O holy St Agnes, cure me of metaphor!
Make me say exactly what I mean
Without trickery or recourse
To words that are not clear or clean.

O martyr and saint, let life be dull
And make our verses unadorned
And let next year’s poems be plainly full
Of signs that lessons have been learned.

The flowers grow, as appointed, from the soil
And do not paint the meadow with delight.
They wither or get picked, which serves to spoil
Our notion, so mistaken on first sight,

That they are sprightly, dancing in the breeze,
Then taking applause, their heads all bowed.
I swear, in all mention of flowers, these
Rich, false words will never be allowed.

In return, please open heaven’s gate
So I can see what really is
With no sweet terms to mask my fate
To live in true, unsweetened bliss.

Colm Tóibín

Sáng nay nhìn thấy xe tải có ký hiệu Sauder’s Eggs khiến tôi bùi ngùi nhớ đến mẹ. Những ký ức chợt ùa về làm tôi vừa nghẹn ngào vừa nở một nụ cười. Ngày xưa mẹ làm cho hãng trứng Sauder’s 10 tiếng mỗi ngày với mức lương tối thiểu. Thế mà mẹ vẫn cảm thấy may mắn có được việc làm. Mẹ thường đùa rằng mẹ sẽ không bao giờ bị thất nghiệp vì ai cũng ăn trứng rồi ỉa ra. Giờ nghĩ lại mẹ nói đúng. Nghề thiết kế website của tôi chả ai cần.

Nhớ lại thời đó mỗi buổi sáng tôi phải thức sớm đưa mẹ đến hãng. Mùa đông lạnh thấu xương ngủ chưa đã giấc cũng phải bò dậy. Giờ đây ước gì được trở lại thời gian đó được đưa đón mẹ mỗi ngày. Thời đó mẹ làm chung với một bác gái người Việt. Lúc đầu hai người thân thiện nhưng rồi trở thành kẻ thù. Mỗi chiều về nghe mẹ kể chuyện xích mích giữa hai người mà khiến tôi xót xa. Lúc đó còn trẻ trâu và luôn đứng về phía của mẹ nên tôi bị lôi vào trận chiến với những đứa con của bác. Họ đã trưởng thành vậy mà vẫn ăn thua với thằng nhóc như tôi.

Người Việt làm chung với nhau đếm không qua đầu ngón tay vậy mà phải tranh cãi nhau. Nghĩ lại buồn cười thật. Giờ đây mọi chuyện cũng đã qua. Có hối tiếc cũng quá muộn. Hy vọng nếu có tình cờ gặp lại, mấy anh chị đó không trách móc chuyện xưa.

Mỗi khi nghĩ đến mẹ, lòng thật buồn và cuộc sống như vô nghĩa. Tôi không thể nào vượt qua được nỗi đau mất mẹ. Cuộc đời này còn lại của tôi sẽ luôn thiếu mẹ. Thiếu đi những tiếng cười của mẹ. Thiếu đi những lời lẽ của mẹ dù trách móc, giận hờn, hay nhắc nhở. Sau khi rời cõi tạm này tôi sẽ gặp lại được mẹ hay không?

Tarriona “Tank” Ball is indeed Vulnerable AF. In this collection, she reflects on her past relationships and her realness came through on the page. You can feel her heartbreaks, emotions, and infatuations. “Expectations,” “Sudden Truth,” and of course “The Ass” are some of my favorites.

I am in Venice,
Dreaming of what

It was like
When painters,

Knew which way
To turn

When they had need
For commissions

Or when they sought
Salvation.

There is fog
In the morning

To cloud our
Spirits,

And then sunlight.
In Venice,

Faces in paintings
Are alive with need,

Not just
The main players

But the others
Who stood by

Hardly caring
Who preached sermons,

Who lived
Or who died.

They were busy,
These figures

At the edges,
And did not often think

About redemption,
Much less about

Salvation.
Their faces

Then, and ours now,
Look as though

We are meant, in fact,
For commerce,

Working out margins,
Rates of return.

It is harder,
As the man said,

To imagine
The end of capitalism

Than the end
Of the world.

We hunger, however,
For glare and splash,

An opening
Of the spirit,

The urgent end of
Anything at all.

In the meantime,
I am waiting

For a boat
To take me

To the sanctity
Of the Salute.

The engine
Of the vaporetto

Is grinding
Towards a silence

Like the very first one,
To be broken

Only when
the end
Of capitalism

And the end
Of the world

Appear on the water,
Pursued by the panting

Populace,
The first laden

Down with contracts,
Anti-trust laws,

Overdraft statements,
Old software.

The second
Filled up

With painters
In possession of the new

Colours that
Will be used

To render finality
In all its garishness.

They join forces
Under the domed sky

As the Giudecca
And the Grand Canal

Meet close to
Where I stand

And flow into each
Other, drink

From the waters of the
Exemplary lagoon.

Colm Tóibín

Simone White’s ex-husband called her an “ignorant fucker” because she “will not support any white people with [her] work.” Her poems explores critical theory, motherhood, trap music, and sexual freedom. The collection is a captivating read.

The self review process has changed bit this year with less questions and less verbiage. I was told not select outstanding performance, unless my performance was truly outstanding. I never selected outstanding in the past, but former supervisor always selected outstanding in her review of my performance. I also have a new supervisor this year and I don’t know what to expect. I chose successful across the board. I hope my new supervisor agree, but I am not going to lose sleep over it.

Job Knowledge & Execution

• Stayed on top of responsibilities as Director of Design & Web Services
• Made a major upgrade from MODX version 2 to version 3
• Implemented web application firewall (WAF) to tighten security
• Implemented content delivery network (CDN) to speed up performance
• Upgrade PHP version 7 to 8
• Improved HTML and CSS for richer content delivery
• Revised and improved accessibility
• Worked with our Web Content Specialist to keep content up-to-date
• Developed a solution to display banners on digital monitors to promote the law school activities
• Built out calendar for public events
• Worked with Events Manager to promote the law school special events
• Worked with outside vendors on digital advertising and marketing
• Supported research centers with their WordPress websites
• Collaborated with University’s IT on web-related projects
• Developed new skills by learning and researching on Cascade CMS

Organizational Citizenship/Relationships

• Supported faculty members with their digital requests
• Worked with administrators on website updates and developments
• Provided website solutions for admissions offices, career center, and research centers
• Worked with everyone in the Law School to meet expectations of quality, accuracy, timeliness, ethics, professional conduct, and service to the university community
• Took web accessibility and diversity seriously to support the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Accessible to others and responsive to their questions, needs, and concerns

Goals, Objectives, & Results

• Keep our websites in the best condition
• Support the Dean Strategic Communications and Marketing in web marketing and communications
• Collaborate with Faculty Services Librarian & Assistant Director of Communications and the Technology Services team on web-related technologies and digital designs

Operational Leadership

• Led web development and design research, implementation, and execution
• Initiated projects including WordPress theme design and documenting our processes
• Supervised and mentored the web team
• Provided opportunities for team members to reach their goals

Mentoring & Coaching

• Encouraged team members to learn through online resources and conferences
• Encouraged team members to take on projects that will help them grow their career
• Opened to help others who need feedback on graphic design and web development
• Updated the web design and development blog to provide in-depth documentation on MODX and all of the special features that I have implemented over the years
• Encourage team members to contribute to the blog, which allows them to improve their analytical skills

Reflection

• Successfully maintained high-quality websites for over a decade
• Continuously improving performance, engagement, usability, and accessibility
• There are many opportunities for improvements including creating new exciting contents and removing outdated materials

Development

• Improve the CMS manager to provide an easier way for non-technical users to make updates
• Looking forward to new challenges including Implementing a new content management system
• Improve contents with engaging stories, videos, and interactions

We boys were marching up to Rodman Hall for supper when he stopped and I bumped into him

He whirled around and pointed at me and touched his lips with his middle finger and slicked it back over his head

I protested

He said yes you touch my butt

I said accident not see

He said not believe you

Before breakfast next morning he saw me watching Gilligan’s Island

He switched the channel

Hey

He laughed

Next morning he did the same thing

I said oh that better thank you

He frowned and pressed the remote

That interesting awesome

Switch switch switch

Then Gilligan’s Island was back on and I said no no not that

He laughed and left Gilligan’s Island on

One time I was in the shower room and a rocket of water slammed into me

Fire extinguisher

I couldn’t see anything except for a baseball cap

It was his cap

I laughed and said more more feel good come on

His last year I was still learning the art of the white cane

Sometimes I got delayed tapping around for landmarks

One night I was tapping between Noyes Hall and Frechette Hall and a boy offered his arm

I didn’t know who until under a lamp I saw a baseball cap

Inside Frechette Hall I thanked him and he smiled

A few minutes later Gary Karow our houseparent came up to me and told me that the bully was so happy that he had helped me

A week before he graduated he grabbed my bag of books while my nose wa buried in a book

As I searched for it he gave the bag back and said that he did it because I wasn’t paying attention

His last words to me before leaving were you take care man

Some years later he drove down to Texas with a friend to help him pick up a pickup truck

On his way back alone it was twilight and still in Texas when he turned off his headlights

He steered into oncoming traffic

A car swerved in time

Another swerved

Then it was a truck which couldn’t swerve and that baseball cap

John Lee Clark

It’s such a beautiful day. I hit the skatepark on my lunch break. Although I rollerblade everyday, my progress has stagnated. I have not picked up any skills. I only use the skills I already have so I won’t lose them. I no longer wanted to take the risks to advance to the next level even though I have all the protective gears. I am getting old.

I haven’t set my foot into an ice skating rink in a while. I lost all of my jumping skills. I might head back to it someday. After the kids moved on, I no longer had the reason or the motivation to keep going. Xuân is my only son who is still passionate about scootering; therefore, we still hit the skateparks together. Once he no longer wanted to go, that would be it for me. It wouldn’t feel right going to the skatepark by myself and leaving the kids with my wife even though they would be playing on their digital devices anyway.

As a parent, I have lost my battle against digital addiction. Not even bubble teas, BonChon chicken, nor sushi could get them out of the house. The only thing that might work is through forcing. It’s no longer fun if they come out with angry faces. On one hand, some parents who are too busy trying to make ends meet don’t have the time to spend with their kids. On the other hand, my kids would rather spend time on their devices than with me. It’s super sad.

Since we spend a ridiculous amount of time on our phone, we might as well doing something fun with it. Chris Silverman, my friend and an extraordinary illustrator, draws #notesArt everyday. It is amazing how he uses tools that were intended for annotating documents to draw his incredible artworks. Check out the gallery as well as a short video about the project.

Medlin’s 808 & Otherworlds is a vibrant, pulsating, stunning collection on hip-hop, racism, and Blackness. Their response to Kanye West’s “400 years of slavery sounds like a choice,” is candid and critical. If you love hip-hop, you will enjoy Medlin’s lyrical poetry.