With pen and paper (or laptop),
my mind navigates savage places
– unauthorized and shady –
– limitless, immense and vast –
at my desk, in the still of solitude,
I am fierce and wild
*part of my alphabiography series
Slim wallet but exuberantly rich life
*part of my alphabiography series
When I was four, I stood in the backyard
dotted with dandelions and a baby pool
I looked up – the sun radiated my face
I felt melded with everything and life was so good
We were “poor”, but I did not know that
Dad was already worrying about college for his three kids
Mom cried and missed her family back in Korea
But the sun was out and I felt like a flower, blossoming
Here’s a shiny new bowl,
with crushed ice and filtered water
She snubs it – actually walks away –
and seeks water from the murky plant bowl
that captures rainwater,
soil and dead plant parts
daft dog!
If I could say anything to my students, I’d say:
“Hi, my name is Mrs. Wyatt and I like it very quiet.”
But alas, my last name is Wipff
(origin: Alsace-Lorraine) Yes, Swiss
I chose this name! I married it.
My surname is Chung but not Chinese, Korean
It is pronounced “Jung” – not “yung” like Carl (who was Swiss, by the way)
What’s that you say?
Oh yes, I love the Quiet
*Part of my alphabiography series
My passion for poetry is positively preposterous
careful contemplation,
delicate design of discourse,
imagination, inspiration and impact,
I’m in awe: affectionately and alliteratively amazed
*Ralph Waldo Emerson
**Part of my alphabiography project
Go to the animal shelter
walk up and dawn the barking galley
make eye contact with several dogs
– German Shepherds, Pitbulls (many) and a Chihuahua –
she sits quietly with those huge eyes
you can see every rib through her skin
Years later, she will prove herself
to be the most tender family member
yet the most ferocious watchdog –
Her love is vast and absolute
Here is an inspiring (under 3 minute video) of someone using his talents and know-how to help disabled dogs:
My favorite quote of his:
“…but the more I do, the more I want to enhance my knowledge and improve my skills.”
*Part of my alphabiography series
In third grade, my art teacher instructed us to never have too much white paper in our art. “Fill the white space!” Ah, Mrs. Raims. She was great. She gave sound art advice. If you have a small figure on a large canvas of white, it ought to be small for a reason. It ought to be making a statement.
Negative space, however, is not all bad.
“Negative space is, quite simply, the space that surrounds an object in a image. Just as important as that object itself, negative space helps to define the boundaries of positive space and brings balance to a composition.”
Jul 26, 2017 (Creativebloq)
The logo on the cup is for an adult-targeted alcohol and gourmet ice cream shop! (Creativebloq)
I embrace this philosophy of negative space. In a literal, every day sense, I love having lots of negative space in my house.
It leaves room for possibility.
*part of my alphabiography series
My daughter brings books from school
Sherman Alexie and John Cheever
mesmerizing, momentous and magnificent
Indigenous American meets Chekhov of the Suburbs
stories of the malcontents,
the maniacs and the maculate
This teen is spellbound
macrocosms beyond her self now revealed
like I was, when I first split a book in two
*part of my alphabiography series
In a split second – the bond is ruptured
an accident, a mishap, a casualty
first, shock, then pain
this disconnect of parts
damaged
autografts are best
heal thyself
Kismet 