That is what I investigate. Words both enable and limit human communication.
Divine communication.
When I hear:
Linguistics? Cool! How many languages do you speak?
It's like asking an optometrist how many eyes she has or a marine biologist how many orcas he owns.
Language acts upon the world, it does not merely passively describe/reflect it. Words create worlds.
God speaks to us as he makes us.
What is the world that we are creating, with our political discourse and rhetoric? In what worlds do our pattern of language index our membership? How can changing speech change society?
Monday, September 25, 2017
Thursday, September 14, 2017
a Tayal myth
Here is a story that lies deep in the Taiwanese clay that makes me.
Long ago, two suns ruled the sky. There was no alternation of night and day, and the earth was scorched. The grass withered, the flowers faded, the rivers too were parched. The people of the land convened to speak, and determined that one of the suns had to be shot down.
Three noble warriors volunteered themselves. Each packed his own provisions and carried also a young child on his back, for the journey to the sun was very long. Along the way, they planted seeds. Year by year, month by month, they pressed on. The men grew old and and died.
The children they had carried were grown now. They continued on to the place of the suns to shoot one down. On their journey back they were nourished by the fruit of the trees planted by their fathers.
"The obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it and to fight it—at no matter what risk" said James Baldwin in his "A Talk to Teachers."
Sometimes we plant for the seasons and sometimes we must plant trees. We who labor to change the field(s), must take the children and seeds along.
Long ago, two suns ruled the sky. There was no alternation of night and day, and the earth was scorched. The grass withered, the flowers faded, the rivers too were parched. The people of the land convened to speak, and determined that one of the suns had to be shot down.
Three noble warriors volunteered themselves. Each packed his own provisions and carried also a young child on his back, for the journey to the sun was very long. Along the way, they planted seeds. Year by year, month by month, they pressed on. The men grew old and and died.
The children they had carried were grown now. They continued on to the place of the suns to shoot one down. On their journey back they were nourished by the fruit of the trees planted by their fathers.
"The obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it and to fight it—at no matter what risk" said James Baldwin in his "A Talk to Teachers."
Sometimes we plant for the seasons and sometimes we must plant trees. We who labor to change the field(s), must take the children and seeds along.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
between breaths
Monday night we tangoed in Mitzrayim. Quite literally. The Argentine tango at Penn Museum's Lower Egypt exhibit all evening.
Saturday night after being fed royally by the TSA, all of whose activities revolve around food and feasting, I introduced some of them to Lindy at PILE. Cultural immersion they said.
Sunday while I moped around the church-coffee table at a place I had not visited before because I forgot to coordinate a ride to G&P, I hear, ESTHER?! I glance up and there is the beaming face of a 2nd year in my very same program. She said, Oh my gosh, I'd been praying a long time to make some Christian friends at Penn!
This time of year, every group and initiative says, join us, join us! Clamoring for my attention, affection. Keep me true Abba.
This time of year... my edges get fuzzy. The aki air is tumbling.
Mom went off to TW again.
Guh got a gougou and stars recrossed.
And I remember so hard how Prometheus brought the gift of fire... to the prairie. And I dwell still in this lack and abundance and cycles of seasons. But this one's different.
I met a Peruvian mummy. Being interred in the fetal position - that makes sense to me.
I got to handle 200 years of woven textiles from the Americas. Breathtaking. The Collections ask to be studied. Museums were projects of colonialism.
There is a thorn in my ass sparing me from any delusions that I am good at loving neighbors or serving refugees. When he swung his cane at me and threatened to beat me last week, alarm bells went off, shot me to that speedy space. I called the police. I don't think it was the best thing to do. He and I are made of the same scared, sacred starstuff.
I went straight to work and tanked a training session I was giving. Bad. Not clear of this cloud yet.
von Balthasar and Weil and Harjo and Ignatian exercises keep my heart chambers spacious.
interrogating my privilege and platform constantly these days as friends are affected by DACA, as I enroll students at NSC. Nationalities. Birth lottery. Being a POC in this day and time. Can we bundle and align with indigenous peoples? Should we? Dare we?
The Chao family came down. Revolutionary War museum and Washington's tent. SEPTA troubles and Wissahickon. Sarah haircut experiment.
Chinese students all around. That REC meeting, the KA girl who thinks she's white spilling over, and me wanting to evaporate. AAPI. Burdens/opportunities of representation. Never been in academic spaces in which AAPI's weren't at least more represented than Chinese internationals. (Until now.)
Can I really do this school thing?
Can I learn more languages? Achieve sociocultural fluency in Mandarin instead of this like 9-year-old stammer.
October in Chicago...? Sigh.
Ling and Em and Cliff are home.
Losing my kirigami scissors (where are they?!) is driving me nuts. Brush & ink centering.
Saturday night after being fed royally by the TSA, all of whose activities revolve around food and feasting, I introduced some of them to Lindy at PILE. Cultural immersion they said.
Sunday while I moped around the church-coffee table at a place I had not visited before because I forgot to coordinate a ride to G&P, I hear, ESTHER?! I glance up and there is the beaming face of a 2nd year in my very same program. She said, Oh my gosh, I'd been praying a long time to make some Christian friends at Penn!
This time of year, every group and initiative says, join us, join us! Clamoring for my attention, affection. Keep me true Abba.
This time of year... my edges get fuzzy. The aki air is tumbling.
Mom went off to TW again.
Guh got a gougou and stars recrossed.
And I remember so hard how Prometheus brought the gift of fire... to the prairie. And I dwell still in this lack and abundance and cycles of seasons. But this one's different.
I met a Peruvian mummy. Being interred in the fetal position - that makes sense to me.
I got to handle 200 years of woven textiles from the Americas. Breathtaking. The Collections ask to be studied. Museums were projects of colonialism.
There is a thorn in my ass sparing me from any delusions that I am good at loving neighbors or serving refugees. When he swung his cane at me and threatened to beat me last week, alarm bells went off, shot me to that speedy space. I called the police. I don't think it was the best thing to do. He and I are made of the same scared, sacred starstuff.
I went straight to work and tanked a training session I was giving. Bad. Not clear of this cloud yet.
von Balthasar and Weil and Harjo and Ignatian exercises keep my heart chambers spacious.
interrogating my privilege and platform constantly these days as friends are affected by DACA, as I enroll students at NSC. Nationalities. Birth lottery. Being a POC in this day and time. Can we bundle and align with indigenous peoples? Should we? Dare we?
The Chao family came down. Revolutionary War museum and Washington's tent. SEPTA troubles and Wissahickon. Sarah haircut experiment.
Chinese students all around. That REC meeting, the KA girl who thinks she's white spilling over, and me wanting to evaporate. AAPI. Burdens/opportunities of representation. Never been in academic spaces in which AAPI's weren't at least more represented than Chinese internationals. (Until now.)
Can I really do this school thing?
Can I learn more languages? Achieve sociocultural fluency in Mandarin instead of this like 9-year-old stammer.
October in Chicago...? Sigh.
Ling and Em and Cliff are home.
Losing my kirigami scissors (where are they?!) is driving me nuts. Brush & ink centering.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Salome or Esther
what favor shall i seek? and whose?
wattissa hesed
even up to half my kingdom
what shall i ask of the King?
...your favor, Lord, is our desire
it's Your beauty, Lord
that makes us stand in silence
Your love is better than life.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
two days we feasted
“What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.”
And Esther said “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”
Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.”
So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared.
And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”
Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
And Esther said “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”
Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.”
So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared.
And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”
Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”
July 22–23, 2017
Monday, July 17, 2017
watch out for the iconic ones
I have been guided by this way of seeing, now for two years and 8 days. By windows and icons and crystal lenses.
In times like these I so sharply feel Ann Judson (AJ)'s chastening ache and borrow her form to confess:
Ssstill?! Christ have mercy. In Adoniram's words:
The danger of icons, of course, is idolatry. But how would I see through these stonewalls without a window? I do see You, so clearly through them. The iconic ones. Keep my focus there, let the lens fall away.
In times like these I so sharply feel Ann Judson (AJ)'s chastening ache and borrow her form to confess:
My heart is bound up there; I felt he was my earthly all, my purest source of light, voice, warmth, protection in these dire straits. But God saw it was necessary of my error and strip me of my little all. Oh may it not be in vain that He has done it.
Ssstill?! Christ have mercy. In Adoniram's words:
O may we not suffer in vain! May this bereavement be sanctified to our souls! and for this I hope we have your prayers . . .
The danger of icons, of course, is idolatry. But how would I see through these stonewalls without a window? I do see You, so clearly through them. The iconic ones. Keep my focus there, let the lens fall away.
A man that looks on glass,
On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth,
through it pass,
And then the heav'n espy.
// George Herbert, "The Elixir"
give, feed, serve, receive, love, speak, clothe, wait. as unto Thee.
10. Resolved, to love fiercely but loosely: My friends are not my own. If ever I invest in friendship, to do so freely and charitably, not to buy or possess. If ever I embrace, to do so as to make space for, rather than engulf the other. I can love others, and forget myself, I can risk loss, because I am recollected by Love himself. 19 Jan 2015
16. Resolved, not to make idols of icons. Heart, don't turn good things into ultimate things. I will fail at this a thousand times; a thousand times I will fall at clay feet. A thousand times, help me fall, fail, return to kiss and wash Your feet with the truest tears of repentance. 17 July 2017
Thursday, July 13, 2017
winged help
In the dream, I stood at cliff's edge, watching the eagles hunt.
And the roar and the mist cleared my vision and I saw, they were angels playing in the waterfall! I joined in their laughter.
I told C my happy dream and asked, do angels play?
Maybe, if it is a part of their obedience to God and a life of praise and glory to Him.
And the roar and the mist cleared my vision and I saw, they were angels playing in the waterfall! I joined in their laughter.
I told C my happy dream and asked, do angels play?
Maybe, if it is a part of their obedience to God and a life of praise and glory to Him.
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