Nicole Taylor has many hopeful projects and no MFAs. She has been published both online and in print, including winning local prizes in Oregon. She is an artist, volunteer, hiker, and dancer, formerly in DanceAbility with physically disabled friends, though she is not physically disabled herself. You can learn more about Nicole and read selections of her work on her blog.
Camp Baker Nature
from reading Gary Snyder
A weekend to relax for these autistics
and families but now my friend Mary is a hyper adult,
rhythmically rocking while reading, on a Sunday morning, while singing
the Boy Scout song of tall spruce and shore pines,
The bay is near the Siltcoos Lake,
coos possibly meaning place of pines
by the Coos tribe and meaning soil or rock from between
sand, and clay.
We saw wild raccoon near the lake and
lifeguard station and
wild young black tail deer everywhere.
On Saturday we were directed to
the campfire past
the big tree under
the big starry sky.
I didn’t know what tree type but I knew
they are very old and tall.
Near the lifeguard station and
near the lake we saw wild raccoon and
wild young black tail deer everywhere.
our universe show
Artwork prints of cyclamen, colorful cyclamen and cheerful abstracts and florals are from Mary. Portraits, cartoons and our universe are from Stephen. Luminous lit colors in acrylic and watercolor and pastel and pencil. Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter now rings orange and gold in colored pencil. Softer tones, music and chips and crackers and wines are served downstairs, brought from the local grocery or the local stash with live jazz. A doctor and other camp staff and other friends visit from an autism camp in support of these talented high, self-functioning autistics. Mary rocks rhythmically. Stephen works so rhythmically on his art, at autistic camp or home, while hardly talking to anyone but he has good eye contact while my friend Mary does not.
Gold, pink, fuchsia give an art show and a visit. Tonight moon follows sun. Evening sky fills with heliotrope color, a purple and pink sunset after rain. Rain disappears but inside are Fog Fire and Hidden Galaxies. Illumination Ice Moon is inside but illumination night moon and sky is out.
Inside this gallery, Stephen shows his colored pencil Moon Chases Sun. Upstairs past the wines and crackers is A Momentary Eruption. Cyclamen and lichen watch Mary’s other works bright abstract paints. A Cartoon Collage mix well with Mary’s watercolor, My Backyard. Many friends visit in support of these talented higher functioning autistics. I’m wishing for a Starlight Walk or Midnight Walk.
Hyperlexia Journal 