I'm reminded of the wonderful scene in harold and maude when she throws the coin he gives her into the ocean while they are sitting by the water and she says that now she'll always know right where it is.

if I remember why I have something, who gave it to me, or what it means to me then I can never lose it. 

I supose the question for me would be what would I do if I lost my memory, alas that too is a fickle thing isn't it.

a genuine smile sparked by my genuine smile to be in the same space with a man I love.

Everyone in my world would magically be healthy.

This is a story I heard someplace, I don't remember exactly but It stuck with me.  If someone knows where it is from I'd be interested to know its origin.

Both heaven and hell are the same set up:  a giant dining table with all the foods you can imagine, the most delicious incredible things, sparkling plates, glittering glasses.

The catch is everyone has a giant chopstick lashed to each of their hands. 

In hell everyone is starving,  trying to get the food into their mouths is impossible.  They waste away forever, never able to eat.

In heaven everyone is full and happy, instead of trying to feed themselves they are easily feeding each other.

Anger is a kin to inspiration, perhaps a second cousin on its mother’s side.
Anger is a kin to motivation, a sister’s sister in law, a grand nephew.
Anger can get you off your arse and remind you what you stand for.
Anger can fuel change, throw another log on the fire of a movement.

But my favorite thing about Anger is forgiveness.
Anger is a doppelganger for the greatest feeling I’ve ever known.
Without it, I could never feel the freedom that comes from letting it go.

I want to write movies that get made, sit in the dark with audiences and watch my work. I want to write poems that get read in classrooms and coffee shops.  I want to write stories fathers read to their daughters, blankets tucked beneath small chins.  I want to make worlds for little brains to dream about at night.  I want to run a community center that teaches youth the art of film—from idea through development, production, and marketing, all the way to distribution.  I want my students to sit in dark theaters with their parents, their peers, themselves, watch the work they’ve done and be proud.  I want them to know they can. -- In everything they do.  I want to teach them film history, and the history of story, plays and books and oral traditions. I want to teach them math, so they can fundraise and budget and market their films.  I want to teach them art, production design, costuming; Acting, control of emotion, empathy; music and sound.  I want to teach them teamwork and collaboration.  I want to teach them pride in a job well done, love for what they do, and desire for the next project to be even better.  I want to inspire a love of life.  I want to share.  I want to write stories people remember, characters for which they root. I want to write lives that make us realize our lives can be great too.  And I believe I will.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a word too is worth a thousand pictures.  Hope, love, sardine sandwiches.  Daughter, mother, red balloon.  A story is a magic wand. It conjures memory and prophesy—speaks things into being. I am poet, and screenwriter. I love to write, make films, play with kids, grow and watch others grow.  I love being amazed.  I watch.  The world evolves, devolves, swings, swirls, crashes and grows again.  Everyday struggles are overcome, challenges defeated.  People love in spite of everything.  Me, I watch amazed and write it all. I am currently pursuing my MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA.  I am a teacher too.  I spent the last two years teaching English in Japan and have taught Performance poetry and literacy in afterschool programs throughout my life.  Helping youth find their voice is something akin to being touched by gods.  There is a light that shines, radiates, when someone realizes they can express their thoughts concretely.  There is little greater than helping someone write the masterpiece that frees them.  I tell my students that their pen is their weapon—an outlet for their anger. I tell them it can slay all demons, theirs and the worlds too.  I tell them to be heroes in their own story, on paper, in action and in their hearts.  And days when I am extra lucky I make people laugh.

About me:

I am a storyteller, an entertainer, an educator, a preserver of cluture, the bringer of smiles.  I am a storyteller.