• Cats growling at corners
• Cleansing with the moon, the sun, the air instead of incense
• The protection of prayer
• Rituals: there are so many rituals in this world for relaxation, readiness, keeping panic at bay, protection, tea or coffee, cooking, holidays…
• Ellipses are so much more than a representation of missing words in a quote. They let a thought stretch or indicate an appositive that’s softer than other punctuated explanations. They annoy…oh, the bliss of stretching the English language and its guardians of grammar.
• The pull of naps or twilight daydreams
• The increasing pollen annually
• The horrifying entitlements that crash against me increasing the need to flee into words, stories, books, other lives, laziness
• The way a bedroom can become a safe haven for the spirit even in a bright, happy home
• Shades of loneliness versus the choice of alone
• The power we give away
• The shame we hold inside
• The odd taste of words swallowed in blood

The Commonplace Project begins , so I’m planning on putting each assignment up here to show solidarity with my seniors and give the confused ones mediocre great examples.

A List

• Gentle hum of chatter
• Counting
• Brainstorming out loud
• No, five more, water.
• She can’t chase us down
• I may be old, but I can still write you up
• Feet pounding their way up the hill
• Picture taking
• A door squeaking
• The breeze is perfect and reminds me that right now my classroom is running hot. It’s always fun to take seniors or poets out to write in different locations around the school. My former students probably remember my favorite spots on campus—if only tptb would stop cutting down the big trees.
• So many personal devices
• My inability to type well on my personal device
• Phone is so pedestrian for these mini computer-communicators
• Soot on a building that looks like sinking wings
• Picture taking—twice?!? My hat with my YaYA scarf as decoration around it. (Thanks HB)
• Chatter as they walk back down the hill
• Pale legs and arms
• Bright blue sky
• Grass already patching to brown
• Parsing left behind examples into who might still want them, which ones should just be tossed for lack of original effort, and which ones are decent examples of how or what could be done. My big question is do I make them present since we are starting the project so early? We will end the year with a couple of documentaries and related debates.