Posted By Jane on October 21, 2006
Q.
O New York — you
beast! — why
do I pine for
thee when I have
miles of fat skies where
bright stars scream me
praises where redwoods wear
costumes that swoosh in
clean breeze where the
earth smells like
earth and not
concrete – where
terrain is unbattered where
butterflies flutter where
paths were walked once by a
couple of mules why do I
pine for your
mortal cement when I
hold the whole soul of
the universe – or are
you — the whole
soul of the
universe?
- Ryn Gargulinski
A. It’s that “the grass is always greener…” thing. Us artists are cursed by our copious desire and relentless imaginations. It’s what makes our vision so sharp and our tongues too; our lives so grand and so desperate at the very same instant. WE are the whole soul of the universe. From the mortal cement to the fat skies, your own swooning Jane LeCroy.
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Posted By Jane on November 16, 2001
Q. Joshu’s unsheathed sword,
Glittering, severe frost is illuminating.
Asking what it is,
The body is cut in half.
Which line is most important?
Nine bows,
-Ansho
- Daniel Paley Ellison
A. the line that writes the words
and delivers this
and you
to me
through time.
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Posted By Jane on November 7, 2001
Q. Pretty much every woman I know has been sexually assaulted, molested, raped, domestically abused, and lots of other fucked up stuff. Every morning on the subway I see pictures of women pictured as weak, scantily clad, quiet, submissive and crazy tools with which to sell product. Every day I think about going to court and experiencing such a vile, sexist, racist and classist system first hand fucking me over because I was not a survivor of the rape outlined by the dominant discourse of rape, but by a much more common form of rape by an acquaintance. Then I get out of the subway and men suggest that they should have sex with me, and top it all off by reminding me I am a Chink or a “Vietnam Bitch.” So Jane, what do we do? How will things get better? How will you protect Alice Luna?
- Ayen Tran
A. Your question is a good one and I have been thinking of the answer for a long time and I’m sure through my daughter’s life I will be working on answering that question. Violence towards women is a challenge I deal with in my own life, like all women. How do we protect ourselves? How can I protect my daughter? I have to teach her to protect herself. I have to fill her with self-confidence and give her a critical eye with which to view society and especially advertising. I will teach her to set her own boundaries and believe in them. I will teach her to make her desire the priority. I will provide an environment that offers experiences that will make her love her body and respect her life. I will be an example to her. I will be strong and I will raise her in a community of strong women. I will take her to see amazing things that women do. I will make a big deal celebration out of her first menstruation, we will witness births and death together and have a real dialog about these things, I will take her to the Michigan’s Women’s Music Festival, I will encourage her to celebrate and strengthen her body through physical discipline like karate, dance, yoga or gymnastics. I will fill her life with excellent examples of great people, women and men. I will encourage her to demand high standards when it comes to choosing friends. I will not protect her from reality. I will show her how beautiful the world is and also how terrifying. I will alert her to the dangers and give her tools with which to live bravely. I will provide a strong family where she can always be herself and I will love her. I will love her and I will love her. I am also opening this question up to others. How do we protect women?
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Posted By Jane on September 26, 2001
Q. Is death painful? (I mean, even if you are brutally murdered, does it hurt after your heart stops and everything becomes pitch black?)
- Muriel
A. Pain only exists if someone is there to feel it. When you die (heart stops-pitch black) you stop existing- so there is nothing/no one there to feel the pain of death. No pain, no pleasure, nothing. Death can be painful if it happens slowly, like cancer or being tortured to death. In those situations you are there watching yourself disappear; that is painful. But once you are gone, there is no more pain. This question is similar to the famous “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it- does it make a sound?” No, the tree doesn’t make a sound- because sound, like pain, requires 2 things in order to exist. They need to be both inflicted and received. The impulse to cause sound or pain can be sent out- but if nothing is there to receive the impulse the sound or pain never actually come into existence. When you die you cease to exist; the impulse of pain may be sent out but by the time it reaches you- you are already gone.
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Posted By Jane on September 24, 2001
Q. Why is earth a woman? (Mother Earth…)
- Muriel
A. Humans personify things that are important to them and engendering a thing is part of personification. Earth is a woman because it is much more like a woman than a man and Earth is a woman because humans named Earth and humans all come from Earth and we also all come from women. Men are an important contributor to making human life possible- but physically people come from their mothers body, the same way all life on earth comes from the Earth as a celestial body. The earth is what gives us food and our mothers are our first source of food. Our first food is made inside our mother’s body, milk, this food is perfect for babies and Earth makes us perfect food. I’m so glad I’m a woman.
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