<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class="">You are cordially invited to join us for an Oral Tradition Poetry Salon</font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" face="arial, helvetica" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><span class="" style="font-size: 36px;"><b class="">Sweet Darkness</b></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" face="arial, helvetica" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class="">Saturday, December 22</font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class="">7:00 PM</font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class="">at the home of Larry Robinson and Cynthia Kishi</font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class="">460 Eleanor Ave., Sebastopol</font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class="">Seating is limited; to reserve a space, please send a message to Lrobpoet@son<a href="http://ic.net" class="">ic.net</a> with the name(s) of the people who will occupy the seats. </font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" size="5" class="">(I will not be able to respond to RSVPs until tomorrow; thank you for your patience. In the event that the salon fills before you can reply, I will put you on the waiting list and let you know as we get cancellations.)</font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" face="arial, helvetica" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" face="arial, helvetica" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><font color="#232323" face="arial, helvetica" size="2" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; line-height: normal;"><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Sweet Darkness</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">When your eyes are tired</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">the world is tired also.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">When your vision has gone</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">no part of the world can find you.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Time to go into the dark</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">where the night has eyes</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">to recognize its own.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">There you can be sure </div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">you are not beyond love.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The dark will be your womb</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">tonight.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The night will give you a horizon</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">further than you can see.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">You must learn one thing.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The world was made to be free in.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Give up all the other worlds</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">except the one to which you belong.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">confinement of your aloneness</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">to learn</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">anything or anyone</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">that does not bring you alive</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">is too small for you.</div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;"><br class=""></div><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- David Whyte</div></div></body></html>