Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Remembering E. Katherine Kerr

I am probably not alone in continuing to process the recent passing of our friend and mentor, E. Katherine Kerr. I am still finding her voice, her gentle, yet firm touch regarding work in my memory, in my journals, on the walls of our yoga room...







Dolphins were a big part of her life, and ours too. What follows is one of the electronic recordings I made of her impact on us. This class would have taken place in Manhattan. The play performance referenced was one we did, Jen-Scott and I, and probably the last time we were in class together.

The "closure" referenced here is very personal for us. The "agency" referred to is something we willingly and trustingly gave up for the sake of a play.         

E.K.'s advice taught me that communicating my thoughts is not an assault on authority, but a way to honor the creative process. I will be forever in her debt for so many things.

 
From my on-line journal:

June 7, 2007

Closure.  Jennifer and I both attended E. Katherine Kerr’s class last night.  It turned out to be a much more moving and rewarding experience than I’d first imagined.  At the outset, I did not want to go.  My resistance was palpable.  However, I took the opportunity to do my monologue from the play directly to Jennifer, instead of out to the audience as I had done in performance.  The result was closure for me, I finally got to say this to her and have her respond, have myself respond in a realistic, human way.  At last, I feel at peace and finished...  Jennifer got closure (I hope) as well.  We did the opening scene the way she felt it could have worked.  She expressed her repressed self...for the first time. 

 E.K. was most passionate in her support that we never let anyone under any circumstances take our “presence” away.  She was adamant and as clear as I’ve ever seen her, seated on the very edge of her chair very firmly declaring we must never let someone take our agency.   It was a powerful and extraordinary experience, one I’m so glad to have witnessed.  Katherine also went on to use this instance to highlight the altruism that we learn much more from difficulty and distress than we do with ease. 

EK had the gift, and we were blessed to have received from her the comfort and benefit of her insight.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Mining the Past

This morning I found the text of my old web log. Here is an excerpt:


And after September I finally went back to Yoga.

5/7/05

Taking a Look

 Step into a booth
Slip a dollar in the slot
Curtain opens come on baby
Show me what you’ve got

I’m young and I’m lonely
I can feel the blood in my vein
Got a rock in my hand
Nowhere to hide my shame

Cold sun rising over a pile of ruins
I look at myself and ask
“What am I doin’? ”

Step out of sunlight
Into shade
Take a sip from the cup
Of coffee I made
Lookin’ down the long pipe
Of my father’s gun
Longin’ for simple days
Of being his son
Come to another door
Slip key into lock
Curtain opens come on baby
Show Daddy what you bought

Cold sun rises over a pile of ruins
I take a look at myself
“Hey buddy, how am I doin’?”

If a man lives long enough
He gets to play it all
Spring, Summer Winter
Comes after fall

I think of mother
Get a chill to my bone
It’s true what they say
You can never go home

Cold sun rises over a rubble heap
I take a look at myself