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On a lovely summer evening, seventeen year old Lanah Sawyer of Manhattan took a stroll with a very respectable guy named Henry* Bedlow. They had walked for a short time, when, suddenly, Henry pushed Lanah into a dark alley and brutally raped her. In court, Henry’s attorney argued that by virtue of the fact Lanah agreed to walk with Henry, she had given her consent to have sex with him. The attorney went on to ask the jury, if they wanted to put the life of a respectable, wealthy citizen like Henry Bedlow in the hands of a woman. Henry Bedlow was acquitted on October 8, 1793.**

I wrote the following poem a few days ago when I learned about the gang rape at Cornell University:

I am Jane Doe
And
My body
Belongs to me
Therefore
No modern Henry*
And six
Other Snarks
Have the right
To souse me
And drug me
And then ask me
If it’s okay
To gang bang me.

Carnal (university) Boys
Flawed Weak Men
And other
Perverse Defilers
Who
Flaunt their privilege
And academic prowess
And
Who are never
Expected to
Respect
Or honor me
Only to savage
And ravage me.

**The 1793 true rape account came from my internet research for the IN MY BODY project. It inspired me to write a spoken word piece entitled, “My Body Belongs to Me,” which later became part of IN MY BODY the Musical—soon to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Additional details of the horrific Henry Bedlow crime can be found in “The Sewing Girl’s Tale” by John Wood Sweet.
€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€

I vehemently oppose a public livestream of the execution of mass shooter Nidal Hasan by a military firing squad. I feel this is extreme overreach and utterly barbaric.
**********************************

In other news…Anne Carson won the Nobel Prize for Literature. I have one of her books which I’m still looking for. It’s a “translation” of “Antigone.” Brilliant. Irreverent. She is.

Mike and I put our official ballots in the official ballot drop box yesterday. It felt so good. XO

#mybodybelongstome #cornell #rape #annecarson #inmybody by @liswrite

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2 days ago

Assemblage served up on a LeRoy Neiman plate. LeRoy was an artist who achieved fame for his illustrations in “Playboy Magazine”.

The Writer 2022

Sitting here thinking about no thing
With too many ifs, ands and buts.
Some may call it daydreaming
Others refer to it as dementing.

I lied to you about writing.
Haven’t touched a keyboard
In well over two years. Why?
Busy rescuing himself for me.

Piles of snippets too many to count
Scribbled in the dark on post-its,
And my “trunk” is full of them—
Religiously hoarding for what?

Why would I do this saving thing?
Not having laughed in forever ago
It’s for the sake of writing again
Also for laughing and for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Social Democrats are capitalists with safety nets.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every person’s needs, but not every person’s greed.” — Mahatma Gandhi

I’m considering writing a poem called, “The Desperate Despot’s Blues”.
Here are some words that rhyme with blues:
shoes, snooze, ruse, use, stooge
news, muse, chews, sues, views

XO by @liswrite

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4 days ago

“Synonym.” Released into our ears and then etched into our souls.

Michell Ndegeocello sings fifteen songs with the likes of Laura Lee, Emily King, Lizz Wright, Chaka Khan, Moses Sumney, Cynthia Erivo, ANOHNI, Madison Cunningham, Brandi Carlisle and more.

#synonym #music #meshellndegeocello #soul by @liswrite

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5 days ago

My sister came to visit for a few days.

It was a nourishing nostalgia-filled time. We giggled. A lot. We wept a little.

She retired a few years ago only to become a chaplain for hospice patients. If that’s retirement, I’ll eat my hat. But she thrives on giving care.

Corrosion was the word she used to describe the state of our skin. We compared various potions we spend (and waste) our loot on. We concluded none of them work but they sure do smell good.

We had serious truth sessions about trump, digestive systems, weddings, GLP1, double chins, beards, old man spouses, the overuse of the word obese, Sleep Apnea, GERD, knees, backs, feet, age spots, step 4, etcetera—all the while eating chocolate confections from Maman and Gelato Boy ice cream cones.
We also ate Asian noodle salad, tuna sammies, chicken with cranberry bourbon jam and an order-in from Cleavers—superb makers of cheesesteaks—not the funky delectable South Philly ones but truly fabulous Delcolicious ones (nonetheless). Yum.

If you are actually reading this shit, you must be wondering about step 4. It’s the step right before we move into the “wooden overcoat” or an urn or get scattered at sea. It’s the step we take after downsizing to a smaller abode to be near our kids and grandkids(just in case) and declaring this is our absolute last move. No matter what! 🤣

Pat (Norg) and I watched the Eagles lose and saw movies (films?) from our list of favorites to include “Dumplin,” “A Bronx Tale,” “CODA,” “Jackie Brown,” and “Pink Cadillac”.

Throughout it all, Mike was a good sport. He’s known my sister since she was 11.

Okay. So we went nowhere. So what?!

Please VOTE like your life depends on it. Because it does.

But stay calm.

XO

#liswrite #vote #sisters #sisterhood #aging @_mamannyc_ by @liswrite

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6 days ago

My apologies. I found this buried in my photos and I have no provenance. Emily Dickinson is my favorite poet. This line is from a letter she wrote to a friend. AI tells me “she joked about how her household possessions (“effects”) and a list detailing her hat, coat, and best shoes got lost in the melee of a move, leading to this famous remark.”

A joke. But also an absolutely perfect metaphor for the way I (and methinks so many others) feel right now—lost in a very dark place without enough light to find ourselves. Desperately trying to hold it all together—to find order in chaos.

Let me give you some e.g. :

The nightmare (schmitt storm) in the Senate yesterday when Republican Senator Schmitt devised an ill-conceived absolutely fake conspiracy trap for Jack Smith. Replete with follow-up interviews with MAGA podcasters. It failed. Bitterly.

What’s a dirtbag? I’ve heard of a scumbag and a douchebag but…

“President” using (abusing) his full immunity and (with) absolutely no morals or grace.

And his support for Putin and Lukashenko instead of our friends and allies. In the ‘90s, I worked with a human rights NGO and got the lowdown on the cruel and autocratic president of Belarus. A full out heartless dictator. I mean the kind of man who makes me shudder.

The prosecution and expulsion of immigrant children—10 year olds—without lawyers who appear before judges. Our judges. In our country. USA.

Deep concern over flooding and erosion at the Jersey Shore being met with personal abuse and insults from Don’t Tread On Me-ers or Climate Change Deny-ers. Wowza!

And the War with Iran continues.
And “President” says, “Maybe we will blow them up.” Again. Again. Again. And again. Déjà vu.

And the starving Cubans. And the starving Americans. And the wounded soldiers. And the wounded innocents. And ICE.

“I’m out with lanterns looking for myself.”

Help.

#liswrite #emilydickinson by @liswrite

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11 days ago

She calls the things around her Assemblage
Cherished and obliged to keep what nots
What ifs, knicknacks, bric-a-brac, et cetera

Some food for thought and also some other stuff for thought or not.

Bagels are God’s divine intervention.

Lobster is manna—swoon worthy with or without butter.

Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

Never trust a tidy sandwich.

I’m making a list of my favorite movies. Thoughts?

I just started eating lettuce again.

Do you remember the assault with a deadly hoagie?

Something smells good. I think it’s my burp. Must have been the salted caramel chocolate chip cookie I got from Maman. OMG! Thoroughly sensational.

Eat garlic and onions. Bad breath is better than no breath at all.

You are what you eat. Today I am that salted caramel chocolate chip cookie I told you about. And a pumpernickel bagel with jalapeño spread. And a naval orange. So far.

Did you know Cynthia Rhodes was in both “Flashdance” and “Dirty Dancing?”

Did anyone else have a grandmother who made bubbalahs?
My bubbalah making magic fingered grandmother was Eva. She was five feet of pepper. She consistently reminded me to keep my pants on.
Whatever.

Hmmm? Where was I? Later.

#liswrite #writer #food #poetry #instagram by @liswrite

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12 days ago

Stone Harbor, NJ this week.

Mike and I grew up in a town called Oceanside. The sea is in our DNA.

We lived in Stone Harbor for nearly seven years—hoping it could be the full circle answer for us—our forevermore place.

I’ve been wanting to write about our experience in Stone Harbor. This week’s wild Nor’Easter gave me the courage to start.

We left the island two years ago partly for the following reasons:

Each of the seven years we lived in Stone Harbor, the flooding increased.

Each year the ocean took back a bit more of the beach.

Each year sand had to be borrowed from other beaches to replenish the loss—evoking quibbling and bad feelings.

Each year full and part time residents and visitors drove through the flooded streets feeling machismo and machisma and bragging about how many of these storms they had “been through.”

Some even waded through the tainted waters—barefoot.

Few mentioned climate change or the like—
even when the Wetlands Institute was becoming one with the bay.

Politics reared its ugly head. Don’t tread on me!

Other considerations for us were medical care, sense of community, the “closing down” from September to May, greed (ours and others), growing summer crowds, cost of living, the want of family—the drive to and fro the Shore to visit that family during the off-season, the sameness of everyone’s landscaping, the lack of diversity…

Blah. Blah. Blah.

We met some very kind people in Cape May County—Hilary and her sons, Lisa, Karin, Terri A and Terri M, Tom, and Mike the mailman who retired to Colorado before we left.

Recently I learned federal flood insurance subsidies are under threat.

As of this minute, FEMA is still providing flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which remains active under a short-term extension expiring on September 30, 2026.

Today is September 27, 2026.

XO

PS Stone Harbor wasn’t right for us but it’s a happy place for so many people. I hope it and other beloved shore places can survive the wrath of Mother Nature and the reality of climate change.

#liswrite #flood #ocean #insurance by @liswrite

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14 days ago

“Expose Yourself to Art” is Mike Ryerson’s photograph of former mayor Bud Clark of Portland, Oregon flashing a statue by Norman J. Taylor. 1970ish.
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@other98 (karsten sprogue) writes:

“I’m sick and tired of Americans screaming Democrats equal socialism and communism. No one in the US or in the Western World wants socialism.
What we have in Europe, Canada, New Zealand and a lot of other countries around the World, is Social Democracy, which is capitalism with a social safety net. No one goes bankrupt being sick or giving birth, everybody can have an education, no one is left on the streets.”

She calls it “simple human rights.”

SOCIAL DEMOCRACY IS CAPITALISM WITH A SOCIAL SAFETY NET!
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“Somebody’s got the desperate despot’s blues.” Great first line for a poem?!

“D”words: desperate, dickhead, deranged, deflect, defect, defunct, doofus, doophus, devious, disoriented, despicable, dastardly, deplorable (thank you HC), defective, disingenuous, deceitful, duplicitous…
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What’s the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A giant arch with golden eagles looks much like a giant sitting duck. Just sayin’.
👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑

“Thirteen”

If pimples were dimples
They would be adorable
But they are not dimples
And they decidedly suck.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Take note of how she chooses to live eclectic
Oh my gawd! I’ve never seen so much crap
You would think she’s proud of being crazy 🤪
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone asked me if my posts are original. Everything I post is written by me except for what’s not and then I give credit because credit is due.

#liswrite #poetry #politics #art #arch by @liswrite

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18 days ago

We were given two eyes and one mouth.

Our country is being crushed by a desecrator. Unmoral. UnChristian.

“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
-Isaiah 2:4

Still watching the amazing 2026 documentary about World War II with Tom Hanks. On this eve of Yom Kippur, I urge you to see Episode 7 “Darkness Falls.” It is excruciating.

Below find excerpts from my working epic poem now called “All Groan Up.”

“Oh say can you see” takes on new meaning
When your macular is degenerating
And your cataracts are perfectly ripe.

For now my address is a wind tunnel preserve
Townhomes for the I’m not giving up yet set
No JuniperHollowBerryGroveCrest
for me.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“Fury’s gonna take me to the glory goal
In my mind I can’t study war no more
Save the people! Save the children! Save the country!
Save the country! Save the country! Save the country!” —Laura Nyro

#savethechildren #isaiah #war #holocaust #liswrite by @liswrite

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21 days ago

So, how do we tell kids the truth and somehow make it bearable?

Here are my thoughts. Chew hard on them. Then swallow or spit them out. Freedom of choice.

*Do not trust (or expect) social media, the TV, a friend or a babysitter to convey truths.

*Our kids are strong and smart. Many of them already have “this is parent bullshit” detectors so don’t try to candy coat the truth.

*Our kids have the right and the need to learn truths—the good—the bad and, yes, the ugly—about American history and about the new histories we are making each day.

*We are all beneficiaries and victims of our vast technologies—just look at AI—sometimes what seems true one minute mutates into something different in minute two. If we only focus on truth one, we will miss truth two or three…

*Encourage kids to ask questions—no matter how annoying some of these questions will be. Help kids dig into the questions they ask. Give them positive reinforcement for their questions. The better kids get at asking questions, the better they will get at figuring out truths, and the less likely they will become victims of conspiracy theories, political manipulation, two bit con-artists or AI gone mad.
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After reading a very heavy truth treatise, be sure to treat yourself to something yummy like a “Gelato Boy” Fudge Lined Gelato Cone. Try the coffee chip ones. OMG!

“Watching World War II” with Tom Hanks. Disturbing. Definitely worth seeing.

There’s nothing better than taking your bra off after a hard day of having boobs.

#truth #kids #gelato #boobs by @liswrite

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23 days ago

Rest in color.

#petermax #liswrite by @liswrite

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25 days ago

My herbs were crazy bountiful this year. Perhaps it was the acid rain?
They are particularly pungent. So, I softened up some Normandy butter and added a bit more salt. Lol. And a jumble of chopped up herbs. Mash. Mash. And voila! Butter to die for on a fresh baguette or to cook eggs in or to lick off the knife.

I need definitions for “trimmings” and bootlickers.

So…
let’s say the good guys take over Congress. Then what?

Oh my gawd Norg!
You may have an organ recital,
But…
If you think you’ve got age troubles
Where shall I begin?
77 with a beard and grey/green teeth
To match my hair
And no matter what I rub into my face
Slides directly into my wrinkles.
I’m an example of every before photo.

One more question…
What’s the difference between a film and a movie? by @liswrite

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25 days ago