The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/29255
Diversity Rules By Jim Koury Today is the culmination of all History by Clint Henderson This moment is the best, is the mounting thrill of the next As exhilaration builds and trades tones in anticipation for the gift, I can feel you breathe Sudden startling moments are taking shape and breaking They’re making you and me, they’re breaking you and me, they’re remaking you and me to free to fast to say There’s just time enough to live There’s still the form of fire in us pushing through the soft ash to remember these words We will never be words I can see your eyes lowering themselves as your ears humble themselves Words break as your worlds come apart There is a bridge that’s disappearing and you’re on it You turn to wings to dust to the invisible And the speed of your flight looks just like nothing, as a clear thread passes through you into everything Ah The speed is increasing you into beauty Beneath this poem, there are other’s that are unknown rushing toward you at exactly the speed of your honesty These are poems, the wave of your hands the tilt of your head They’re just too sacred to sing Beneath this rhythm, there’s another rhythm that looks just like chaos That’s the speed of what you think coming undone as you come into tune with what you seek the speed increases you into beauty So that your soaring calm can turn to song HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL POETRY MONTH read a book of poetry memorize a poem revisit a favorite poem put poetry in an unex- pected place attend a poetry reading read a poem at an open mic 14 O-Town Scene April 14, 2011 submit a poem to Manifest-O by emailing editor@otownscene.com send a poem in a letter or e-mail write a poem on the pave- ment in chalk recite a poem at dinner sign up for a poetry class Comedy Night featuring Amy Carlson, 8 p.m., The Black Box Theater at The Stone Mill, Little Falls. Sat. 4/16 STAP’s Rock Star Celebrity Bartending Bash, 4 to 7 p.m., Tranquil Bar and Bistro, 36 Pine St., Binghamton. A fundraiser for the South- ern Tier AIDS Program. Sun. 4/17 LGBT professionals networking happy hour, Thurs. 4/21 Take control of own destiny Expectations; we all have them. When we are young we expect to grow up to be successful, healthy, well grounded individuals. The innocence of youth harbors high expectations for not only ourselves but for those around us and how we interact with them. We also expect to be treated fairly and equitably, and want to trust people to do the right thing for themselves and others. As we grow older, life takes hold and it begins to dictate what the reality will be. As a result, our youthful expectations seem to dimin- ish. We shove them to the back of our minds because we allow the perceived realities of life to tell us that we do not deserve those gran- diose expectations fabricated in our youthful, innocent minds. Instead we settle for less; our expectations of what will be our reality become dependent upon external influences and circumstances dictated by others. As a result, our ego minds convince us that lessened expectations are what we deserve. Many of us who lived closeted lives also had high expectations, but there was a hidden regulator on our ability to actually know deep inside ourselves that our expectations could be fulfilled. Our ego minds would always draw us back to the reality that “hey you are gay; you aren’t going to achieve those high expecta- tions, so just settle for less and be done with it.” Unfortunately, many LGBTQ individuals take this perception of their lives to their graves. They never regain their innate ability to shape their own destiny by using the power of their minds to bring their high expectations to frui- tion. They die with their songs unsung. Repel the shackles of the ego! Take charge of your life once again. Remember the exhilara- tion you felt resulting from your youthful ex- pectations, dreams and desires. Recapture that energy by releasing the power of expectation! Decide today that you are not going to die with the music of your life unwritten, unscripted. Write your own choreography of your future by using your power of expectation to set your goals of who you want to become. Reject those that wish to put a regulator on your ability to see grander circumstances for yourselves. Jim Koury was born and raised in Oneonta. He is a gay activist, and the city clerk of Oneonta, a position he has held for 18 years. He can be reached at editor@diversityrulesmagazine.com. LGBT Events Trash Thursday with Katrina, 9 p.m. Merlin’s, 201 State St., Binghamton. Thurs. 4/14 College Night at Merlin’s, 8 p.m., 201 State St., Binghamton. College ID’s in free before 11 p.m. Fri. 4/15 6 to 9 p.m., Club Helsinki, 405 Columbia St., Hudson. Color Me Streisand, 9 p.m., Twist Ultra Lounge, 252 West Genesee St., Syracuse. A Barbara Streisand tribute show. Fri. 4/22 Southern Tier AIDS Walk/Run, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Recreation Park, Beethoven Street, Binghamton. Sat. 4/30 Equality and Justice Day in Albany, meet with legislators in their Albany offices to encour- age their support for all bills promoting LGBT advancements toward equality. Sun. 5/8 Big Gay Cruise, Pride 2011, 11:30 p.m., JP Cruise Lines Dock, State and Front streets. Fri. 6/10 the Diversity Scene April 14-21