Wednesday, March 26, 2014

2 poems by Dede Fox, off the page poetry series




Our next FPL Off the Page Poetry Series will feature poets Dede Fox and Terry Jude Miller on Wednesday, June 4 at 7pm.

A native Jewish Texan, Dede Fox attended the University of the Americas in Mexico City and graduated with an English degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She has continued her writing education with InPrint Houston, SCBWI, Writers in Performance, Highlights Writing Workshops, and Writers in the Schools.  Texas State Poet Laureate (2011) David Parsons has written about Dede’s book Confessions of a Jewish Texan: not since reading William Jay Smith’s Cherokee Lottery, have I seen such poignant personal histories of a crash of cultures put down so artfully on the page; reaffirming my belief that history is best written, understood and fully realized through poetry.

Glow and Spring Cleaning are from the book Confessions of a Jewish Texan by Dede Fox:


Glow
    for Lirit and Yosepha

Out of blue shadowed woods, fireflies
dart through leafy hedges,
drift up in silence, swimming
to the moon in shimmering chains.
A round-shouldered woman watches
from a screened porch
                             as she rocks a restless baby.

In a world too hot and dry for magic,
she hasn’t seen them for years,
thought they no longer existed.
Now she knows she can chase them,
chase them with her grand-baby
                            beneath a summer moon.

She descends weather worn
steps, captures one, feels it flutter
in her closed hand.  Her round-eyed
granddaughter solemnly studies the spaces
between her trembling fingers
                             and sees it glow. 



Spring Cleaning

Get out the broom and the dustpan.
Sweep them into a pile.
Scoop them up.
Lick them off the floor if you have to.
Fill up grocery sacks.
Fold down the tops.
Get every one.
Load them into a wheelbarrow.
Dump them into the garbage can.
Make damn sure they’re gone,
Every one of them,
That confetti of excuses
Masking fears,
Binding us like slaves in Egypt
When that Red Sea must be crossed
to find the Promised Land.



Friday, March 21, 2014

last night: ellen cherry at FPL



Singer/songwriter ellen cherry gave a wonderful performance at the Friendswood Public Library, performing numerous songs from her cd (New) Years among several others.

 

 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

library honored by visit from Emmett Jackson



Emmett Jackson was a combat engineer who located and disarmed German mines.  He served on the front line during the Battle of the Bulge and crossed the bridge at Remagen while it was still under fire. He was awarded the Bronze Star. He is also the author of Combat Diary; his story told in his own words. Emmett spoke about these experiences at the Friendswood Public Library.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, March 1, 2014

FPL featured artist Angie Adlerz




View the artwork of Angie Adlerz in the Friendswood Public Library Activity Room through the end of April.