Monthly Archives: April 2020

Comfort Reading

As I’ve said in some recent post which I can’t be bothered to go looking for at the moment, this pandemic-stay-at-home thing has caught me woefully unprepared in terms of my to-read pile. Where I’ve normally had four or five books waiting for me, I was almost empty-handed when COVID came a-knockin’.

That being said, I’ve finished up the last book that was in the pile and decided to go backwards. Journeying back to the source you might say. Which yes, is a bit of clumsy foreshadowing.

Word Wednesday Contraptions

After not writing much new poetry while I’ve been stuck in Revision Land, it’s been a veritable explosion of fresh material here!

Okay, so it’s been a couple poems. But still! That’s something.

Here’s one that I wrote yesterday.

contraptions

stubbornly sensual,
hands reach to caress - lips pout to kiss

& find only empty space
filled with air & questions.

think of that:
emptiness filled.

an artless definition of love
or a crude state of being?

all of us, empty & filled
in various ways -

jury-rigged apparatus
on the verge of catastrophe,

asked to bear
“just a little bit more”

Early Words

I know that it isn’t Word Wednesday, but I woke up to snow in Southern Maine on April 28 and a lack of motivation to write much besides and endless stream of cuss words and other “get off my lawn” – ish grumbling.

So instead, here’s a new poem that I was going to save until tomorrow.

bon voyage

holes poked in the stage curtain sky,
shine down on me as comets
chase their tails -

money, in its various incarnations
being shifted around the globe
in elected electrons -

down here, it’s steady as she goes
while first class places another bet
on catastrophe and low prices -

only the poor bastards up there
in the crows nest know for sure
what’s coming -

& we stopped listening
to them 
a long time ago.

The Friday Five | April 24, 2020

Here’s a collection of some of the things from this week that I’ve enjoyed, been inspired by, want to share, or are grateful for.

Hank Mobley. For some reason, I tripped across the Hank Mobley station on Pandora and it’s been a favorite ever since, dredging up incredible cuts from Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, and so many more.
My daughter’s imagination. Since we’ve been home together for a few weeks now, it’s been a challenge for all of us to get things done, find our own space, and not take out frustrations on each other. One thing that’s been amazing to watch is seeing my daughter draw and develop her own cast of anime characters that revolve around this roller derby-ish plot that’s actually way cooler than any story idea I’ve had in awhile.
Titus on YouTube. Back in the day, Christopher Titus had a revolutionary show on Fox that ran for three seasons with an incredible cast that turned the tragedy and madness of his family life into hilarity. He’s now releasing individual episodes on his YouTube channel that you can watch for free.
Journaling. I’ve been keeping a journal more or less regularly since college. While I can’t claim to be as consistent or as interesting as some folks, it has been a great tool of mine for developing poems and capturing thoughts. Over the last few weeks, it’s become a bit of a survival tool as well because it’s where most of my venting and angst lives, which is a whole lot better than spreading it across social media. I recommend journaling for anyone – no one ever has to read it, so there’s no need to worry about quality or content. In fact, I think it’s best to start off on the first page by writing “I don’t care if this is any good – it’s not about that” and then go from there.
Star Wars Rebels – Season 4. I know, I know, I know – this one has been on the list before. However, me and the kid just finished up season four last night and it’s some of the best storytelling in the Star Wars universe, period. This show really changed throughout the seasons, shifting from more of a pure kids show to a kids show that was really geared more to adults. The way they wove in characters and wound up tying into the overall Star Wars mythos was so elegant and satisfying.

Like what you read? Good! Maybe you’d like to check out some of the other stuff I’ve written lately.

TB87?

Even though I spend a bunch of time here on the blog talking about creativity, writing, and a bunch of other things, I think it’s time to a take a little break for some sportsball. After all, at one time, I actually ran a sports blog as well as having far too much statistical knowledge jammed into my head concerning the various New England teams and their rivals.

Pray indulge me, dear reader.

Word Wednesday Gone To The Birds

Reaching back a bit for this one because I’ve been living in The Land of Revision as of late instead of writing new things. I’ll be glad to find some sort of an end to this project if only to say it’s done. In the meantime, enjoy this little chestnut from a few years back.

birds of a feather

because birds of a feather who never quite come together
are pulled apart from the part from which they want to be
a part... something whole for once instead of a piece
without peace that never quite finds that lease on life - 

first or second
that they’ve heard so much about
and without a doubt the hardest part 
is the softest spot
because that’s where the dagger goes

and it shows in the way that she
curls away from life in general - the way
she turns away from even the slightest compliment
or passing glance that never quite passes without a chance

to cut... or pierce that veil of stale air that surrounds
her inside that armor shell

Getting Lucky In Ireland

About 17 years ago, a friend of mine called me somewhat out of the blue to say she was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I’d like to go along. I’d been on a couple of trips there with groups of about 50 in what amounted to a cross between a tourist adventure and a well-behaved Viking pub crawl, but this would be a totally different trip. Four of us traveling the island by car.

At the time, I was living in Newport News, Virginia. My only source of income was working as a waiter at a Mexican restaurant, barely making enough to pay rent.

So of course I said yes.

A Monday Confession

For all my talk of morning routines and how vital they are, can I share a secret with you? I mean, we’ve been chatting for a bit now, so I feel comfortable doling out a little nugget of what’s really behind the screen.

There’s days when I don’t want to get out of bed.

And some days, I give into that. I feed the animals (so they’ll be quiet) and then go back to bed. And it’s glorious. Another two hours of sleep, and sometimes, they’re the best two hours of the entire night. It’s everything I dreamed it would be.

Trouble is, the rest of the day doesn’t tend to go too well.

The Friday Five | April 17, 2020

Here’s a collection of some of the things from this week that I’ve enjoyed, been inspired by, want to share, or are grateful for.

Barenaked Ladies SelfieCamJam. Given how things are in the world these days, videos like this are all the rage with bands or artists finding ways to collaborate even though they can’t be in the same room, studio, or stage. I’ve been a big fan of BNL since high school and still have 98% of the lyrics from their first record, Gordon, lodged in my memory banks. If you’ve never given the Ladies a chance, I high suggest diving into their catalog immediately.
V For Vendetta. After professing my love for the movie last year, a friend of mine suggested checking out the original Alan Moore & David Lloyd graphic novel. Well, I finally got around to reading it and was not disappointed. Maybe it’s just me, but I really appreciate and understand some of the changes that were made going from page to screen, although I also can see Moore’s criticism of the adaptation as well. In the end, I appreciate both on their own merits.
Rebel Without A Crew by Robert Rodriguez. I’ve been re-reading this memoir of the whirlwind surrounding the making and aftermath of El Mariachi, the feature length movie Robert Rodriguez originally made for $7,000 to sell on the Spanish home video market but ultimately led to him getting a huge deal with a major studio before he was 15 years old. It’s funny, informative, inspiring, and worthy of its own post at some point.
Coffee. This isn’t an endorsement of any particular kind of bean per se as it’s just me being thankful that there is such a wonderful beverage present on plant Earth for our consumption. I’ve been setting my coffeemaker to bold for the last week to get a bit more taste, and then sometimes using a pour over in the afternoon to avoid making too much or getting a stronger brew.
Star Wars Rebels. I’ve been watching this show with my daughter and we’ve both enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s written for a young audience, but there’s a lot to love for codgers like myself as well with a bunch of characters from the original trilogy mixed in here and there. What’s even better is their use of characters from the Clone Wars show, from the books, and they even managed to rehab Darth Maul after his shoddy treatment in Episode I.

If you’ve enjoyed any of this, feel free to check out some of my recent posts from this past week below.

You Don’t Have To Be Shakespeare

There’s a notion going ’round that what with the lockdown / social distancing most of us are doing these days – when “Wash your hands!” and “Six feet apart” are the new “How ya doin’?” and “Good, you?” of our day – that we should really be getting a lot more done creatively. Write your novel! Take up painting! Now there’s finally time for you to study belly button lint sculpting like you’ve always wanted to!

And I suppose you could do all of those things, but I think the question is really… should you?