The Teenage Poems and what I’ve learned since: Volume 1
Some years ago I was poking around in my first book, Impassioned Cows by Moonlight, a collection of poems and short stories from my teens. And I had an idea: Wouldn’t it be fun to write a little commentary after each poem, to explain what I had learned since, about the subject of that poem? What I’d learned about identity crises, and overbearing older boyfriends, and sexual abuse, and the real meaning of self-love; about eating disorders, and emotional overloads, and so many other things. What I’d learned through living, and being with a meditation master – Osho – and therapy, and my own inner explorations and discoveries.
This is the first volume of that expanded book. It begins at age 15 in an alternative school in Riverside, California; proceeds to a summer and fall in Ferndale, northern California, and then back to Riverside and the university there. The 60’s were in full swing, my boyfriend was a musician, and I read my poems in coffeehouses where he played. It was a time both moody and sunny, in the midst of my large family, and with a difficult relationship. I was, much of the time, yearning for freedom… even as I was finding the voice that would bring me through the hard times to come, as I filled notebook after notebook with experiences and verse.
Some reviews
“These gorgeous diaries are chock full of tie-dyed nostalgia, delightful pen and ink drawings, photos that reek of incense, and in-your-face honesty. A pilgrimage that began rough, hitching the uncertain roads of youth, has brought her home to herself… A feast where readers can satisfy their munchies while savouring here-and-now wisdom.”Deva Padma, author of TAO oracle and co author, The Osho Zen Tarot
“This eloquent, elegant, intimate and compassionate book is a must-read, a gift for every teenager and adult to be enriched and transformed by.”Nisarg B Nikiel, Human Design teacher
“I read the first page and fell (no, rose) in love. Wow. Every man with a plan to romance a woman needs this book as a tutorial. It’s not preachy, not for the timid, and… a total delight… Also a delight to travel back to 1967, the Summer of Love, and feel the joypain through the words and heart of the womanchild who pours out her whole being, naked and unafraid! I read until I could no longer focus. Love is the word that keeps coming up. Just love. The book is magnificent, intriguing, so wonderful to read the youthful poetry and then have context and commentary. It is a reader’s paradise. The poems are gorgeous and the format… is BRILLIANT!”David Hill, author, Mastering Madness
