<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">You are cordially invited to join us for the first of monthly series of virtual poetry readings beginning with Maya Spector<div class="">Saturday, July 23 from 10:00 to 10:30 AM PST.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">There is no charge for this event and no need to pre-register, just click this link: <span style="color: rgb(35, 35, 51); font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;" class=""> </span><a target="_blank" href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89802520728?pwd=Y01La2g2bVJ6bzhlOVROMnFqZW9lUT09" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(9, 86, 181); text-decoration: none; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word;" class="">https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89802520728?pwd=Y01La2g2bVJ6bzhlOVROMnFqZW9lUT09</a></div><div class="">and enter the passcode: <strong id="displayPassword" class="hideme" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;">978901</strong><br class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><font face="BookAntiqua" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in;" class=""><font face="BookAntiqua" class=""><font color="#381808" size="3" class="">Maya Spector lives in Oakland, CA. She is a retired children<span style="caret-color: rgb(56, 24, 8);" class="">’</span>s librarian, the mother of two sons, grandmother of three girls and the author of a book of poetry, </font><i style="color: rgb(56, 24, 8); font-size: 12pt;" class="">The Persephone Cycle (</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">available at <a href="http://www.barryandmayaspector.com/" class="">www.barryandmayaspector.com</a><i class="">.) </i><span style="font-style: normal;" class="">Her poetry</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(56, 24, 8);" class=""> has been published in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">a number of poetry anthologies and We’Moon calendars. She is currently working on a second book called </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Distilled: Poems on Eldering </i><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">that should be out by the end of the year. She blogs at <a href="http://www.hangingoutwithhecate.blogspot.com/" class="">www.hangingoutwithhecate.blogspot.com</a>. Maya has been a regular presenter</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> at <i class="">Rumi’s Caravan</i> and <i class="">Great Night of Rumi</i> spoken word<i class=""> </i>events. <o:p class=""> </o:p></span></font></div></div><div class=""><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""><br class=""></o:p></span></div></div><div class=""><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""><br class=""></o:p></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""><br class=""></o:p></span></div><div class=""><div style="text-align: left; margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Elemental</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic"; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">The wind is my lover.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Sometimes he sweeps my mind clean.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Sometimes he caresses my cheek.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Sometimes he is gone.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic"; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">The water is my mother.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">She rocks and holds me </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">as if I were a child.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Unlike the wind, she is constant,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">and I cannot live without her.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Every morning and evening </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">I look to the sky, to wind’s home</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">and admire its changing face.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">But water is my solace.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic"; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Let the bed remain </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">rumpled and unmade.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">I have more important things </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">to tend to – </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">the flickering candles, </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">the morning birdsong, </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">the blank page.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic"; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">I once watched new land being born,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">lava pouring down the pali and across </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">the old land to pour into the sea, </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">creating new earth in a </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">fanfare of pluming smoke.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Why do I think of this now?</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Air and water grow lonely </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">for fire and earth.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic"; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">So, here they are, all assembled, </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">my friends, my family.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Fire says, “Where would you be without me?”</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Earth replies, “Show-off!”</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Fire retorts, “Look who’s talking? What do you call </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">what you do with springtime?”</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Water flows in, “There, there everyone.”</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">Air breezes by, almost, but not quite, </div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class="">blowing out the candles.</div></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Maya Spector</div></div></body></html>