Archive for June, 2008
- Organ Grinder
Here comes the organ grinder
With his little dancing monkey
I remember he used to play outside
The house when I was youngThe man who mended chairs
And the one who sharpened knives
And the lady who sold lavender
With laughter in her eyesFunny how the time goes
And you never even notice
Till they’re gone— Jon Mark
Mark-Almond
29 June 2008- Whining
Monet, Cezanne and Renoir are standing over my shoulder this afternoon, daring me to draw a straight line. Van Gogh joins the chorus, laughing in my ear, whispering, “You compromised away years, letting your gift atrophy. Who do you think you are?” To his left are Ansel Adams and Edward Steichen: “Tools are not the […]
27 June 2008- Haiku Appliance
Happy is the soul
25 June 2008
Whose electric dryer sings
Fluffy towel airs.
(“Nurture joy in small things and reap ecstasy in large ones.” — The Dao According to Werewolves, Vol. 1)- Library Lion
This afternoon as I left the library, one of the two huge concrete lions lying on either side of the entrance hopped down and loped alongside me; his paw pads were inaudible as his muscular stride kept up effortlessly with my half-century-old saunter. After a while I realized it was silly walking when he might […]
24 June 2008- At Last
Want the real reason the United States and Great Britain went to war in Iraq?
The New York Times has the definitive answer. Weapons of mass destruction? Don’t you believe it.
18 June 2008- Pantomime
1
Street mime. White face. Black shock of makeup above and below eyes. Hint of red lips. Black-and-white-striped rugby pullover. Black trousers. White gloves. Barefoot.
Flowering. Tug-of-war. Shrinking box. Climbing stairs. Cat. Baby. Walking into wind. Normal stuff.
Now a turn. Sobbing. Urinating in the park. Killing a bottle of Wild Turkey. Projectile vomiting. Shooting heroin. Slipping on […]
18 June 2008- Shadow Play
“Do you like my puppets? If you want to understand Java you have to understand the Wayang, the sacred shadow play. The puppet master is a priest. That’s why they call Sukarno the Great Puppet Master, balancing the left with the right. Their shadows are souls, and the screen is heaven. You must watch their […]
17 June 2008- “Just Like That…”
While watching William Wellman’s classic oater Westward the Women I decided a good old fashioned bullwhip is essential to the success of any romantic relationship. The minute Robert Taylor cracked one in front of Denise Darcel, love was in the air. In seconds, they were confessing their mutual affection; and when Taylor got drunk a […]
14 June 2008- Ode to Aram Saroyan
You’re dedead and I’m not
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13 June 2008- Janiva
Sometimes a song will cut straight to the heart of a situation as easily as a skilled surgeon scalpels through flesh to arrive at bone and sinew. Today Janiva Magness split me wide open with her reading of the Delbert McClinton standard, “You Were Never Mine.” I’d try to explain, but there’s simply no way. […]
9 June 2008
