Hand-me-downs never seemed so nice

My job was holding her precious flowers

God forbid they rest on the table

She told me to pick up the white lace before the dirt would

grab hold.

She was indeed beautiful

I’m sure she would say the same

She also said mine was “clover-green”

More like knee-length piss silk to me

I hold my smile

Like she would a sticky toddler

A kiss, a bite of icing

and then 15 minutes

of $25,000 conclude

With clutched hands

my suedo-smile fades

As theirs open the honeymoon door

The wall that once shared gossip

tears and drunken banter

Now has no tenant

on the other side

In my sheets, the tears

are the only sound I have now

Away into the future, she went

Into the past I am stuck.

devour

silent stream of tears

seize for no one

their mission down scarred alabaster

to find not a river to feed

but more lonely roads to flood

shadows grab and tease

greedy smiles have their way

to the ground she crawls

And what angels said they would guide us?

spit, tears and blood stain a once

perfect and bright promise

like dust in the air

her path… lost

reaching up for Him

she feels only heat from the raw earth

knees burning,

gluttony in its final moment looms

and into the deep depths of fire

her strawberry locks vanish.

Year 2 For the PLNU TILE Program

Times are indeed changing. Students are playing with their smart phones, falling asleep during lectures and choosing to talk to their neighbors in class, instead of the professor. In these changing times, faculty and staff at PLNU are maintaining a steady change of their own. This change however, deals with the promotion of student-centered learning; in hopes of further engaging the class audience.

The TILE (Technology, Integrated, Learning, Environments) program was introduced in the summer of 2010. A trial run that could have been a hit or miss for faculty and staff at PLNU. Yet, TILE directors Katie Walsh and Terri Linman were adamant about creating a specific program that could connect students with their professors in a more purposeful manner. "We wanted to focus on using technology that supports learning outcomes in a variety of ways" says Walsh. "With faculty's participation, they can redesign one course of their choosing and employ the pedagogies needed to create a student-centered earning environment."

In exchange for the participants' time, TILE directors created "program incentives." When TILE is successfully completed, participants will earn $1,000 in two payments that can be used for several different packages. These packages include camcorders, tablet computers, cases and keyboards; all of which can be used for interaction with students. The selection of these packages are very broad, due to the variation among professors and their courses. However, the outcome of student involvement is predicted to be the same. "While lectures can be effective with some students, I believe that active learning is the most effective strategy for teaching the majority of students," says first year participant Dr. Dan Jackson.

The TILE runs for six weeks and is sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning and Instructional Technology. Applications for TILE 2012 will be distributed next May on the PLNU website.

A.M Poem for the hurting

Surrounded by four large walls

Like a fetus

She lays

Tears drop from white porcelain

New stains form on the wood planks

Where old ones beg for just a thought

Dying colors from sunflowers

Grasp for one last breath

Choked in her throat

An answer knocks at the door

Terrified relief thickens

Like fog around her fragility

An arm tug and away she goes

They know the truth

They know the way

Away she goes

Away she went

Into existence, for the first time

healing, she knows is for the best.

A Response to Poet Marina Tsvetaeva'a "The Appointment"

Her beautiful blues that used to roll back in laughter

Are now fixed upon the street

They rise with moisture and pain

Skin in between the cotton sheets

No longer holds any desire for me

only memories

What she needed, I can no longer give

I stand before her now

Wrinkled and lonely

The vacancy sign above, flickers as if to signal

In need of not this woman

But only a body to fill my time

My shackled hands must release her

Like a butterfly

But it is too late

She is now a white moth

Headed not to the blue sky, but only to a flame.

Japanese Tankas: I am feeling cultured.

The sun's heat beats
sweat dripping from her brow
a smile to fit in
she says not what she feels
fixed to play the part

Tanned weathered hands
grip sharpie cardboard
the sunshine dreams
blind all my sympathies
There is no change today


more to come...

How many licks...?

Sounds dirty right? Hardly dirty in any way, other than the cavities that could be building up in my mouth as I write this.

Sitting at a day job can make one restless and anxious. No windows either. What is going on out there in the world? Is it raining? In San Diego--- I find that to be very doubtful. This is what makes it even worse. Sunny San Diego, and I have an inside, day job. With no windows. How depressing.

So, what else to do in a time of boredom? Slowly, I reach for the little plastic-wrapped goodness on my desk. I reach slowly because a good part of me knows I should not reach for my tenth piece of candy today. However, my sugar-addicted taste buds and self entertainment rely on it! What else can I do? My mouth is watering. According to a very unreliable blog, 75% of Americans are "chronically dehydrated."

After two cups of coffee and ten jolly ranchers, I would say I might fall into that shady category. It is not even noon yet. That makes me sound like an alcoholic. But honestly, what else can help people get through the day? Some interesting ideas would be extremely helpful. For I fear that jolly ranchers and tootsie blow pops will leave me with more cavities and less sensation in my taste buds.