rural-urban interface.

This morning, I saw a coyote booking it through downtown Falmouth on my way to work. I felt bad for the poor little guy/girl. We've expanded into their space and have now written them off as a nuisance. What an existence.

One of my favorite Natalie Merchant songs goes like this:

I may know the word
But not say it
I may know the truth
But not face it
I may hear a sound
A whisper sacred and profound
But turn my head
Indifferent

I may know the word
But not say it
I may love the fruit
But not taste it
I may know the way
To comfort and to soothe
A worried face
But fold my hands
Indifferent

(Chorus)

I may know the word
But not say it
This may be the time
But I might waste it
This may be the hour
Something move me
Someone prove me wrong
Before the night comes
With indifference
...

Some of the rest of the lyrics are a little darker. But, for some reason, every time I hear this song I well up with emotion--a strange sensation that has tones of beauty, responsibility, lightness, weight and balance. Hope, and despair. And that reminds me that being indifferent--without strong feeling of joy, of pain, or the openness to being moved--means, ultimately, giving up on what it means to be alive.

About a month ago, I gave a presentation about Mozambique to a group of sixth graders who were visiting the Center. Yesterday, I was delighted to find some letters from these kids in my mailbox. Yes, I know this was probably a graded assignment that served the dual purpose of practicing the correct format for letter writing and a handwriting test. Nonetheless, some are quite lengthy, and many have additional questions. Now, the question will be whether I can make it a priority to send them back (a) letter(s). Here are a few excerpts from these letters:

"Although you taught my class and me many things, I still have a couple of questions. These questions are: did the people of Mozambique have plumbing like sinks, toilets, etc., and do people in Mozambique not live as long as we do because they do not have a modern-day society? These are questions that I would like to be answered, so I hope you can write back. In the meantime, I would like to say thank you for everything."

"Learning about the Mozambique people was important because it taught me that we are all unique in the way we live. We all have different customs, beliefs, clothes, food, and just a different way of life to survive in our environment...
I wouldn't have minded to learn more about the Mozambique people if there had been more time. For example, I would have liked to know: What other kinds of crops and animals do they raise? What kinds of festivities do they celebrate? And also, what are some of their religious beliefs and customs? Thank you, Ms. Bowman for sharing your knowledge and experience with us about the people of Mozambique. Your presentation grabbed my attention."

(Insert warm, fuzzy feeling here)

"Your job is the awesomest! I wish I could have it. It is neat that you get to travel to Mozambique."

"It looked like a difficult job to collect a ton of firewood for your house...it looks pretty tough to have to do all that work."

Yeah, man. It's getting cold here, and it would be an adjustment to be spending my days running around in moccasins collecting firewood. I hear you on that one.