Teeth
PROMPT: Write about teeth!
Teeth – by Sarah Batten
I have not been to a dentist in years. I won’t say how long. I ask myself why. I have come to the conclusion that I do not go because of the dentist I was forced to go to as a child. He was brutal. That is the only word that springs to mind. I felt as though I was abused by him. I guess I was, but perhaps not in the usual way. He was so rough; his hands were not the least bit gentle.
Dr. Dmitri and his assistants would stand over me breathing out their strong, bitter, coffee breaths. “Hoooooow are yooooouuu todaaaaay Sarah?” Before I could answer I experienced a sea of hands coming at me and grabbing inside my small mouth.
An Inspiration
As some of you know, my Uncle Paul has always been an inspiration to me. Where my father encouraged me to be a doctor, dentist, lawyer and stay clear of the arts (of course he meant well, as many parents do) my uncle lived a creative life and was living proof that an artist can not only survive but can flourish. I wasn’t sure if he really knew how he was a beacon for my own creative dreams but before he passed away this summer I tried to let him know.
And after he passed away I wanted to do something to honour all that he meant to me and to so many others. This song was written in hopes of capturing how dear he was to all of us.
Written, created and produced by Ross Lynde (hubby extraordinaire) and myself. Photos care of my also wonderful cousin Pierre-Etienne.
Space
We had the fantastic opportunity to do a little one night / two day get-away with some of the women from the Writing Workshop (thanks to our lovely host Lisa and her family home out in the country). What a fantastic place to hold a writing workshop and what an inspired and inspiring journeys everyone took with the writing. Clearly I was struck by the need for more space and silence. Here is one of the pieces I wrote from that weekend:
Space - by Nathalie Vachon Give me a view, pleaseA field divided into sections Grass to start Dirt awaiting possibility Another row of green A farmhouse in the distance
Give me space A sky that ends in nowhere A cloud that trails behind, long behind the others
Give me a farmhouse in the distance Let it belong to the Smith’s or the Schaeffer’s Let me follow the braided rows in the fields Let them take me to a girl in pigtails To me, standing on the edge of Lake Superior Or filling up a canteen with icy water from a mountain spring Let there be space between this car that passes And the next
Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools kill Creativity?
A wonderful Ted.com talk most definitely worth listening to.
Love Walked In
PROMPT: write using the line “Love Walked In”
Love Walked In – by Catherine Dine
Lately love has not walked in, I simply realized it was always there.Love seemed invisible for a while, lost amid the children’s toys, the critical decisions, the trade offs and compromises. Love took a back seat to efficiency, economy, and purpose. It suffered under the yolk of children’s problems, lack of support, lack of access to true knowing. Love was forgotten in the headlong pursuit of getting it right while getting it all terribly wrong.
Recent Paintings
