ICED TEA SOLIDARITY CEREMONY AT YAKIMA AIRPORT

WE CAN STILL SEE becomes a spontaneous chant by Yakima

Faith Action Network, an interfaith statewide partnership in Washington State. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) flights come into the city of Yakima each Tuesday. This video was recorded during Thanksgiving week, Tuesday, 26 November 2019.Immigration Response Network (YIRN) as they witness and count asylum seekers and undocumented persons in the deportation process in Washington State. YIRN received the Justice award from Faith Action Network, an interfaith state-wide public policy program in Washington State.

LINES FOR JANE ON SOLACE,

LEFT ON THE PORCH, Guadalupe-like

Guadalupana. Warm-robed woman

of the margins, syllables surfacing

re-surfacing a Dylan soundtrack

lowland lady with the sad eyes

shouldn't I say something to her?

Solace defined is a rich harvest

of comfort and pleasure in the grieving.

When Terry gave me Consolations

a one-word title of on-word histories

I missed these rich roots tapping

into oft-told stories told slant.

Something about the day, Solace.

Something about the day. Rosemary

passed, comforted by her daughter, Rachel.

Remember my magic trick

at Jane & Terry's, breaking chains

binding my two index fingers?

Cy, her husband, was the magician,

and I'll see him tomorrow.

Clay woman, Sculptured Solace,

Rabbit Girl-God,

permission to weep,

permission to laugh.

Late 13th century Old French, solaz,

pleasure, entertainment, enjoyment,

bang!--assuage sounds downright onomatopoetic

after the sexual thread. Let them reconcile?--

we're learning to talk here, first thought,

best thought--earlier in the day--

do your ears get cold--ha, ha,

I've listened to those jokes all my life.

I got old but the jokes kept coming--

earlier in the day, before the ICE flight

arrived from Phoenix, this being Thanksgiving week

(I'm keeping a new notebook on Gratitude and Food,

62 days in) I prepared a Tea Ceremony

for those counting, waving to, affirming,

lives of asylum seekers and undocumented

arriving and departing Yakima in bus and jet.

Our Japanese friend Mayu's teapot

brewing the same green matcha her parents drink

each morning in Yokohama. It was steaming!

18 degrees in our yellow triangle.

I made a movie. Froze my knuckles,

Sister S--froze my knuckles filming

a painted yellow line. When you carry

the camera, good things happen.

I sliced pumpkin bread to complete

a Eucharistic meal, do rabbits, Solace,

like pumpkin? Do you even know

things like that? How earthly you are

remains a question. Those tea leaves,

though, they reached Japan

via Facebook, and Mayu liked seeing

her tea pot, too. The movie

is six minutes long. Did the tea leaves

reach those women in chains?

Last week we were cautioned not to chant

because it might put the deportees

in danger climbing the stairs. Our leader

told the suits, Those leg chains you put

around their ankles put the people at risk.

Do you mind if I curse? Some chicken shit

at the airport had them pull the big

fuel truck painted with the letter N

in red in front of us so we couldn't see!--

creating a chant, We can still see you,

over and over. I blew Michael's whistle

in his absence. Solace-Goddess!

Are you still there? When you see this movie,

stay to the end. Your story connects

to Plum Village--Jane told me so.

We've read Thich Nhat Hanh together,

Jane and I. Karen has the calendar

in the bathroom--Drink your tea!

The woman drinking tea, back turned

to Swift Air, spent three years at Plum Village.

Earline is her name. She says,

This is the way Thich Nhat Hanh drinks tea.

See for yourself, staid comforter, Sister Solace.

Teach us to burrow and be brave.

Jim Bodeen

Happy Thanksgiving

26 November 2019