D-Xirably Halloween! Topics and Poems! ("Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" & "Because I Could Not Stop for Death")

Hello my wonderful and amazing loves!

First off, HAPPY Halloween! :)

I LOVE Halloween! It's the one time of the year that you can dress up as anything and get away with it! :) Well, sometimes. I think that people have gotten so sensitive about the costumes people wear now. Like everything is worn to make fun of other cultures and races. I don't think that people wear costumes to INTENTIONALLY hurt others. If I'm wearing a costume of another race or culture, then it's because I like/admire the culture/character and I'm interested in it. It's a costume! And it's the one time of the year that people can be anything or anyone they want to be! People should stop being so sensitive and taking it so personal. It's okay to let people have ONE day of the ENTIRE year to have fun. Stop taking the fun out of it! I can understand people being sensitive if someone PURPOSELY sets out to poke fun with the costume or take it too far but other than that let it go.

In other news, I've decided that since it's Halloween, it would be the PERFECT time to do a post with poems about death. I like the first two poems ("Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" and "Remember") because they look at death in a positive light. Not only is death a time for grief, but it's also a time to celebrate the life of a loved one. It's a time to reflect on all of the wonderful memories and love that you've shared with them. The last poem ("Because I Could Not Stop For Death") that I chose about death is one of my favorites. It's hauntingly beautiful! I LOVE Emily Dickinson's poems! She was another one of my favorite writers/poets in high school. I'm a HUGE fan of her work. I even did a paper about the importance of her work in high school.

Hope you enjoy them! :)

"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep"

by Mary Elizabeth Frye

A little girl standing at the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush.

I am the swift uplifting rush.

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

"Remember"

by Christina Georgina Rossetti

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.

"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" ("Poem 712")

Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The carriage held but just ourselves

And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,

And I had put away

My labour, and my leisure too,

For his civility.

We passed the school where children played,

Their lessons scarcely done;

We passed the fields of gazing grain,

We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible,

The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries; but each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised the horses' heads

Were toward eternity.

Picture of Emily Dickinson

Hope you enjoyed the post! Oh, and I went to World's of Fun for Halloween. Roller coasters and haunted houses/haunts! It doesn't get much better than that! ;) Even though the lines were long! I will post the few pictures that I took in the next post! I hope you enjoyed your Halloween!

With love,

LaTasha B.

x0x0x0x!

D-Xirably Cultured!

So, it's been another active week but what's new?

On Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 - Halloween Day, I went out to Applebee's with my beautiful big sis Brittanye R. and her friends Ashley H., Keshia W., and April P. to watch the Chiefs game. I was SO nervous about going out to eat with them because the only person that I knew out of the group was my big sis Brittanye R. but all of the girls were really nice and cool. I've known Brittanye since high school, we both went to Raytown South High School. I really appreciate how long we've known each other! Anyways, I had a really good time with her and I made some new friends. By the way, the Chiefs totally won that game! They was playing against the San Diego Chargers.

Me, my big sis Brittanye R., and Ashley H. at Applebee's cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs!

On Wednesday, I had lunch with my beautiful friend Modesty in the fishbowl. It was nice. We had a nice convo and I got to know her a LOT better! She's awesome!

I left musical rehearsals early on Wednesday to go to the Dia de Los Muertos event in the library. It was really nice! I LOVE the alter that they had decorated, it was really pretty. It was fun decorating candy skulls. I decorated 2 of them. Also, I got to hang out with my girl D'Erica for a little while which was awesome because we hadn't hung out this semester.

The candy skull that I decorated and the candy skull that D'Erica decorated!

Paloma C. and the ladies dressed for Dia de Los Muertos!

The beautiful alter and the ladies!

The second candy skull that I decorated!

On Thursday, I got permission to miss class to help my DXP sisters out with our table for World Cultures Day. I brought in a Native American doll and a Native American story, actually a Cherokee Legend, "The Tale of Two Wolves". It's one of my favorite Native American stories ever! It teaches a good lesson - to always feed the good wolf! :) Oh, I'm part Native American by the way! I'm part Cherokee Indian and another Native American tribe on my dad's side. World Cultures Day was really nice, I enjoyed it. I always enjoy it. For those that don't know, World Cultures Day is an event celebrating different cultures. People come in to read posters about different countries, eat a variety of different foods, watch cultural dances, (this year it was Kansas City's Filipino Association's Sinag-Tala Dance Troupe) and look at cool cultural items. It's really nice!

Me and Rica R. at World Culture's Day!

Mexico table!

Philippines Table!

Shelbi J. and I at World Culture's Day!

Kansas City's Filipino Association's Sinag-Tala Dance Troupe!

Kansas City's Filipino Association's Sinag-Tale Dance Troupe tiniest dancer!

My Native American dolls (I brought the smallest one to World Culture's Day)

On Friday, I watched some of the RU Men's soccer game with my soror Sarah N. Then we try to watch the step show at UMKC but it was WAY too crowded! We couldn't see anything so we went to see The Rum Diaries with the handsome Johnny Depp instead. It was really good, I enjoyed the movie. It made me laugh.

Today, I had musical rehearsals and then I went to my sorority's movie event. We watched Despicable Me. Despicable Me is such a cute movie.

Well, that was my week!

Sincerely,
LaTasha B. aka "The girl that always wear high heels"