Amber Thomas June 30, 2007

Nuff said.

I woke up this morning and set my goal for the day. This is not something I do often. Usually, I wake up, stumble through brushing my teeth and drinking some juice and then the rest of the day is up for grabs. But today, I woke up with a goal: I'm going to ask Yusef Komanyakaa to write a word on me.

Now, it's not that Yusef is an intimidating man. He is...cool. I mean cool like pine tree shade in the middle of a hot meadow cool. I mean cool like miles davis jazz at the blue note cool. I mean cool like blades of grass sprout dew in his wake cool. I've been hanging with the man for a week. Took a workshop with him on Monday. But - it's another thing altogether to ask him to write on me.

So, I worked up the nerve. 2pm followed him to workshop.

"Yusef - I'm doing this project...I'm..yadda yadda"

He laughed. "I'll think about it."

So, I took the man at his word. I went back to him after dinner.

"Yusef - did ya think of a word?"

He laughed some more. His wonderful front porch laugh.

"Yeah - alright."

And he wrote "temple" on my left arm. Now that, my friends, is a blessing like I've never known before.

Then the wonderful sistah Aya de Leon took the photo from me. Isn't it gorgeous?

Today's word was given to me by L'Oreal Snell at the reading in Pittsburgh. We drove down there in the big bus, Paris is Burning on the televisions, and ate some sushi and down-home cooking before parking our butts in the Hillside Center auditorium/gym to listen to Carl Phillips, Cornelius Eady, Toi Dericotte and Yusef Komanyakaa speak the good word. And by good I mean the humorous, poetic, deviant word.

So, in accordance with the mood, L'Oreal wrote "orgasm" on my wrist (picture to come shortly when the scanner is once again available). I said, "Oh - okay. Nobody's written that one yet. That's hot." and she said, "I don't mean it in a sexual way?" You don't? Oh - that's right. Orgasm in the sensual intellectually stimulating way, right?

Cool.

Yesterday, as we drove to the store to get some things, Vivee said, "I have a word for you tomorrow." I said, alright. So, today I found her in workshop, and she wrote "enigmatic" on the back of my neck. What I love is that the photo is also slightly enigmatic. Slightly mimetic/conceptual...Cornelius Eady is hanging out in the back. Talking to somebody about their brilliance.

Today's word is "site" - as in the site of major activities and events. As in the site of memory and moments.

As I walked by yesterday, Dante asked me about the word "vesper" on my arm. I told him about the writing project. He said, "Find me tomorrow. I have a word for you."

So that's what I did. This morning, as I finished breakfast, I saw him trying to find out which sausages were meat and which ones were vegan.

"The flat ones are vegan." I said, as I handed him the sharpie. Without another word, he pulled my sleeve up and wrote `epicurean' on my arm. The left one. My deltoid/bicep area.

Epicurean: having luxurious tastes, sensuality...perhaps - a hedonist.

I have yet to locate a scanner today. I'm at Cave Canem in Pennsylvania, with a group of amazing people. Today, Simone White wrote "vesper" on my right arm. I barely met her, she had been taking a nap, when I asked her. She asked me how long she had to think about it. I replied, "You can think, but not too long."

Here's to hoping I locate a scanner!

Note on June 25th: I located a scanner. Here's the photo. That's the view from my dorm room window.