Words of the World
Apr. 21st, 2026 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessToday has been a day of words.
Our international students were putting on a poetry/short story festival in our library as a way of showcasing their native poems and getting them to express themselves. I was one of the few faculty who volunteered to read as well but since it was only 5 minutes or less per reader I had to choose one of Jana's flash fic, nothing like reading a wee lesbian monster hunter story but they liked it (and hey it's lesbian visibility week).
We have students from Spain, Italy, Wales, Ireland, England, Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Israel, Canada, Samoa and more. Mostly the poems were read in Spanish or Portuguese, whispered into the mic. Even the Italian was quiet but it went well.
It went better than me telling off my class this afternoon (they're probably on some rate my professor website going Dr. Evans is a bitch) because on Thursday they have a test on the brain and endocrine but we're currently in the kidney (which is on the final) and I ask about aldosterone and anti diuretic hormone which both effect kidneys and water balance. NONE of them could tell me this. They looked at me like these aren't on their test in two days and their final in two weeks. I nearly made a few of them cry when I mentioned there is no reason for them to not know this since we've been talking about it for three weeks now and that test is 48 hours from now. You can't let me cut your legs out from under you know. If you fall down at this point there isn't time to get back up. If you go down, you're staying there. It's harsh but it has to be because next week's lab test won't save them and the final is rarely anyone's friend.
The writers' virtual chat today was unusual, more conversation about the business end than us writing but it was productive and Liliana and Asha (not to mention Ezio)'s story is over 20K. I feel like I've accomplished something.
But I'm a bit brain dead for a fannish 50 today so let me end this with a poem since it's poetry month and that's the theme of the day. I love Christina Rosetti This is Remember
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
Our international students were putting on a poetry/short story festival in our library as a way of showcasing their native poems and getting them to express themselves. I was one of the few faculty who volunteered to read as well but since it was only 5 minutes or less per reader I had to choose one of Jana's flash fic, nothing like reading a wee lesbian monster hunter story but they liked it (and hey it's lesbian visibility week).
We have students from Spain, Italy, Wales, Ireland, England, Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Israel, Canada, Samoa and more. Mostly the poems were read in Spanish or Portuguese, whispered into the mic. Even the Italian was quiet but it went well.
It went better than me telling off my class this afternoon (they're probably on some rate my professor website going Dr. Evans is a bitch) because on Thursday they have a test on the brain and endocrine but we're currently in the kidney (which is on the final) and I ask about aldosterone and anti diuretic hormone which both effect kidneys and water balance. NONE of them could tell me this. They looked at me like these aren't on their test in two days and their final in two weeks. I nearly made a few of them cry when I mentioned there is no reason for them to not know this since we've been talking about it for three weeks now and that test is 48 hours from now. You can't let me cut your legs out from under you know. If you fall down at this point there isn't time to get back up. If you go down, you're staying there. It's harsh but it has to be because next week's lab test won't save them and the final is rarely anyone's friend.
The writers' virtual chat today was unusual, more conversation about the business end than us writing but it was productive and Liliana and Asha (not to mention Ezio)'s story is over 20K. I feel like I've accomplished something.
But I'm a bit brain dead for a fannish 50 today so let me end this with a poem since it's poetry month and that's the theme of the day. I love Christina Rosetti This is Remember
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
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