What do you dream? (Hannah's Stolen Words of the Week)

"Somewhere There is a Poem" by Gina Loring

Hannah's Stolen Words of the Week

We have been trained to look
Away, shamed eyes
Dropping like my embarrassed glance at
A handicapped person, as I guess
Some of them are
Or a drunk, as I guess
Some of them are,
Or a crazy person, as I guess
Some of them are.
As if that way it won't matter;
They'll disappear like snowflakes
When we step inside. And I've
Discovered, mastered even, technique:
If I close my ears, squint
My eyes they do
Nearly, almost disappear,
Leaving only a faint
Twinge of guilt that can actually be
Ignored.
I use my gender as an
Excuse. It's not safe. Better
Not acknowledge another
Human being trying to
Cope with a loss of
Humanity.
Awakened this once by frozen eyes,
I dig deep into pockets and pride
Wondering what we all can afford.
I happened upon some
Spare change.

---

Spare Change was written by Courtney E. Belcher, a student at Wheaton College (the west of Chicago).

Her words hit me hard. They hit true. I've been taught it's not safe to give money to a beggar. I've been taught not to help anyone with a flat tire. I've been taught the world is a dangerous place. And it is. It's dangerous to get so caught up in being safe, that we stop looking for ways we can help and create effective change. Getting out of our comfort zone is exactly that: uncomfortable. I have a hard time getting away from what I know, what's easy, convenient, self-serving. It's scary to do otherwise.

This afternoon, I'm heading with my friend Kaity to help with Food Not Bombs. If it hadn't been for her initiative, I wouldn't have been brave enough to get connected with people I've never met before. These people are rad.

Courtney Belcher is right. We can all afford to take part in change. If at first we can't step out of our comfort zone, we can begin by reaching. Today, I'll be reaching. Tomorrow, maybe I'll learn to step.



From the main Food Not Bombs website:
Food Not Bombs shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities around the world every week to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment.

From Wikipedia:
Each chapter collects surplus food that would otherwise go to waste from grocery stores, bakeries and markets, sometimes incorporating dumpster diving, then prepares community meals which are served for free to anyone who is hungry. The central beliefs of the group are:

* If governments and corporations around the world spent as much time and energy on feeding people as they do on war, no one would go hungry.
* There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but too much of it goes to waste needlessly, as a direct result of capitalism and militarism.
* Vegan food is both healthy and nonviolent.

Food Not Bombs works to call attention to poverty and homelessness in society by sharing food in public places and facilitating gatherings of poor and homeless people. Anyone who wants to cook may cook, and anyone who wants to eat may eat. Food Not Bombs strives to include everyone.

Hannah's Stolen Words of the Week: Friday Lies, Confidence Cries

Drained. Overwhelmed. Relieved.



Replace those three words with Friday. After the rush of the week, responsibilities slamming against our will power and tugging down our restraint (Yes, I will show up to class. Yes, I will turn in that assignment. Yes, I will sacrifice test-studying for friendship-building)we want to collapse. Not just from the stress of school and work, but from everything related to being a college student (and if you're experiencing it, it's related).

Fridays bring promises. Sometimes, it whispers about relaxation. Other times it slyly winks and murmurs, "Of course you'll catch up on Sunday." But you don't believe it. When Sunday comes, you really don't believe it. It seems too much to handle, or maybe just thinking about the week to come is too much to handle.

Homework has to be cajoled. Teased out. Conquered. By Friday, our confidence about academics may have melted completely away. One messy aspect of our lives impacts and affects other areas, and suddenly it's all just a big mess.

It doesn't have to be. You are a phenomenal woman. Don't let Fridays' lies convince you otherwise. Listen to Maya Angelou, and re-discover your courage. Instead of drained and overwhelmed, you may instead feel inspired.

You are powerful. Without the confidence to shoulder against responsibilities and emotional needs, the wall seems impenetrable. Don't let that wall knock you down, instead build your own strength by first believing in it. Ghandi explained that "strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will."

I have confidence in yours. Do you?



Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.