Dawn Thoughts

Yesterday at dawn I woke up thinking about black-eyed peas and collard greens, and that they symbolize money and good luck in the new year, and I thought, I should keep cooking and eating them, maybe it'll help us afford to fix the hole in the roof! I also woke up thinking about a pal of mine who sent me a poem he had written. I re-read it in the early light. What strikes me is his description of how, as a child, he had mentally withdrawn from his body as a form of protection. I had had a similar experience. I remember feeling nothing at family meal-time. It was as if my head was planted on a scarecrow sitting at the dinner table. I had numbness from my mouth through my torso all the way to my ankles. I had lots of feeling in my palms and soles, though, and still do.

I have been working for years to reclaim my body sensations, and I now have a powerful physical antenna. My poems and saxophone-playing seem to come from my skin! I love to play my horn barefoot. I have heard that in India, touching the bare arch of a person's foot with your naked arch is an invitation to intimacy. I can see why!

The cool air and dawn light has rolled in! I can't wait to blam on my horn!! But I'll give the neighbors and Bill time for a few more zzz's. I can't help it, I'm an early bird.