Last Night After Class...

I was talking to a fellow poet who is a MFA student. We talked about something that I found very interesting. He told me that he has different folders on his computer that he puts different poems in as works in progress. The idea was that he didn't always see his poems in successive order. The reason I mention this is because we are all going to do these chapbooks at the end of the term. Perhaps this might help someone to organize these little gems we've been writing. It's just a suggestion. Folders are fluid just like anything else but I was struggling with how to organize my work and his idea struck me as brilliant. Something to think about.

I've been struggling with what to write here. I think I had it out with my space over my last entry. In a way I feel very disconnected from my own blog. I usually have tons of things to say. This is odd for me. Ah but, I think something is bubbling. My husband comes from this huge-never-a-dull-moment family aka more drama than you'll ever need in a single lifetime. One sister went to visit another and the report she came back with was disturbing. I listened in horror as she explained that one of her sister's boys got into a scuffle with one of her girls. I was horrified that my nephew was not punished for putting his hands on my niece. Call me old fashioned if you want but it made me see how the cycle of abuse in my husband's family continues. That is a bit personal I know but as academics I think we discuss these topics without it necessarily being something that we come into contact with.

I am the worst position of all because my feelings about the matter are so strong but I've watched members of the family basically turn their heads and look the other way and allow behaviors to continue and nobody stands up for the women involved. I feel bad about my niece more than anything because she doesn't know how unacceptable it is for a man to put his hands on a woman. I don't want her to grow up feeling powerless and voiceless. But now I wonder, when does the cycle start, will this be the first of other events in her life? I hope not. It makes you want to write something good does it not?

Remembering that not all women have the same opportunities or exposure to the right kinds of relationships so they form boundaries that are not healthy for them later. I must call my niece today and tell her that what happened to her is not acceptable. I hope it makes a difference. Someone has to say no and assure her that she is not voiceless. That's my little anecdote for today. Help someone else realize that they have a voice too.