{"id":2149,"date":"2017-01-04T10:27:19","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T15:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=2149"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:47:23","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:47:23","slug":"jan-4-just-average-changes-a-poem-from-a-young-afro-american-man-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2017\/01\/04\/jan-4-just-average-changes-a-poem-from-a-young-afro-american-man-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Jan 4 &#8220;Just Average Changes&#8221; a poem from a young Afro-American man in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Wednesday, January 4 \u00a0\u2013 \u201cjust average changes\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our campus is gradually waking into 2017; \u00a0staff and faculty arrived yesterday, classes on the main campus begin next Monday. \u00a0One year ago today, I posted this poem, sent by Mary Ann Buckley, a soul friend of 40 years. \u00a0She wrote me on December 31, 2015 to introduce this understated poem written by \u201ca young Afro-American man in prison.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 Here\u2019s her cover note. \u00a0 \u201cHi, John, thanks for the poems. Here\u2019s one by a young Afro-American man in prison \u2014 from a web-site connected with an organization that teaches literacy to prisoners. I met the director of the organization in November when she was among those honored by the Library of Congress for their work to promote literacy. I was there because our school in the Dominican Republic was also honored, and it turned out that her mother was taught by our sisters [i.e., Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus]. She\u2019s started sending me her blog which includes some poetry by the prisoners she helps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read outloud, each line works best with a pause. \u00a0Short lines, short pauses create a cadence, which is the poet\u2019s intent I think.<\/p>\n<p>Happy New Year, \u00a0this Wednesday of our first work week on 6 Mile Road.<\/p>\n<p>john sj<\/p>\n<p><strong>Today\u2019s Post\u00a0\u2014 \u00a0\u201cChanging Ways&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No New Year\u2019s resolution for me<br \/>\nNo crying decree<br \/>\nNo promises, just average changes<br \/>\nLess time stressing<\/p>\n<p>More time working out<br \/>\nLess time talking<br \/>\nMore time learning<\/p>\n<p>Not so many haters<br \/>\nA few more friends<br \/>\nNot so much sadness<br \/>\nA little more happiness<\/p>\n<p>Less weakness<br \/>\nMore strength<br \/>\nLess Sleeping<br \/>\nMore thinking<\/p>\n<p>Change after all\u2026is good<br \/>\nChange after all<br \/>\nIs all I know<\/p>\n<p>By VB,\u00a0 September 1, 2015<\/p>\n<p>In\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/freemindsbookclub.org\/changing-ways\">http:\/\/freemindsbookclub.org\/changing-ways<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wednesday, January 4 \u00a0\u2013 \u201cjust average changes\u201d Our campus is gradually waking into 2017; \u00a0staff and faculty arrived yesterday, classes on the main campus begin next Monday. \u00a0One year ago today, I posted this poem, sent by Mary Ann Buckley, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2017\/01\/04\/jan-4-just-average-changes-a-poem-from-a-young-afro-american-man-in-prison\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2149"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2151,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2149\/revisions\/2151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}