Happy Easter!

My first book!

I've been so inspired by my work on the soon to be published poetry book that I have decided to publish my own first book. I actually wrote this one about twenty years ago, so I am happy to finally see it in print. It comes from troubling memories of my childhood. It is 42 pages in length but only the first 15 pages are presented here in this book show. I expect this will be the first of many books I will write and publish through online software such as Blurb which I used here.

If He Really Loved Me by Maureen Kavaney Tillman | Make Your Own Book

The Stolen Child by William Butler Yeats

Where dips the rocky highland

Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,

There lies a leafy island

Where flapping herons wake

The drowsy water rats;

There we've hid our faery vats,

Full of berrys

And of reddest stolen cherries.

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.




Where the wave of moonlight glosses

The dim gray sands with light,

Far off by furthest Rosses

We foot it all the night,

Weaving olden dances

Mingling hands and mingling glances

Till the moon has taken flight;

To and fro we leap

And chase the frothy bubbles,

While the world is full of troubles

And anxious in its sleep.

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.




Where the wandering water gushes

From the hills above Glen-Car,

In pools among the rushes

That scare could bathe a star,

We seek for slumbering trout

And whispering in their ears

Give them unquiet dreams;

Leaning softly out

From ferns that drop their tears

Over the young streams.

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.




Away with us he's going,

The solemn-eyed:

He'll hear no more the lowing

Of the calves on the warm hillside

Or the kettle on the hob

Sing peace into his breast,

Or see the brown mice bob

Round and round the oatmeal chest.

For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than he can understand.

This is What Democracy Looks Like!

My most favorite chant at the Wisconsin protests has been - "This is what Democracy looks like!"

On Friday, April 1, 2011, La Crosse, WI area (my home town) Democrats filed a petition of more than 21,700 signatures at the capital in Madison calling for the recall of Wisconsin State Senator Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse). Mr. Kapanke is just the first of 8 GOP senators now facing recall in response to their support of WI Gov. Scott Walker's over-reaching union busting supposed budget bill to be successfully targeted.  There were 15,588 signatures needed for the recall and 60 days to collect them - the over 21,700 signatures were collected totally by volunteers in less than 30 days. The Democrats just need 3 Republican senate seats in Madison to flip to regain control of the senate; then next year when he is eligible for recall with any luck Mr. Walker will be ousted too.

To be at the capital during the protests has been a transforming uplifting experience and I definately feel that very same spirit has filled many state capitals across the midWest - all with newly elected Republican governors who have recently seen their own poll numbers plummet just since taking office in January and after their own union busting tactics created their own firestorms. This disgusting over-reach has started a movement - awakened the sleeping giant - and has confirmed that the GOP 2010 gains and so-called "mandate"will be short-lived. The following article from Alternet.org details the viewpoint of many who feel as I do. It is a very timely eye-opening report.
http://www.alternet.org/story/150456/have_the_wi_protests_changed_americans'_political_perspectives?page=1