THE PHOENIX of PHILLIPS Literary Works and Photography from the Phillips Neighborhood
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THE PHOENIX OF PHILLIPS Literary works and photography from the Phillips neighborhood Volume Two • January 2016 Free in Phillips, $1 suggested donation Photo credit: Youth Photographers from the Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR’S NOTE ED EMERSON, VIRGINIA DONNA NESTE is a long-term Welcome to the 2nd edition of The THE PHOENIX Phoenix of Phillips! In this issue, we MCCONNELL, FRAN NELSON, resident of Phillips and recently ED CONWAY, PAM JOHNSON retired as coordinator of community celebrate the theme of “My Beautiful AND PATRICIA ANITA YOUNG ministries at Mt. Olive Lutheran Community”— a theme which is both are all residents of Ebenezer Church. a description of our neighborhood, buildings, and participants in their and a hope. Too often, Phillips is OF PHILLIPS JOHN RICHARD works as the portrayed in the media as a place Literary works and photography from the Phillips neighborhood Life Long Learning Program. Employment Manager at Waite House of crime and decay. In these pages BARB MARTINSON has been (Pillsbury United Communities) in you can see the generous spirit and writing over a year to have her the Phillips Community. When not at beauty of the people who live here and Volume Two January 2016 work considered. This is her first work, John is an avid reader, amateur the land we inhabit, growing like a appearance in The Phoenix of poet and urban gardener. This is his Semilla, a seed of hope. Phillips. second appearance in The Phoenix The writers featured here are not The Phoenix of Phillips of Phillips. unaware of the challenges facing our (El Fenix de Phillips) LUISA CABELLO HANSEL is community, but have chosen to be 612-724-3862 TABLE OF CONTENTS co-pastor of St. Paul’s, and Artistic SANDY SPIELER’S work includes beacons of light. From young children 2742 15th Ave. S. Contributors........................................................................3 Director of the Semilla Center for tiny puppet shows, community to elders, they are voices that shine. Minneapolis, MN 55407 Healing and the Arts. She writes of collaborative performances, main Editor’s Note.......................................................................3 the beauty and the struggle of her stage theater productions, and public EDITOR: native Chile. This is her second art installations. Her works about Patrick Cabello Hansel ADULT WORKS....................................................................4 appearance in The Phoenix of Phillips. Water are an on-going passion, NOTA DEL EDITOR and she loves this Phillips STUDENT EDITORS: YOUTH WORKS...................................................................9 PATRICK CABELLO HANSEL community, working or living here ¡Bienvenidos a la 2a. edición de El Belem Gomez Vega, Marcela Perez, has published poetry, short stories since 1973, and in 2014 was awarded Fénix de Phillips! En esta edición Talia Cabello Hansel SENIOR WORKS...................................................................13 and essays in over 30 journals and the (surprise) Distinguished Artist celebramos el tema “Mi Hermosa anthologies. His novella “Searching” Comunidad” – un tema que es a la Printed by Page 1 Printers of the Year Award from the Special Thanks...................................................................15 was serialized in 33 issues of McKnight Foundation. vez descripción y esperanza para nuestro vecindario. A menudo se Layout by Soleil Graphics Announcements...............................................................16 The Alley. You can see his work at http://www.mnartists.org/Patrick_ PAT WILLIS VINCENT is an artist asume que Phillips es un lugar de To submit work for next issue, Cabello_Hansel. He blogs about his and poet, and a resident of St. Paul’s crimen y decadencia. En estas páginas Contact: Editor at above address passion for justice and beauty at Home, a senior apartment building encontrarán testimonios del espíritu Or e-mail: [email protected] www.spiritwound.blogspot.com. in Phillips. generoso y la belleza de nuestra comunidad, la cual continúa creciendo The Phoenix of Phillips is a project ELIZABETH HENDERSON is a In the interest of safety, no identifying como una Semilla, una semilla de Of the Semilla Center resident of St. Paul’s Home, a senior information is provided for our youth esperanza. for Healing and the Arts apartment building in Phillips. writers. They’re all great! Los escritores representados aquí Of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church estamos plenamente conscientes de TAMMY KEITH is a resident of St. Photographs in this issue were los desafíos que enfrenta Phillips, sin Facebook: Semilla Project Paul’s Home, a senior apartment taken by youth photographers in the embargo hemos escogido ser un faro www.stpaulschurchmpls.org building in Phillips. This is her summer master class: Ave, Belem, de luz. Desde niños hasta ancianos, second appearance in The Phoenix Joey, José, Marian, Marcela, Talia. estas voces brillan. Authors retain copyright of their work. of Phillips. All other material © 2016 by The Phoenix of Phillips The Phillips area is comprised of four neighborhoods: Ventura Village, Phillips West, Midtown Phillips and East Phillips. THE PHOENIX OF PHILLIPS VOL. 3 The boundaries of the Phillips community are The Next Issue of The Phoenix of Phillips will be published in June, 2016. Interstate 94 to the north, Hiawatha Avenue to the east, Lake Street to the south, The theme is “This Is My Story.” Writers of any level who live or work in Phillips are invited to submit and Interstate 35W to the west. their work no later than April 15, 2016 to [email protected]. 2 The Phoenix of Phillips Volume Two • January 2016 3 You, my Beautiful Community, my BELOVED A LOVE LETTER Community SUMMER CRIME WAVE APRIL NEWS BEing LOVED by me, Dear Beautiful Community— BEing LOVE to me Call the mismatched asphalt patch A very local sign of spring — Thank you! at the dead-end of Stoddard Terrace Carol bends over to tend to an iris, Do you know how much I love you? Sandy Spieler Canada - cross the line and you’re safe. one hand steady on her cane, one hand flinging I met you by chance, “placed” right smack here in But why be a robber Phillips as I arrived to this big city so many years ago. if the cops can’t chase you? aside Creeping Charlie. I’m telling you, this Now if my work takes me far away, I miss you with a is the last year I’m doing this! She’s deep ache. MARIGOLDS And the mossy strip standing now, denouncing the avarice between old man Cadillo’s shed Your charm remains slyly hidden, never described in Marigolds marching along the front walk, and the Boudreau’s vine covered fence of landlords, mocking the block association’s follies, tourist books. Rather, yours is a beauty emanating surviving the first frost, call it jail. sharing the low-down from the pure honesty of the joys and brutality of daily like an orange and burgundy sunset. You can escape from either end, on new neighbors. Her knees life that is etched into your skin. Father – do you remember but only holding the hand of a free robber. ADULT WORK ADULT ADULT WORKS ADULT cutting them out of their plastic containers, audibly creek as she stoops down You are so enormous, I cannot always grasp who digging the ground for their new home? For kids from factory families to her flower bed. Those lilacs could have stood a wetter fall. you are. You are a vulnerable raw tangle that snakes The people down the street four-thirty suppers opened to Under her orthopedic step, brown around softening the sharp edges, like an animal have gigantic marigolds, long summer evenings seeking the warmth of another, seeking nourishment, a foot tall at least. a hilly city neighborhood leaves crumble back to the soil. All rising and twisting in unexpected ways. Your branches I think of you as I walk by. built before strict zoning codes seems in place this morning: the sun and blades of grass expose your endlessly generative They are survivors of this season too. provided plenty of lairs for young criminals warming the city landscape, a small will to live. Your eyes speak a truth beyond time. Pat Willis Vincent to lay in giggling ambush. bit of the ordinary, hard won Our story together is rich! As I walk, The cops prowled from years of watchful care. Nothing is amiss moments of our life together come tumbling forth. wary of well aimed barrages here, except the crabgrass spreading to overrun Words spoken at this place. SENSUUM DEFECTUI of tiny green windfall apples An embrace here. as the robbers moved on. the pansies. That stuff is my nemesis … There, the motorcycle accident. By the time he was twelve his parents stopped We were thieves with honor I’m telling you, this is the last year I’m doing this! That day the kale first broke ground from this corner lot. bothering to check his homework against his neatly- anything larger was off limits John Richard The colors of the peonies in front of this house; kept assignment book. He was used to patiently and sticky burrs would end the game. they call me back, again and again. warming the little league bench, watching better Here, I wept with the poem tacked onto this tree. players run up scores that might get him to bat in Who had been robbed? Here, the raccoon surprised me one evening night. the final innings. The Tridentate Latin felt smooth and Why were the police on this rampage? AROUND THE BONFIRE From this place I gathered the branches for my first sweet on his tongue when he knelt at the foot of the altar. Not important, really Christmas tree. The game was a novel with a familiar title Marcela stirs the flames, then stirs A woman sat on that corner each Tuesday But none of this prepped him for the strange soft and a plot of blank pages the air with her fire stick, for a whole year.