Wow! I cannot begin to express how moved I was by this week’s impromptu sharing session. It was an unforgettable experience. So powerful. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such an amazing group of people.
I loved what Dr. Zamora said about the perception of Kean University and its students as being “diamonds in the rough” so to speak. I feel the same way about my town, Rahway, and often try to get that message out there to those who may have some negative preconceived notions about the area. I guess that goes along with this week’s theme of the storied campus. It’s all about perceptions and how people view things versus what it’s actually like to be a part of something, be it a university or town, etc. As a former PR gal, this sort of this is always running through my mind. How do we want the world to see us? How can we change others’ views? What does it mean when we try to create our own version of reality for others? As mentioned in this week’s unchecklist, today’s world affords us the opportunity to continually create imagined versions of ourselves online. We are, through the use of social media, constantly pulling out whichever “strings” we deem desirable. It’s like Howard Rheingold says, we have to use “crap detection” to filter out the….well, you know…crap that’s fed to us every day. I don’t think there can ever be an accurate “synthesizing” of one’s experience of anything. For example, my grad experience at Kean has been amazing. This course, for me, has been life-changing. Forgive me for sounding sappy here, but I gloat all the time to my friends and family about the quality of education I am receiving here. And it’s in no doubt because of Dr. Zamora and Alan Levine (and my fellow students, of course). I feel part of something so revolutionary and inspiring that I often think I will look back on this course one day and be just as equally amazed at how “ahead of its time” it was. I feel so fortunate to be doing such groundbreaking, experimental work here and now. I don’t think there are many other schools that offer this kind of coursework. I mean, wow! I definitely do not take what we’re doing for granted. Now, to my point, not all experiences are equal- even at the graduate level. Last semester, I took an average course related to writing and learned a decent amount and made it through the class unscathed. But I wanted more. I wanted THIS. So, if by chance, a student was not fortunate enough to enroll in equally as inspiring courses throughout his/her graduate (or undergraduate) work, I fear his/her experience would certainly fall short of great. Thus, the multiple versions of reality.
So, as suggested, I did make an audio recording of the readings from class (definitely for the benefit of Alan – we missed you in class!!).
Thanks for being such a supportive audience!! It was another healing experience for me.
Evolution
We wash dishes
Take out the trash
Walk the dog
Make coffee
And buy food
But we’re not waiting, anymore
The sun still shines
But you’re not
Coming back
The swelling in my eyes has gone down
My throat has cleared
But I still console Mom
The unthinkable is real
I no longer see
The world through a child’s eyes
Innocence is lost
No more phone calls
No more potluck dishes
Babies have grown and been born
The dreams are gone
Your image faded
Your voice quieted
We have Evolved
Laura Lopez
7-6-15
Fragments
Fragments remain
Intact
Shreds of spirit draped upon her body
Like tinsel on a January tree
Clinging
Withering
Hollow, empty soul
Echoing
Like an endless well filled with unanswered hopes
Silent
Forlorn
Defeated
Her eyes are muddy trenches
Dull
Gloomy
Bleak
Dark
My Mother
Laura Lopez
7-5-15