Poets for Change.” It was, in short, terrific, meaningful, and even awe-inspiring. A man just released from hospital read a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music,” that had woken him up from his pain, a woman read her writings for a brother lost to addiction, David read Bob Dylan’s 1983 “Lord, Protect My Child.” The rest of us sang, Native American Lakota Honor songs with drumming accompaniment, full throated, full hearted, with a whale of a sunset in the foreground and a tableful of food at our fingertips. I sang a Huna song, “Remember the Way of the Wind.” We made music, our own accompaniment. Maryann blew down the sun with her conch shell. Everyone went away thankful for the get-together. One friend brought me two roses by way of thanks. The roses should be for you, Michael. The poem below came out of the evening:

Around the Circle

one woman starts
her solo
five more sudden voices
shake the wooden dock
picnic table plastic chairs
whole Gulf of Mexico
sound so strong it startles
sunset

Lakota lyrics shout out
honor to the good red road
no holds barred
high pitch keen ensemble
cries crescendo
round the thump-a thump-a
heart beat
well-worn drums
the shh shh shake of deer toes

Gloria Avner 9/28/2013