Lots of baby time these days at the clinic. Pretty wonderful.

Relaxing in the waiting room/health resources library.

A Poem by Billy Collins

Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Song Dynasty I Pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of their Titles

It seems these poets have nothing
up their ample sleeves
they turn over so many cards so early,
telling us before the first line
whether it is wet or dry,
night or day, the season the man is standing in,
even how much he has had to drink.
Maybe it is autumn and he is looking at a sparrow.
Maybe it is snowing on a town with a beautiful name.
“Viewing Peonies at the Temple of Good Fortune
on a Cloudy Afternoon” is one of Sun Tung Po’s.
“Dipping Water from the River and Simmering Tea”
is another one, or just
“On a Boat, Awake at Night.”
And Lu Yu takes the simple rice cake with
“in a Boat on a Summer Evening
I heard the Cry of a Waterbird.
It Was Very Sad and Seemed To Be Saying
My Woman is Cruel—Moved, I Wrote This Poem.”
There is no iron turnstile to push against here
as with headings like “Vortex on a String,”
“The Horn of Neurosis,” or whatever.
No confusingly inscribed welcome mat to puzzle over.
Instead, “I Walk Out on a Summer Morning
to the Sound of Birds and a Waterfall”
is a beaded curtain brushing over my shoulders.
And “Ten Days of Spring Rain Have Kept Me Indoors”
is a servant who shows me into the room
where a poet with a thin beard
is sitting on a mat witha jug of wine
whispering something about clouds and cold wind,
about sickness and the loss of friends.
How easy he has made it for me to enter here,
to sit down in a corner,
cross my legs like him, and listen.

We need help making a sign for Baltimore Ave.

We'd like to make a beautiful sign for PCA, and we need help. We probably need a 20 ' ladder to measure these brackets, and then eventually to hang the sign. We're going to make a cloth or vinyl sign, and would love help with design and creation. We could definitely barter acupuncture treatments, and can talk about a fee.

Cedar Park Neighbors Meet and Greet this Thursday

On Thursday, March 19, 6-8 pm, Cedar Park Neighbors is hosting a neighborhood Meet and Greet at Elana's Soul - Showcase Lounge and Cafe (formerly known as Leroy's) at 4912 Baltimore Ave. Cedar Park Neighbors organization want's to meet more Cedar Park neighbors, and wants more neighbors to meet each other and to enjoy the *NEW*  Showcase Lounge. There will be a soul food sampling buffet and drink specials. It's free, open to all, and should be a fun evening.