Tigerlily Logic

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:30:00 +0000

The Morning After

Nov 9, 2016

Diana Tigerlily

I’m grieving and processing the election. In the years that I taught small group projects at the University, overwhelmingly, the women emerged as the group leaders, and the majority of the men the majority of the time largely slacked. Of the many things that were always problematic about this dynamic, the most troubling was the fact that in the event that, say, the hardest working woman of the group and the biggest slacker man of the group were to be interviewed for the same exact job position, the odds were that the man would be hired over the woman, despite the woman’s qualifications and hard work.

It has always troubled me that the slacker white male student in the baseball cap, khaki shorts, and flip flops who floated into class half-glazed and five minutes late knew that he could afford to be lazy, while at the same time the women of all colors and the men of color would show up every day, punctual, prepared, dressed professionally and perfectly groomed—disciplinary practices that cost time and money—because these students of the non-dominant group knew that they had to work extra hard to earn even a fraction of the credibility that the rich, white, male slacker was simply born with by virtue of his gender, race, and class.

The fact that this scenario has now played out on the national stage of the presidential election leaves me somewhere deeply between grief, despair, disappointment, and rage. The rich white man, in this case, Donald Trump, who never did his homework to prepare for the national debates, who held zero job experience in the field for which he was applying, who showed up in his baseball cap and baggy attire, who capitalized on his privilege to brag about how he can have whatever he wants (because as a rich, white man his entitlement has been reinforced over and over again throughout his lifetime, so he has had no reason to even be conscious of the fact, that, no, he should not be entitled to anything he wants, including women’s bodies), who, in fact just won the presidency, once again reinforces that in America’s systemic sexist, racist, classist patriarchy, the slacker boy can wing, bullshit, lie, insult, and bully his way through speeches into the biggest microphones set up just for him and experience very little reprimand and in fact be rewarded. So why should he even begin to care if he fails the course (the debate, the interview) when he knows he can still get the job?

And yes, I’m going to try to move through my grief. I’m going to embrace the people I love. I’m going to continue affirming to myself and to all the people who are not of the Donald Trump likeness that, yes, we matter, our work matters, our lives matter. But I will be honest. I’m grieving that so much of our energy is spent on simply affirming one another. Not that we shouldn’t affirm one another. I’m saying I’m sad that we haven’t had the luxury to move past putting so much of our energy into these basics of “you matter, we matter.” Shouldn’t this just be the given? I mean isn’t this what we were supposed to be able to comprehend by kindergarten? Isn’t “be kind” the first rule? The good morning hug before we move into the hard work of evolving? Of creatively utilizing our collective resources so that we can all be fed, sheltered, loved, and therefore free to fulfill our passions? Why are we still living in survival mode? Why are we still living at the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid? When can we move beyond investing our energy into meeting basic survival needs and into our collective actualization of justice, social equity, and love? Why do we continue to reward hate?

I’m grieving that Americans are hurting so deeply that half chose to cast their vote for a man who incites hatred, as though hate balms hurt.

I’m grieving that we live in a country that continues to reject the more qualified woman and embrace the unqualified man.

I’m grieving that so many Americans thought it was okay to overlook an individual’s extreme hatred, misogyny, sexual assault, racism, xenophobia, and compulsion to lie, and rationalize that all of his lack of political knowledge and zero preparedness was somehow better than an intelligent, hard-working, overqualified woman who was not completely perfect.

And for those who voted solely “for the Supreme Court”. Please see through your rose-colored glasses to understand the “code” for ‘keeping Citizens United,’ which values corporations over humans; for ‘repealing marriage equality,’ which is a banishment of love; for ‘turning over Roe v Wade,’ which is simply the right to privacy. For those of you who thought your vote for Trump was a vote for anything that you value: your humanity, your freedom to love, your right to a good-paying job, your safety and security, I am grieving that you misunderstood and unwittingly voted against your own best interests.

For those who knew exactly what you were voting for, who voted for Trump because you truly embrace him and his rhetoric of fear and authoritarianism, I am choosing to send love and compassion to you. Because the only way I am able to make sense of this is to assume you must be hurting very deeply. I hope your wounds heal, so that we can together create a world that is built on love and empathy, not fear and fascism.

Meanwhile, to all of us in this shared life, may we somehow find forgiveness for each other, because we have all hurt somebody, and we have all been hurt. Let us each experience moments of kindness with one another. Let us all send energy into the world on behalf of the greater good.

Spring Haiku

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 04:33:00 +0000

First bouquet of spring:

Blossoming plum, hyacinth

And sweet narcissus

Permeate the air.

Scented clarity enters.

Winter slips away.

Diana Tigerlily performs "My Intuitive Body"

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 14:49:00 +0000

Diana Tigerlily performing Margaret Atwood's poem "Half-Hanged Mary"

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 04:34:00 +0000

Diana Tigerlily performing Anne Sexton's poem "Her Kind"

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 04:32:00 +0000

Herb Bouquet

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:18:00 +0000

dill and lavender

butterfly milkweed and one

flowering onion

Thea Alvin's Infinity Arch at Mandala Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Stone Sculptor Thea Alvin came to Mandala Gardens in Marion, Illinois, with Michael Clookey and together they, with me, Greg, Lisa, and Margie, built "Infinity Arch"--Thea Alvin's original design. It's never been built until now. Thea has been waiting ten years to find the right place to build it. The structure contains approximately 60-70 tons of sandstone, and we built it in four and a half days. We feel honored to have Thea Alvin's stone art at Mandala Gardens.

Peony Haiku

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Dressed in frilly silk,

Peonies Viennese Waltz

in waxy ballrooms

Poppy

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:03:00 +0000

Iris after the Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:05:00 +0000

May Haiku: Wisterian Synesthesia

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:49:00 +0000

Wisteria's petals drip

synesthesia, tease

eyes to taste, tongue to breathe touch

April Haiku: Visit Mandala Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:40:00 +0000

Mandala Gardens

is open again today.

We hope to see you!

March Haiku: Daffodil Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:38:00 +0000

daffodils beaming

sunshine from soggy soil

evoke heart smiles

March Haiku: Hyacinth's Insistence

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:27:00 +0000

determination

of the hyacinth insists

upon spring's presence

Uprising

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:38:00 +0000

Here is my newest poem. I've set it to a series of self-portraits I took in my garden several years ago.

Spell It Out

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:34:00 +0000

It's hard to believe it's been almost eight years since I first performed my solo show, Depleting Patriarchy (2005). Here's an excerpt from that performance.

February Haiku: Crocus Bouquet

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:19:00 +0000

crocus blooms skyward

saffron bouquet beckoning

possibility

The Sanctity of Human Life

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:48:00 +0000

Attention Catholics

excited about Romney’s VP pick Paul Ryan.

Did you know that Paul Ryan angered the Catholic Nuns?

The Nuns see Ryan’s budget proposal as immoral

because it lowers taxes for the wealthy

and attacks programs that support the poor.

Attention Women

excited about Romney’s VP pick of Paul Ryan.

If Dick and Jane are at work

lifting the same box minute after minute,

the exact same number of times,

who should be paid more money?

a. Dick

b. Jane

c. Neither Dick nor Jane should be paid more than the other. They should be paid equally for doing equal work.

If you believe the answer is C, then vote against Paul Ryan.

Paul Ryan thinks Dick should be paid more than Jane.

He voted against allowing Jane recourse against pay discrimination;

He voted against the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Paul Ryan places less value on women than men.

Attention Humans

excited about Romney’s VP pick of Paul Ryan.

You find out that your loved one is pregnant

but that carrying the pregnancy to term and giving birth

will threaten your pregnant loved one’s life. Do you

a. tell your loved one her only option is to give birth and die

b. discuss the option to terminate the pregnancy

If you think the answer is ‘b’ then vote against Paul Ryan.

Ryan cosponsored the Sanctity of Human Life Act

declaring a fertilized egg as having “personhood” status.

Ryan wants to pass this Act

and remove the option to legally terminate the pregnancy

even though it would kill your loved one.

He values the fertilized egg’s one-celled existence

more than your loved one’s full life.

Ironically, he thinks it’d be okay to kill the mother

because he believes in the “Sanctity of Human Life”.

Under Ryan’s logic, either the mother is not a Human Life

OR the mother is a human life but not a sacred one.

Notice that I didn’t even ask your loved one what she thinks or wants?

Ryan doesn’t believe she gets a say in what happens to her body.

Her status is more “uterus” than “personhood.”

If you believe that your pregnant loved one is a person, then vote against Ryan.

By the way, as long as we’re on the subject,

if your teenage daughter gets raped and impregnated by

Uncle Jack, then congratulations.

Under Ryan’s logic, you’re a grandparent and Uncle Jack’s a Daddy.

And under the logic of Ryan’s friend, Todd Akin,

with whom Ryan co-sponsored several anti-woman bills,

your teenage daughter wasn’t even “legitimately raped.”

That’s right. If Uncle Jack had “legitimately raped”---

(“Wait a minute,” retracted Akin, “I meant to say ‘forcibly raped’”)

--Okay. If Uncle Jack had legitimately forcibly raped

your teenage daughter, then she wouldn’t be pregnant:

her body would have stopped the fertilization process, said Akin and Akin’s “experts”.

Per Todd Akin’s logic, your teenage daughter likely seduced Uncle Jack.

She’s a slut anyway, according to Rush Limbaugh.

Your teenage daughter? Well, she doesn’t get say in this.

Her life has less sanctity than a fertilized egg.

She’s merely a Violated Vessel carrying a Human Life with Sanctity.

She simply has to embody trauma, betrayal, and shame

for nine months, maybe forever.

Meanwhile, break out the cigars for Uncle Jack!

If you want to further violate women who have been raped,

then vote for Romney and Ryan.

Attention straight people who “love the sinners but hate the sins.”

I understand how you can be conflicted. You know the bible

says homosexuality is wrong (bible’s exact words, really),

but your Aunt Barbie came out to the family recently

that her “roommate” of twelve years

(whom you all know and just adore)

is really her partner!

and they love each other and they’re getting married

now that the state recently legalized gay marriage.

You were surprised, but not really.

You love Aunt Barbie and her roommate…er… partner, and you always

wondered about their relationship anyway, and deep down,

you’re genuinely happy for her, for them, because they are just good people,

and they treat each other well, and why shouldn’t they get to just live

their life together and be happy, right?

And now they want to adopt a baby

(you can’t help but think how Aunt Barbie would make such a great Mom!)

but they can’t because the state won’t let them,

and that makes you feel kind of sad for Aunt Barbie.

And then you found out that Paul Ryan consistently

votes against LGBT rights, including the right for gay couples to adopt.

It’s a conflict isn’t it?

Should you vote for Ryan and vote against Aunt Barbie?

Even though the Bible’s and Ryan’s views

don’t seem to be making sense

with what you’ve observed first-hand?

All you can see is Aunt Barbie’s love.

And isn’t love fundamental to Christ’s teachings?

And doesn’t sanctity and respect for human life mean all life?

Is Aunt Barbie a human life?

Is the teenage daughter who was raped a human life?

Is the pregnant loved one whose life is in danger a human life?

Is Jane whose getting paid less than Dick for the same work a human life?

Is a person living in poverty a human life?

And now you’re just really confused.

Because now you wonder,

Who counts as a human life?

Am I a human life? And if I am, then shouldn’t my life have sanctity?

Shouldn’t my life be respected?

And why should my life be respected but not Aunt Barbie’s?

or the teenage daughter’s? Or Jane’s?

Or anybody living in poverty?

And, besides, don’t Republicans want the government

to stay out of our personal human lives anyway?

And now you realize

that if you truly care

about the sanctity of human life

and your right to privacy

and your right to dignity

and your right to love

then you must vote

against Romney and Ryan.

--Diana Tigerlily

Dear Republicans, Please clarify: What/Who is "Human Life"?

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:14:00 +0000

Dear Republicans,

I have a sincere request. I'm hoping you can clarify something for me. Everyday, I hear you talk about your "respect for human life." But the more I hear you talk, the less I feel that you respect me. Am I a human life? I perceive myself as human, I believe I am alive. I feel I am human life. If I am human life, then please respect me as you purport you do, so that I won't perceive your assertion as a lie. If I'm not human life, then explain what/who exactly you mean by human life. What/who do you count as human?

It would be helpful to me if you provide a list of what/who you specifically consider human life.

Meanwhile, I will provide my own inquiry into human life:

If am a woman, am I a human life? Many in your party are telling me that if I am raped and impregnated, I will be legally forbidden to abort the one-celled zygote growing in my uterus. Along with the shame and powerlessness and fear and violence that I experienced, I must compromise the next forty-weeks of my life, and possibly the rest of my life, by honoring the "life" forced upon me by a rapist and by your legislation. I do not feel that you are respecting me.

If I am LGBTQ, am I a human life? Say I am in a ten-year relationship with the love of my life, and we would like to get married and start a family. Your legislation wants to ban same sex marriages and adoptions by gay couples, and would deny us numerous other rights and protections afforded to heterosexual couples, including protections from hate speech and discrimination in the work force. I do not feel that you are respecting me.

If I am a single mother raising two kids and living in poverty, am I a human life? If I rely on food stamps and medicaid while I work part time and attend community college funded by financial aid to try to better my life for my children and me, am I a human life? Your budget proposals would slash funding to those programs that I rely upon to better myself. I do not feel that you are respecting me.

If I am a lower-income person of all colors, all genders, all sexual orientations, and all ages, am I a human life? I do not feel respected.

If I am a person of any color besides white, am I a human life? I do not feel respected.

If I am an immigrant, am I a human life? I do not feel respected.

If I am a corporation, am I a human life? According to you and Citizens United, "Yes."

If I am an ultra-wealthy, heterosexual, white, Christian, cisgender, male, am I a human life? According to you, "Yes. Of course. After all, I'm the ultra-wealthy, heterosexual, white, Christian, cisgender, male who wrote the definition of human life and gets to decide who counts and who doesn't."

If I am a rapist's fetus, am I a human life? According to you, "Yes. This is, in fact, our prototype for the Sanctity of Human Life Act. And please take note: according to our experts, the fetus could not possibly belong to a rapist since rapists don't impregnate. This is a "legitimate" human life conceived through an "illegitimate" rape. Once the fetus is born, however, it will become an "illegitimate" child, and it will most likely *not* be ultra-wealthy and heterosexual and white and Christian and cisgender and male, and therefore automatically will cease to be human life."

So, dear Republicans, there is my interpretation of your definition of human life as I see it. From my analysis, I have determined that a) you do not respect me, b) I am not human life, and c) the only human life that counts, according to you, are fetuses, corporations, and wealthy, straight, white, Christian, cisgender men. Once again, I ask you to please clarify my mis/understandings. I want you to tell me how or why my analysis is wrong. And if my analysis is incorrect, then please explain to me why, if you have such strong respect for human life, you continue to so widely disrespect the majority of human lives through your policies, your rhetoric, and your actions.

And, if indeed my analysis is correct, and the only human life you count as worthy of respect are fetuses, corporations, and wealthy, straight, white, Christian, cisgender men, then admit it and quit pretending that you have any kind of integrity. Drop out of office and do some soul-searching. Real leaders have critical-cultural awareness, self-reflexivity, and empathy. Do not speak from your pedestal unless you are prepared to speak on behalf of all human life.

Sincerely,
Diana Tigerlily

Romney & Ryan: an R & R Rant

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Romney and Ryan

an R&R campaign:

Rich and Repellant

Religious and Righteous

Right-wing and Randian

Republican and Repugnant

Running for their lifestyles

of Rest and Relaxation

Running on a lifetime

of Rest and Relaxation

Running for their lives

of Rest and Relaxation

Running on their Rich Roots

of deep pockets

Afforded them by their Rich Roots

of deep privilege

Born into entitlement, raised on access

Romney and Ryan

Representing those who are Really Rich

Accountable only to the Really Rich

An R&R campaign symbolizing all

That is Really wRong Right Now

in Corporate Capitalist Country

beholden to the Red States

Running everyone into the Red

Born into entitlement, raised on access

Romney and Ryan

Running to RailRoad and RamRod

the Rest of us, the un-Rich of the un-Rest-ed,

the underpaid, underemployed, unemployed, and overworked.

The Rest of Us

must collect, catalyze our unRest,

protest the R & R of our distress,

of our distrust,

we must disrupt

their R & R

Wake Up! Romney and Ryan

From your Rich Rest and Relaxation

From your Repugnant and Randian fantasy nation

From your slumbering ignorance and toxic convictions

Before you Ruin us and Rust us all

Don’t Vote R & R

They are the wRonger and wRonger choice

--Diana Tigerlily

Chicken Christianity and its definition

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 13:21:00 +0000

Chicken Christianity: a branch of fundamentalist Christianity that is chicken—i.e. afraid—of anything or anybody not sharing their exact value system, skin tone, sexuality, religion, class, geography, ethnicity, language, political affiliations, educational levels, genitalia, etc. The followers of Chicken Christianity (called Chicken Christians) religiously flock to fast-food chicken places to make themselves feel better (more righteous) and to see others who are chickens like themselves—birds of a feather flock together.

(Chicken Christianity and Chicken Christians are concepts I created in response to the horrible Chick-Fil-A phenomenon of hate and ignorance currently happening in the U.S.. See yesterday's post for my brief commentary: http://www.dianatigerlily.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-chicken-christians.html

The Chicken Christians: Displaying Their Chicken Christianity

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Puffing their chests and clucking their tongues, people flocked to chick filet like a flock of chickens, professing their love for Christian values. Because Jesus said, “Go eat fast-food chicken!” Not “love your neighbor” Not “treat others as you wish to be treated.” Unlike many Fundamentalist American Christians, Jesus was not a hater. Many of these fundamentalist haters will tell you they are not haters; simply, they are performing their Christian duty to uphold Christ’s teachings. To them I respond, If your idea of upholding Christ’s teachings is to individually, collectively, systemically, and chronically hate your neighbors, I think you may have missed the point of His Lessons. And please don’t tell me that you love your neighbors but hate their sins. Love is love is love is love. Love your neighbors and celebrate the abundant goodness that comes from finding love and sharing love and being in love. To do otherwise, dear haters, is a protest against love, and need I remind you, love is Jesus’s basic teaching. If you really want to be a good Christian, go plant some seeds, have an open conversation with somebody who doesn’t look like they could be related to you, listen to the story of another, give some money to a homeless person, donate some fresh produce to a food pantry. But please, don’t puff up your chest like a righteous Christian just because you bought fast-food at a discriminatory place and ate some chicken in the name of hate.

Mandala Gardens: Fresh Harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 19:22:00 +0000

First Tigerlily Blooms of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 19:47:00 +0000

Mandala Gardens: Cordwood Method for the Chicken House

noreply@blogger.com (Diana Tigerlily) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 04:26:00 +0000

Our chicken house has been empty for a couple years, ever since the fox got our chickens. Finally, this May it was time to secure the chicken house and bring home the chickens. Our friend Ambrose came over and taught us the Cordwood Method and helped us build.

Here's the chicken house before we began restoring it.

And the work begins! Here's Ambrose tearing out rotting wood and old chicken wire.

Cedarwood and Oak.
The top is quartered oak logs. The small logs on bottom are cedar, and the large circles are oak.
All the wood was from trees on our property that had fallen in the storms.