Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
Hmmmm. Honestly, I don't see this end of year introspection being much different than last year's. So I think I'll revisit what I typed back on December 30th of 2016 and see how I feel about some of what I wrote. Don't worry, it won't all just be regurgitating previous thoughts. But I do want to compare my perspective on 2016 to my perspective on 2017. Because God knows, I have a lot to say.
NOTE: What I wrote in 2016 will be in italics, while what I write in the present day is...well, not in italics. Pretty straightforward, I think. Okay, here we go.
Wow. This has been...this has been one Hell of a year, people. Jesus Christ.
Yeah, that hasn't changed. At all. 2017 was not a good year in a lot of respects. Some small battles were won, but mostly ones on the defense rather than the offense. This country is still in a lot of trouble, definitely in more trouble than last year, and our wannabe dictator in the Oval Office is not helping matters.
There was a lot of...bad that happened this year. And not just the celebrity deaths and the tragic and atrocious murders in places like Aleppo and Orlando. There's a lingering bad. A change is happening in the world order, and it is not pretty.
Yeah, that didn't exactly change, either. This year, we lost celebrities like Tom Petty, Sam Shepard, Roger Moore, Martin Landau, Adam West, and George Allman. Icons such as Chuck Perry also passed away, and John Hurt's death hit me hard as well. Unlike last year, many of these deaths weren't enormous shockers, but the loss of our idols really does reflect on how our generations are shifting and changing.
And oh, my God, is the world still in quite a bit of chaos. North Korea keeps developing its nukes, the U.S. bombed Syria...I mean, ISIS is almost dead, so that's worth something? We dealt with several huge tragedies this year, and in my corner of the world, that included the white supremacist Charlottesville riots, the Las Vegas shooting, and the terrible wildfires in California. We have witnessed, full throttle, how messed up our government is now under this proto-authoritarian regime. Some stuff has been halted due to incompetence, but man, if almost seeing a pedophile elected to the Senate doesn't open your eyes to our new reality a bit.
Oh, and net neutrality's officially gone! That blows chunks.
But! A lot of good happened this year, too. Poverty has decreased worldwide. Endangered animals are returning. The Ebola vaccine is almost always effective, and cancer treatments are being tested. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series after a 108-year dry spell! Leonardo DiCaprio got his first Oscar! More than ever, we are seeing diversity in cinema, art, science, and academia, which is desperately needed.
Hey, the Dodgers lost the World Series this year! I'll take that.
Man, speaking of Hollywood, how about that #MeToo movement? Kind of amazing how politicians and celebrities are actually facing consequences for being abusive pervs, huh?
Diversity in art is definitely a ways off, but...hey, we're still fighting. Wonder Woman did well with a female director, after all.
Yes, a lot of bad is happening, and a lot worse might be coming. But good has happened, and I will be fighting to ensure that it keeps happening.
Yeah. That. Now more than ever. The tax bill we got is a dumpster fire, public education's being attacked, the media is still being abused, we see leaders getting away with corruption, and healthcare and the environment are constantly being threatened. It ain't over 'til it's over!
Okay, onto more personal accomplishments.
This year, there was a lot of transition and a lot of risk taking. I left a job I loved and now work at a public school where I am being challenged every day as to how I teach and how I interact with both my curricula and my students. Teaching English to some of these sophomores is not easy. Teaching Yearbook is not easy. But I am learning a great deal, and people are seeing what I'm capable of. That's a good thing.
I've been working on new projects, and yes, that music/spoken word duo thing is still being developed. I am almost done writing the first season of my latest television series (man, to dream of actually seeing it filmed), so despite my hectic schedule, I still have time to do personal creative work. My wife and I are happier than ever after over one year of marriage. My sister is now married. I have made new friends and reunited with old ones, and I love working with so many of my students and ensuring that they feel loved and appreciated and respected for who they are and what they do. Am I a perfect teacher and writer? Hell, no. But I'm trying to be the best I can.
So, what was my hope for 2017 again?
I send out a hope for building - for constructing, for healing, for binding, for bringing people together. Building communities, building ideas, building determination, building for a creative battle. I want us to create like we've never created before. No, I'm not happy to be an artist in a society that threatens to be anything but free; that doesn't help my creativity at all. But I will continue to create and express myself despite whatever obstacles are thrown at me. They cannot take that away.
I don't know about you, but I think that wish is still way relevant for 2018. Next year, we must continue to build - we must continue to construct communities, to help those who have been hurt heal, to bind together and become a powerful force of activism and creativity. We need to push back against the evil we've already seen rise. We've seen hope and progress already in places we didn't expect - in Virginia, in Alabama, in other countries as well. Many are refusing to be destroyers of the world that we've built. There is still a lot of darkness to fight, but there still is light. Funny how we even got a Star Wars movie this year that continued with that theme - and no, that's not a spoiler. C'mon, people.
So my hope remains the same, if not a bit updated for the times. For 2018, I send out a hope for that constant fight for building and creating something better. A better society, a better culture, a better world for everyone. The orange man and his cronies have different ideas - but they haven't beaten us yet. Not by a long shot.
Resisting does work, people. We just can't stop.
For New Year's Eve, I'll be celebrating with my wife and one of our friends. We might be in Benicia; we might be in San Francisco. But whatever the plan, we will share our accomplishments and our hopes for a better future.
The war is still on, folks. But I haven't given up yet.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone. And Happy New Year.
NOTE: What I wrote in 2016 will be in italics, while what I write in the present day is...well, not in italics. Pretty straightforward, I think. Okay, here we go.
Wow. This has been...this has been one Hell of a year, people. Jesus Christ.
Yeah, that hasn't changed. At all. 2017 was not a good year in a lot of respects. Some small battles were won, but mostly ones on the defense rather than the offense. This country is still in a lot of trouble, definitely in more trouble than last year, and our wannabe dictator in the Oval Office is not helping matters.
There was a lot of...bad that happened this year. And not just the celebrity deaths and the tragic and atrocious murders in places like Aleppo and Orlando. There's a lingering bad. A change is happening in the world order, and it is not pretty.
Yeah, that didn't exactly change, either. This year, we lost celebrities like Tom Petty, Sam Shepard, Roger Moore, Martin Landau, Adam West, and George Allman. Icons such as Chuck Perry also passed away, and John Hurt's death hit me hard as well. Unlike last year, many of these deaths weren't enormous shockers, but the loss of our idols really does reflect on how our generations are shifting and changing.
And oh, my God, is the world still in quite a bit of chaos. North Korea keeps developing its nukes, the U.S. bombed Syria...I mean, ISIS is almost dead, so that's worth something? We dealt with several huge tragedies this year, and in my corner of the world, that included the white supremacist Charlottesville riots, the Las Vegas shooting, and the terrible wildfires in California. We have witnessed, full throttle, how messed up our government is now under this proto-authoritarian regime. Some stuff has been halted due to incompetence, but man, if almost seeing a pedophile elected to the Senate doesn't open your eyes to our new reality a bit.
Oh, and net neutrality's officially gone! That blows chunks.
But! A lot of good happened this year, too. Poverty has decreased worldwide. Endangered animals are returning. The Ebola vaccine is almost always effective, and cancer treatments are being tested. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series after a 108-year dry spell! Leonardo DiCaprio got his first Oscar! More than ever, we are seeing diversity in cinema, art, science, and academia, which is desperately needed.
Hey, the Dodgers lost the World Series this year! I'll take that.
Man, speaking of Hollywood, how about that #MeToo movement? Kind of amazing how politicians and celebrities are actually facing consequences for being abusive pervs, huh?
Diversity in art is definitely a ways off, but...hey, we're still fighting. Wonder Woman did well with a female director, after all.
Yes, a lot of bad is happening, and a lot worse might be coming. But good has happened, and I will be fighting to ensure that it keeps happening.
Yeah. That. Now more than ever. The tax bill we got is a dumpster fire, public education's being attacked, the media is still being abused, we see leaders getting away with corruption, and healthcare and the environment are constantly being threatened. It ain't over 'til it's over!
Okay, onto more personal accomplishments.
This year, there was a lot of transition and a lot of risk taking. I left a job I loved and now work at a public school where I am being challenged every day as to how I teach and how I interact with both my curricula and my students. Teaching English to some of these sophomores is not easy. Teaching Yearbook is not easy. But I am learning a great deal, and people are seeing what I'm capable of. That's a good thing.
I've been working on new projects, and yes, that music/spoken word duo thing is still being developed. I am almost done writing the first season of my latest television series (man, to dream of actually seeing it filmed), so despite my hectic schedule, I still have time to do personal creative work. My wife and I are happier than ever after over one year of marriage. My sister is now married. I have made new friends and reunited with old ones, and I love working with so many of my students and ensuring that they feel loved and appreciated and respected for who they are and what they do. Am I a perfect teacher and writer? Hell, no. But I'm trying to be the best I can.
So, what was my hope for 2017 again?
I send out a hope for building - for constructing, for healing, for binding, for bringing people together. Building communities, building ideas, building determination, building for a creative battle. I want us to create like we've never created before. No, I'm not happy to be an artist in a society that threatens to be anything but free; that doesn't help my creativity at all. But I will continue to create and express myself despite whatever obstacles are thrown at me. They cannot take that away.
I don't know about you, but I think that wish is still way relevant for 2018. Next year, we must continue to build - we must continue to construct communities, to help those who have been hurt heal, to bind together and become a powerful force of activism and creativity. We need to push back against the evil we've already seen rise. We've seen hope and progress already in places we didn't expect - in Virginia, in Alabama, in other countries as well. Many are refusing to be destroyers of the world that we've built. There is still a lot of darkness to fight, but there still is light. Funny how we even got a Star Wars movie this year that continued with that theme - and no, that's not a spoiler. C'mon, people.
So my hope remains the same, if not a bit updated for the times. For 2018, I send out a hope for that constant fight for building and creating something better. A better society, a better culture, a better world for everyone. The orange man and his cronies have different ideas - but they haven't beaten us yet. Not by a long shot.
Resisting does work, people. We just can't stop.
For New Year's Eve, I'll be celebrating with my wife and one of our friends. We might be in Benicia; we might be in San Francisco. But whatever the plan, we will share our accomplishments and our hopes for a better future.
The war is still on, folks. But I haven't given up yet.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone. And Happy New Year.
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