Luv4evR

who can write the best love letter using an abundance of text?
The winning love letter will be letterpress printed at The Palace Printing Press, Palace of the Governor's, Santa Fe. A third of the prints will be sold at The Palace Press, a third will go to the winner, and I will keep a third.

WINNER:


<3

 J.-

Erly ths morn

b4 d sun
 
I rolled ot of r bed
 2 soak.

olive slowly shftng 2 blk
 
rvn + owl chsing
ech othr n meadow
wht brd of nite

blk brd of day
endlss cnversation
 
swoopng play

+ danC. 
<3
 -M.


- Matthew Chase-Daniel




HONORABLE MENTIONS:

my cell vibr8s w/u
d abbrebi8d wrds of yr txtz
swEt nothings
airy H+Ks
(OXOXOX)
open hartz
(♥ ♥ ♥)
accumul8ing n my msgs
taking ^ ll my mem:
til I cant remMbr u
WTH
yr lov
S Ø mor
thN a ful crd

- Jing Tsong

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Lov MuzcYr Iyz, ablaze, crescendo 2 a blast, yr lyric lips provide d baritone, yr circling hips @ forte, swinging fst, propel persistent sliding pelvic bone. Mellisma n dis danC assists yr flare, Harmonic, yr gyrations do beguile, a resonating symphony ensnaresunrhythmic me, deciphering yr bass smile . I 1dr wen dis sensual muzc ends, wen you’re |-I dz d conductor pause W hs baton yet poised 2 strike n snd deez twirling notes N2 my aching jaws? Cacophonous, r differing melodies, I tnk I shd Njoy resounding peace. - Emily Withnall

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IYQ coz u mke me hpE.
+U mke me Xcited. I realy lk u.

-Che Kuzov-Tsong (Wood Gormley Elementary)

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Mi Amor, I remMbR d 1st tym I sed I luv u, ^on d rooftop. &I remMbR d 1st tym I triD 2 leaV u, coz it's so hrd 2B btr thN I am!Bt esp, I remMbR d 1st tym u held my shivering bak n d rain.Coz dats wen I really felt d meanN of 4evr— pa' siempre. - Cristina Gonzaléz

----------

ilu mor thN CT of Chicago
nEdz Lake Michigan dnt
evr di. dnt evr run off WWE
oder wmn nEdz u moe. She'll
B jstas impssbL as Im 1s
u gt2 knw her,VLNtine.

- Joan Logghe

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I Luv Uwe usd 2b Bffsbck when u wr fat+ cooti h8d u @ 1st cuzu wr > @ cello than mebt u wr 2 sweetand lik me so we wr friends u wr the 1st boy who (()) me i luvd some1 else thenbt I :’( when i lft 4 hiskoolcuz of u + him both wuznt til u wr in 10th i fell 4 utat wuz durin thxgivin concertu wr so nice when i wuz O.o+ told me I wuz so cuteu got hot then + cuz of him + cuz of thati ignord my <3 4 uu wr danger2 many grls liked u 2 bt i couldnt stop it 4eva+ cours, soon as my grl BFF deciddshe <3 ui startd 2 c I did 2 so I fot it 4 herbt I luvd u 2 muchit mde me green + meani calld hr the fangrlthe monstr u mde in me then in march 11th (ur 10th)u said somethin tat changd meu said u missd me when i wuz gon+ didnt fel norml or rite w/out me+ we spent the concert timehangin out + talkinu trustd me like no1 so I luvd u even thoi wuznt supposd 2.i luvd u my BFFso much tht summr we txtd a lotall the timethro fire and stormu hung w/ me when we had TrekTrek wuz prfctu luvd me thenu said so when u told the wrldi wuz brav + things lookd good bt thenu startd actin weirdlike, sometimes u wantd 2 b w/ mebt then u didn’t+ u playd mean jokes+ said thoughtless things u went w/ hr to hmcomin+ i told my friends finallythey criedbt let me hav uthot it wuz cute then i hrd she wuz ur gfur not supposd 2 hav a gfits not w/ the rules of churchidk what happendim still lostdid u think it wuz OK?do u car that uve changd?tat u scare ppl? + r sad?+ dont do wat u shold? i guss not bt i still luv ui luv u 4evai will do nethin 4 ui will sacrifice myself 4 ui want u happynot sad i wish u luvd mesometimes i think u dobt then… HR.the gf.im not hr.i cant b. i luv uill b ur BFFbt soon im startin ovain college+ wont hav 2 deal w/ u ill tell u thenin a ltr b4 i leavebt only then tat i luv u <3 - Kira Budge

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I dnt LY as f u wr salt-rose, or topaz,
or d <---<; of carnations d fyr shoots off.
ilu ascertN drk fings r 2B luvD,
n :X, btw dshadO n d soul.

ilu as d plant dat nvrblooms bt carries
n Itslf d lyt of hidNflowAs;
tnx 2 yr lov a certN solid fragrance,
risen frm d erth, lyfs darkly n mybod.

ilu w/o noing hw, or wen, or frm whr.
ilu straightforwardly, w/o complexities or pride;
so ilu coz IK no oder wa thN dis:

whr Iduznt Xist,
nor u, so clse dat yr h& on my chest S my h&,
so clse dat yr Iyz clseas I fall |-I.

- Sydney Cooper translates Stephen Tapscott who translates Pablo Neruda

Thank-you to all the participants!!!
Matthew Chase-Daniel, Joan Logghe, Jing Tsong, Che Kuzov-Tsong (Wood-Gormley Elementary), Emily Withnall, Cristina Gonzaléz, Sydney Cooper, Kira Budge (Los AlaMos Highschool), Miranda Honnell (Los Alamos Highschool), Alex L'Esperance & Paul Montoya (Los Alamos Highschool), Ryan Vincent Van Hoy, Jerry Wellman, David Wagner, Joseph Lindsay, Sarah Beckstrom

Read about the contest
Return to www.edietsong.com

Lunch 6/20/2011

I was simply baffled by the sheer number of plates, cups, silverware and service required to bring out the food. Then everyone needs to get thanked for making this all possible. Then the awkward conversation. There definitely should have been wine in the glasses, not iced T. And despite the coffee cups being in just the right spot, no coffee was ever served.

Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful! It's amazing to just sit down and eat. And, I have my own long list of thank-you's.

The hole and the heavy stick


This weekend I charged myself with digging a hole for the outhouse. At six inches, I hit hard soil, and didn’t know how to proceed. I stopped. There’s nothing like rock hard soil to remind me of how miniscule I am in this world, and how pathetically suburban.

Then I saw Pete use the heavy stick to dislodge an enormous rock from the side of the hill and send it barreling down (the earth literally shook). The scene was somewhat hilarious as the rock rolled unexpectedly into an innocent tree. Sorry, tree. Yet, I was totally inspired, and remembered I could use the big heavy stick to break up the earth.

With the help of the heavy stick, I continued digging. The ground was pure clay for 18”, and then became rocky. I scooped the dirt out with coffee mug until I could no longer reach. I fancied the hole looking like an Andy Goldsworthy sculpture. If you looked at it from the right angle it looked like a perfect circular portal leading to the infinite space. I could not wait to take a shit in it.

Society would have us believe that our shit is gross and useless, but here, I return it to the earth. The rich nutrients from my organic mexican coffee as well as the by products of my mostly unprocessed, local semi-organic diet. This is just one of the first steps to living with land.

6/11/2011


In the dream I’m smoking a cigarette.

The heaviness of smoke defines the shape of my lungs.

I had vowed not to ever smoke again, but I had already broken the vow,

so it didn’t matter that I was smoking.

Then I remembered. It wasn’t true that I had broken the vow already.

I had dreamt that I was smoking. I hadn’t really smoked a cigarette.

I was so disappointed with myself for breaking the vow.


Breaking the vow, what for a stupid cigarette?

I felt really stupid.

Along the hike at Tsankawi (Bandelier National Monument), people find shards of pottery and put them on rocks on the side of the path for people to see, a collection of pieces of the before. Some of the pieces have black and white designs which I try to match to other pieces or the ones that I picked up. These pottery shards connect us to each other and to the past, a kind of depth into the landscape. But the shards remind me of another, a broader kind of connection.

Yoko Ono was giving a talk once. She brought out a Ming Dynasty Vase, the blue and white kind that we think of as the pinnacle of Chinese ceramics. She took a hammer and smashed it to pieces. Each audience member got a piece of this precious past. She talked about what a unique moment it was to all get together and promised "we will meet together again in 10 years, and put the pieces back together." Sharing history. The preciousness of gathering, of being together.

I certainly understand the preciousness of gathering. My life sometimes feels like an archeological site, shards as scattered memories. Friends and family seem to float in and out of my life with no true stability. And my many lives are buried underneath the current burdens. Now in cyberspace, the past is brought forth and pieces of me resurface. This cyber "now" is dense with friendship, memory, experience, adventure, and the levity of enjoying life. What a relief. To enjoy the lightness, not unbearable at all, of being.

In Trondheim spring arrives, In Santa Fe the sun rises

I was fortunate to be included in the group show "Anthem" this May at Babel Kunst in Trondheim, Norway with my favorite project "Telecommunity Portrait." This is the project where I sit at home on a live teleconference with the gallery. I ask people to sit down, I draw their portrait. I scan and email the portrait to them and they can print it out. They draw my portrait and tape it up on the gallery wall.

With the time difference, I would wake to darkness at 5am and sit in front of the computer from 5:30am-7:30am as the sun rose. This was 1:30pm-3:30pm in Norway. On the first days, people were wrapped with scarves, on the last days, people were noticeably more cheery from the awakening season.

The amazing part of the project is finding the unspoken connection with a stranger in spite of the borders, the space, and the time. Despite my inability to pronounce anybody's Norwegian name. It's such a relief to connect with others since I find myself so isolated in my day to day life. In fact, I feel like I just don't know what I'm doing here on earth. During this project, my desktop becomes the window of a spaceship. I have travelled to a new land where I need to prove that I come in friendship.

It is stunning to sit with someone, quietly. If we can enjoy each other just as we are, that's peace on earth. So, I am absolutely in love with Marina Abramovic's current piece. She sits on a chair in a museum and people are welcome to come and sit in the chair across from her. The viewer and the viewed become each other.

There's the other sitting practice that I have. I sit alone, spine grounded and floating upwards, there, senses open and alive. Quiet with myself. Accepting myself as I am. Now, can I sit with a stranger, senses open and alive, accepting myself, accepting the other? It happens. But I have to keep practicing and the connection only gets more clear.

A-Z Revolutionaries

Ang Sang Suu Kyi, Vito Acconci
Buddha
Che Guevara
Dalai Lama
Albert Einstein
Frida Kahlo
Mohandas Gandhi
Julia Butterfly Hill
BKS Iyengar
Michael Jordan
Martin Luther King Jr., Kuan Yin
Bruce Lee
Rigoberta Menchu
Vaslav Nijinski
Georgia O'keefe
Philipe Petite, Pele (how do i make the accent aigu on the keyboard?)
Q
Rosa Parks
Gloria Steinam, Shoji Hamada
Tristan Tzara
U
Velasquez
Woodie Guthrie, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alice Waters
Malcom X
Yoko Ono
Z

Please help me fill in the blanks and add other names. I thought of this alphabet because I want to make a book for my sweet daughter filled with my heroes. People that show a rounded and expansive possibility.

I like the idea of revolutionaries using quiet and nonviolent methods. This is really the way to instill lasting change. Also, I'm interested in revolutionaries who change our perception and guide us with the senses. In this sense, they keep us on a human, authentic path.

I started reading about Gandhi when my daughter was around 2 and a half. We watched the movie Gandhi, too. Then one day we saw a little boy at the park wearing big round glasses. Che pointed to him and said "Gandhi!"