Saturday, August 11, 2012

Las Vegas 2012



Lost Wages
Sin City
The Ninth Island
to us
Hawaii islanders
you gotta love it!
It’s the only place where you can
WIN BIG MONEY
and come away with all sorts of vices.
I mean if Jesus had that kind of pull,
the Republicans would be leading in the polls.

Over the last thirty five years,
I’ve been there at least a dozen times
probably more
only some of those times
I don’t want to talk about
if you get my drift

The dry heat
is another benefit
It’s the only place
that women my age
actually pay money to get to
and then spend more money
to moisturize through.


The top seller this year  is NAIL ART
for the low, low price
of $169.00
you can give yourself nail tattoos
AND DO YOUR OWN NAILS.
I mean for a child of the sixties that is HUGE!
I can actually paint my own `effin designs and flowers and GET THIS,
give myself a FRENCH MANICURE in like
FOUR DIFFERENT COLORS!
I have to admit
I was beside myself,
but I told all those pretty young girls and guys
wearing the painted nails
gold leaf togas and collagen
that I would have to get back to them.
FACE it,
I said to myself in the mirror
back at the hotel room
THERE IS NO MAGIC CURE TO AGING
If Ponce de Léon couldn’t find it in Florida
I would BET
it sure as hell ain’t in the desert.

What they DO HAVE lots of is DESSERT!

Desserts that come in all shapes and sizes
and then there’s the FOOD.
If all the homeless people in the world went to VEGAS,
it would solve the hunger problem.
DON”T TELL MONSANTO!
The locals already know this
that’s why they have signs that say:
I’ll admit it--I need a BEER.
These people are not stupid.

My excuse is
I love the shows.

This year we saw
Celine Dion,
and I bought a T-shirt,
The Jersey Boys
I bought a T-shirt,
AND
ABSINTHE,
and I took pictures
and bought
the raunchy underwear!
VEGAS, baby!

Next year I’m
visiting FAMILY
because frankly
all this
human trafficking
indulgence
and disgusting SEX
is exhausting!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Remembering High School


Remembering High School

We asked for birth control
they gave us crowd control.
We blew their minds
rewrote the rules
retraced the chalk lines
FAR the FUCK OUT
Can you dig it?

We grew up with Nixon, Tricky Dick
Bob, Carol, Ted and Alice
We explored our feelings, ignored curfews
experimented with drugs, sex, rock and roll
So sure
we could change the world
hanging out
in our string bikinis
down by the town pool
drenched in iodine and baby oil
SO RED,
SO BROWN,
SO COOL.

Here’s to
hanging out
on the wall in front the High School
checking it out
as streakers flashed by
as red necks chased queers for fun
to draftees sent to `Nam with a gun
from the hippie that dodged to Canada and split
to the trailer trash DICK-- screwing jailbait chicks
naïve chicks
that bought the white picket lie
and snatched a rotten slice
of  the American pie.

Here’s to Peace
the Beatles, the Rolling Stones
the fuel rationing in ‘73
the boy who stole our heart in September
the one they drafted in November
when we were so groovy, gullible.

Here's to the good old days
chilling at THE WELL
the local dive
where we danced past two with Three Dog Night
and got over on the old man and old lady
MAN-- they were SO UPTIGHT!


Here's to
forging excuses
detention with good old Mr. C. 
Here's to cold dead frogs best not inhaled
but if you must
only after the LSD and beer keg chaser.

Here’s to
smoking Marlboro red
inhaling
Pizza and Diet Coke
Hamburgers and Diet Coke
Chilidogs and Diet Coke

Here’s to cold
white-faced corpses
sixteen and seventeen
on the DRUNK and HIGH-way to graduation
from FUCKING HIGH SCHOOL.

Here’s to
Dream on
Sock it to me
Black Panther pride

In Your Face
Mood rings
New York East Side

Here’s to
belly buttons, bell bottoms
and gold pierced lobes
two inch heels,

and that was the guys,

banana seats
and hip-hugging roads
miles and miles
of tall dense pine
poking
through third eye mind
learning to deal, as life unwinds.


Flash forward
here we are
in our fifties
fighting
our bulging hips and waistlines
thinning hairlines
CANCER
Finding Jesus
poking
through the dumpster
high on Spice
fresh out of fish and followers.

Now I ask you, is this expanding your consciousness?

Because If it is
I want to roll over and consider
the psychedelic spider web in my brain

or better yet

the really huge one
on top of the kitchen cabinet

reconsider the pros and cons
the gravity of my CHOICES
explore my inner Zen voice, some more.
So I’m asking JESUS,
what’s it all about
tell it to me straight, I can handle it!
BTW Man, are you done bogarting that joint?

I’m just saying…

Our Route 66, our Highway to Heaven, our Good Times
our COOL, our COPACETIC, our CRAZY
we DID define!

Can you dig it?
©Connie DeDona 7-25-12

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Chicken Scratch:Bridging the Gap A Poultry/Poetry Slam






Chicken Scratch: is Poetry, Dance, Music and just plain FUN!! 

"Why did the Chickens cross the Bridge? To get to the Poultry Slam, of course!" 
"Why do Chickens scratch dirt? Concrete is too hard on their nails" ~ Connie DeDona

Chicken Scratch is also a PSA on GM (genetically modified) food

Protect yourself; YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!! Choose Non-GM food
There are four major GM foods: soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola. They entered our food supply about 12 years ago and are likely contributing to the deteriorating health of Americans. Without any human clinical trials or post-marketing surveillance, we can't tell which declining health statistic may be due to these foods. But we also can't afford to wait to find out. GM foods must be removed from our diet now. To learn which foods are genetically modified and how better to protect yourselves, visit:http://www.ResponsibleTechnology.org

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Good Old Anger


Live not for Battles Won.
Live not for The-End-of-the-Song.
Live in the along.
Gwendolyn Brooks
The Pulitzer winner was born on this day in 1917.



Good Old Anger

I do know this
that’s 
never going to happen.

We can write about it
until Venus comes back
but basically
we are a warring race
of mother fuckers
and there is no getting around it.

We will be fighting
raging
and 
shoving our fists
down each other’s throats
until the end of time,
WHY?
Because it’s profitable

And because LOVE
doesn’t enter into the equation.
SURE 
we know about love 
we hold it up
we show it off
we share it 

We read about it.
Wonderfully pithy
aphorisms are written every day
to make you feel 
all warm and fuzzy.

We draw it as we see it 
or from memory
because we need
to measure it 
but then we lose faith 
we forget that it’s still there.

We need to keep checking it 
to analyze it
for weak spots.

Its good old anger
that gets you through the rough patches
Anger
bitterness
and irony
is how we do battle 
to overcome those demons
that come trekking 
out of the dark places
the swamp
trekking their mud
across your brand new white rug
caring
not at all
about how much you LOVE that rug
or about how this may
alter the grand scheme
of your Zen-ness
NOPE!

So it’s going to have be
anger 
that wedges its size seven wide
down your craw
and takes the crowbar
and uses it to open up your eff’n cranium
you sick twisted
bastard.

How’s that
for being in the 
ALONG?

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Chicken Speak--To Be Or Not To Be


TO BE OR NOT TO BE
that is the question.
Whether tis nobler to walk
on egg shells
or rather
to boldly strut
cock fierce.

To plant one foot in the hen house
and the other
at the foxes lair
exhibiting
super Gumby
flexibility
and strength.

Or to simply roost
in the nearest Mango tree
dreaming
of Iowa corn fields
sinewy stalks
crunchy kernels
liberally sprinkled
with red lipped white grubs.

And to fertilize
with flair
that extra special egg
the one
that stands out from the rest.

The good egg

that breaks the mold
that breaks wind
with a certain HEN NA SAIS QUOI!

That one egg
that exemplifies
everything
chicken.

That one egg
that the others
defer to
when things get
scrambled.

That one egg
that flies in the face of
adversity
and comes out
smelling
like a ham.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Fresh Meat




We
and I say this loosely
who start anew
later in life
like in our 50’s
realize the ramifications
of our actions
but we proceed into deep space anyway.
We press on with resolve and courage
because we know
that time
keeps running ahead
and the best that we can do is
try to keep up.
Call me
fearless
and something other than normal.

I just need
to go over the hurdles
a little slower
and every once in awhile
I enjoy
a good swift kick
to get me started
because the doubters
bring big suitcases
build shells
then like to tuck them
into deep niches and hang out
demanding telescopes and mirrors
with plenty of extra batteries
to focus beyond the present
into the blacker than black void
to ping in mathematical sequences
and then to listen
with a bit of trepidation
for some sign of intelligence and wit
so they can  share
the miracle of
a verse
or some meaty prose
with their friends. 

Not forgetting  the remnant
who exist in the outer reaches of space and time
who are voracious  for new material.
who act as if they have not heard a good story
in eons.

The ancient ones
who have endured
for centuries
like birds of prey
on dry carrion
who will continue to exist
long after
our dusty bones
lie frozen
on a cold dead planet
hurtling through space.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A Night with W.S. Merwin, Poet Laureate of the United States 2010-11, at Kennedy Theater






Posted by Picasa
Letters to a Prisoner-Interview

Letters to a Prisoner by Connie D.- Self-Help/ Recovery

Letters to a Prisoner is required reading at Habilitat-the place of change. It won an Honorable Mention in Poetry at, The 2011 New York Book Festival. An earlier unpublished version, that contained excerpts from, Blue Print For Progress, Al-Anon's Fourth Step Inventory, was approved by Al-Anon. 

Connie D. shares her thoughts on addiction and why it is SO IMPORTANT for other parents to read her book! What are YOU waiting for—get your copy now!https://www.createspace.com/3512628

(Letters to a Prisoner by Connie D. is also available for download on Apple, Nook, Smashwords and Amazon.com.)

Monday, February 20, 2012

Powerful Words – Opening Doors is a Poetry Slam Dunk!




Prepare to be inspired, aroused and LOL!  

Powerful Words – Opening Doors is a Poetry Slam Dunk!

The production begins with a skit in the tradition of Saturday Night Live.  Add in six Author interviews sprinkled throughout, fourteen brilliant performances and we are LIVE, HAWAII!  
This time, I‘ve invited my friends, who have powerful and passionate things to say, that have overcome obstacles and opened a few doors of their own. Women who ROCK!  
Heavyweights like my  friend,  Kumu Hula, Anita `Ilima Kauka Stern who has has agreed once again to bless and  open the Pen Woman conference at Punahou this March. My old friend, Kathryn Waddell Takara, a highly accomplished author and retired UH professor, who has a distinctive voice and style and my new Pen Woman friend, Marcia Zina Mager, who does an inspiring RAP that you just have to hear!  Another of my W.C.C. Writing Retreat friends, Peggy Baxter Barnhardt, joins us to share about being a slam judge and her thoughts on the homeless situation and Marilyn Maya Mendoza, an author of a memoir, who I shared the podium with at the Kapolei Public Library who suffers from panic attacks.   She fills us in on a thing or two about mental illness.  
It is my distinct pleasure to introduce the Habilitat Resident Poets.  Deven R., Logovae A., Sarah S., Kalani M., Sherlyn A., Shawn H., and our sketch artist,  Kahoku.  A big thank you to my Artist friend, Jenee Wonderlich for the sketch stand.  Thank you to Caroline D. and Natalie G. for appearing in the opening skit and for my eloquent introduction.  
Thank you to my son, Jason DeDona, and my husband, Capt. Tommy DeDona,  who contributed their talents to construct and paint our set.  
Special thanks to Jeffrey V.  Nash, Habilitat’s Facility Director and our Olelo producer, whose creative talents worked overtime to film, refilm, edit and leave very little on the virtual cutting room floor. I couldn’t have done it without you!
In conclusion I’d like to quote a verse from the Nickelback hit song, ~ When We Stand Together -- That’s When We All WIN!!   I love the lyrics in this song!
Powerful Words--Opening Doors: Slam Poetry at Habilitat Hawaii

Coming Soon to Olelo—Stay Tuned!

Words are the keys that unlock the healing power within each of us. 
Authors, Slam Poets, Poets and Habilitat Resident Poets and Artists join together to
inspire a healing connection through the power of the Spoken Word. 
Get inspired and plug in to your power. 

In Order of Appearance:
Cornelia "CONNIE D." DeDona http://www.corneliadedona.com      
Kumu Hula, Anita `Ilima Kauka Stern http://insightmedia.us/alohablessings/index.html

Marilyn Maya Mendoza http://fromagoraphobiatozen.wordpress.com    
“I am honored to have been part of such a powerful program. I hope you all watch this and enjoy the talent of the young residents as well as the invited guests. We gave our all. aloha!”

Peggy Baxter-Barnhardt
 http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0036785017/default.aspx

Marcia Zina Mager http://www.marcia-zina-mager.com  

Dr. Kathryn Waddell Takara http://www.kathrynwaddelltakara.com      “I just want to say cheers to your efforts, organizational skills, successful networking in bringing together such a wonderful diversity of voices, and an altogether successful evening at Habilitat. The video tells it all. Thank you so much for making it happen and including me, and all done in such a creative and memorable way.”
Habilitat Hawaii is a long term residential treatment center. Contact Habilitat at 1-800-872-2525 or go online at:  http://www.habilitat.com

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Powerful Words—Opening Doors


Closed Poetry Slam Show
January 29, 2012
Habilitat-the place of change
Coming Soon--to Olelo and the Internet 

Hosted by 
Cornelia Connie D. DeDona
Special Guests
Kumu Hula Anita `Ilima Kauka Stern
Author, Poet Dr. Kathryn Waddell Takara
Author, Poet Marilyn Maya Mendoza
Author, Poet Peggy Baxter Barnhardt
Artist, Author, Poet Marcia Zina Mager
Featuring Habilitat's Resident Slam Poets
AND A FEW SURPRISES!
Produced by Jeffrey V. Nash

Cornelia Connie D. DeDona is an Author, Poet and Slam Artist
She is the award-winning author of Letters to a Prisoner by Connie D., released in Jan. of 2011.    She first appeared at First Thursday’s Fresh Café Poetry Slam hosted by Kealoha in October of 2010 where she wowed the judges with her poem, “I Want to be a Poet”. She has been published in Rain Bird, Windward Community College’s award winning annual journal, since 2008.  Her poems and photography have also been published in various online and print magazines



Kumu Hula, Anita `Ilima  Kauka Stern
is a retired educator, has taught creative writing at the women’s prison in Kailua for six years.  Through the Prison Writing Project, she has helped inmates publish five editions of their work in Hulihia.  She divides her time between writing, teaching hula and the study and practice of Hawaiian spiritual traditions. Ms. Stern lives in Kailua with her family. http://www.alohablessings.com/chant2.html

Marilyn Maya Mendoza was born in Brooklyn NYC and has lived in  Makaha, Hawaii for the last 35 years. Her debut memoir,"From Agoraphobia to Zen" was released in June 2011 to good reviews.   An English teacher at Stevenson Middle School and earlier Japan, Marilyn is working on her second book, a memoir in poetry. http://fromagoraphobiatozen.wordpress.com/

Dr. Kathryn Waddell Takara is a performance poet, author, retired university professor, and motivational speaker. Winner of the American Book Award in 2010, she has toured and read her poetry across the Hawaiian Islands, the USA mainland, in Africa, and China. She has published three books of Poetry: New and Collected Poems, Pacific Raven: Hawaii Poems, Tourmalines: Beyond the Ebony Portal. Contact info:  www.kathrynwaddelltakara.com

Peggy Baxter-Barnhardt  is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio and  North Carolina, she now makes Kapolei, Hawaii her home.  She is the author of Season Of Light, written in 1996 and  last  released in 2009. She is presently writing a book about Hawaii's homeless situation to be complete in 2012.   Mrs. Barnhardt's poetry is powerful and electric. "' Writing has always been my passion, fueled by my mother’s razor wit," she states. Her first submission as a child was to Humpty Dumpty magazine.  http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0036785017/default.aspx

Marcia Zina Mager is an author, journalist, poet, award-winning mixed-media artist, as well as performance artist. Her books have been translated into ten languages. Her international best-sellerBELIEVING IN FAERIES: A Manual for Grown-ups, is now available as an e-book, along with her trendy 31 Words to Create an Organized Life. Marcia regularly entertains audiences in Chinatown as a wild improviser with HomeWreckers, and also performs her original slam poetry at Fresh Café’s First Thursdays.




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