Saturday October 30 (Poetry Challenge Day 26)
You should never give advice.
What you should do,
is lead people to the
proper conclusion.
Like leading a horse to water
there is no guarantee she will drink.
But consider, if you tell her to go drink,
she will just look at you.
The best advice I can give you is
don’t give advice.
Note: Unless of course it is asked for, and then very cautiously.
Journal Entry
I simply can not recommend this book any more highly. Reading this book will give you an entirely new perspective on the history of our nation. It is researched, thoughtful, but more importantly, it opens doors to perspectives that I would not have discovered in a lifetime of ordinary exposure to our country’s established cultural thought and tradition.
Friday October 29 (Poetry Challenge Day 25)
Sunrise in the high desert
is a joy to behold.
It is so fleeting.
I would like to freeze it
and bathe in it for awhile.
I love the way it silhouettes
things you wouldn’t ordinarily notice.
It makes me wonder
how much I have missed.
Thursday October 28 (Poetry Challenge Day 24)
This morning I awoke
to my wind chime.
It is such a gentle sound.
I don’t normally pay attention to it.
It seems to only ring
when I am most silent.
Wedensday October 27 (Poetry Challenge Day 23)
Dishwasher tablets.
Small Olive Oil.
Sandwich rounds.
A collapsable stool - white only
…or black…
…or gray…
Add a fly-swatter to that list.
Decisiveness is important.
Tuesday October 26 (Poetry Challenge Day 22)
It occurred to me this morning
that what I am really doing here
is telling the story of my life.
That was probably obvious to you already.
I tend to be the last to
discover most things about myself.
Allow me to digress momentarily into a realm of trivia likely of interest only to people that post to this blogging service…
Yesterday Apple released Monterey 12.0.1. Ulysses released their companion version to all users. One of the new features made available to Ulysses users is the ability to update Micro.blog posts. This was not previously available and for me at least this is… life changing.
I did not expect this to happen. I’m used to wanting features that never seem to become reality. This time I was pleasantly surprised!
Monday October 25 (Poetry Challenge Day 21)
One goes into the dirt at his feet.
He doesn’t bend for it.
Another sails over his head.
He doesn’t reach for it.
I just want him to show me
how to throw the damn ball.
Too many calls at work today.
I didn’t get a damn thing done.
The warranty issue just won’t go away.
Who the Hell will I assign to that one?
I need to get in
early tomorrow.
It warms my heart to see
the two of them out there playing together.
Who would have thought the boy
would be able to play baseball.
I just wish he were a bit more patient with him
and tried to enjoy himself a bit.
Any similarity to persons real or otherwise is coincidental…
Sunday October 24 (Poetry Challenge Day 20)
It’s time to go buy some shit on Amazon…
…or not.
Note: If writing short one-liners should be avoided, it’s a shame to burn one so early in the project.
Saturday October 23 (Poetry Challenge Day 19)
Few tools give me more pleasure
than a fine fountain pen.
I only own one,
the bastards are expensive.
If you have never tried one,
you are missing a wonderful experience.
Note: This is not to say that I don’t own any symbols of success… I would not spend $1000 on a fountain pen, but I have spent well over that for a bicycle… by a factor of 10…
Friday October 22 (Poetry Challenge Day 18)
You could use this phrase
to suggest someone needs to look
for a new job.
It could also mean
you have a penchant
for fat bottomed girls.
Maybe like David Byrne,
you have a “Diary”
in your future.
For me, it means freedom, exercise,
the means which allows me
to look at things differently.
Whatever it means to you,
‘Get on your bike and ride!’
Thursday October 21 (Poetry Challenge Day 17)
You’ve heard the phrase
‘don’t cry for me.’
I’m going to add a new one,
‘don’t sweat the details.’
When I die
I would like it if you get together
and say nice things.
If they are true, all the better.
But please don’t sweat the details.
Don’t worry about a memorial.
I’ll give you all the instructions you need for that…
Play my favorite song.
Read my favorite poem.
(Likely not one of mine.)
Oh yes, and read a few words I have prepared for you.
And then… go get drunk.
Note: I realize the phrase ‘don’t sweat the details’ is not original to me.
Wedensday October 20 (Poetry Challenge Day 16)
He Is, There’s Little Doubt
Did you know there is such a thing
as an ‘Anthrozoologist?’
They specialize in thinking like animals.
They will tell you that cats think we are stupid.
I knew that.
My cat is constantly teaching me how to feed him.
He leads me to his bowl,
he doesn’t realize I’m onto his game.
Just for fun, when we reach his bowl,
I’ll pick him up and hold him instead of feed him.
The look of consternation on his face is priceless.
Sometimes instead of feeding him
(especially in the middle of the night)
I’ll take him back to bed with me instead.
I’ll try and snuggle with him,
he will bolt from my arms the first chance he gets.
Cats are still wild animals,
otherwise he’d know I was messing with him
Instead, he jumps down, shaking his head,
wondering how stupid could I be.
Note: The subtitle was written by my cat.
Tuesday October 19 (Poetry Challenge Day 15)
It’s truly amazing how quickly
we become frustrated
when we can’t find parking.
Note: Some would say this is a sentence disguised as a poem. I would not be the last person to agree with that…
Monday October 18 (Poetry Challenge Day 14)
The world is in crisis.
I try to be optimistic.
I think I mostly succeed,
but occasionally reality intercedes.
Why have we reached this threshold?
The veneer of a just American society,
the notion of fairness and opportunity,
in reality stripped away.
I don’t understand what the leaders
of this frenzy have to gain.
Will making rich people richer
really help advance the interests of humanity?
What are the people that want
to take us to a “glorious” past
really afraid of…
I think it is fear of losing their power.
Or perhaps it is the desire to gain more
power, money, influence,
but, at its’ root, fear.
This feels all too historically familiar.
Note: I do feel a bit guilty about engaging in political writing. I don’t want to repeat the mistake of Eric Coomer from Dominion. He should have shown more social media restraint, but even if he had, I don’t think that would have in any way prevented us from finding ourselves where we are today. Which raises the interesting question: If there were no such thing as social media 1) would you be reading this, and 2) would there have been a Jan 6 insurrection?
Given to me by a bartender at the Wayfarer Hotel in Redmond Oregon
1 Marinated Fig
2 oz. Woodford Reserve
1-1/2 oz. Orange Juice
1/4 oz. Maple Syrup
3 dashes Orange Bitters
Wet shake, strain, and pour over ice. Splash with Ginger Beer. Enjoy while listening to “Son Of A Preacher Man” by the Dusty Springfield and “Last Night” by The Mar-Keys.
Sunday October 17 (Poetry Challenge Day 13)
Happy Birthday daughter.
Of all the things that could be said.
Of all the things that bring me pride.
You are at the very top of my list.
Not a day goes by
that I don’t think of you.
Perhaps you find that hard to believe,
I understand… still it is true.
If I could give you anything in the world
I surly would (besides my love of course).
But for now, this simple poem
will have to do.
And if there were any doubt in your mind
to whom I am referring,
it is to all of you.
Three times blessed have I been.
Given to me by a bartender in Flagstaff Arizona
1 Egg White
2 oz. Woodford Reserve
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Heavy Syrup
Dry shake vigrously.
Wet shake to chill, strain and server over a big rock. Add a Pinot float. Enjoy along with a Notre Dame Football Game.
Otherwise known as a Black Manhattan
2 oz. Woodford Reserve
3/4 oz. Amaro Averna Sicilliano
4 drops Orange Bitters
1 Luxardo Cherry
Shake 30 times over ice. Pour into a 10 oz. insulated martini tumbler. Enjoy with my Spotify playlist “Deep Funk.”
Saturday October 16 (Poetry Challenge Day 12)
Poetry is in my blood.
I remember when I was in High School.
I got a job as a painter in a shipyard.
We were converting a WWII era Landing Ship Transport into a cannery.
The foreman sent me below deck
to paint a shower room.
He forgot to send me down with an exhaust fan.
Marine paint is bad stuff.
By noon, my buddy and I
were writing poetry on the walls with our paint brushes.
It was a contest of sorts.
We took turns composing lines.
When the foreman came down to get us,
he was surprised…
…we got the afternoon off.
Note: The point about poetry being in my blood could be a slight exaggeration… but at least it was that day for a period of several hours, accompanied by a splitting headache after coming back up on deck…
Friday October 15 (Poetry Challenge Day 11)
I couldn’t cut code without coffee.
Now I can’t write poetry without coffee.
Coffee, the drug of choice
for intellectuals…
And those of us that aspire to be
a bit beyond ordinary.
Thursday October 14 (Poetry Challenge Day 10)
My greatest joy might be
reading my poems to you in bed.
You have an amazing tolerance for drivel,
for that I thank you.
But that begs the question
why do I enjoy this so much?
I think it’s about showing
another person who you are.
There is something extremely
intimate in that.
It’s OK if you don’t like these poems,
listening is enough for me.
Wedensday October 13 (Poetry Challenge Day 9)
My greatest fear is that
I will run out of things to say.
Perhaps I have less than 365
thoughts in my head.
I think the key to poetry
might be mindfulness.
Or, if not that,
simply the ability to empty your head.
Which, by the way,
does give me a significant advantage.
Tuesday October 12 (Poetry Challenge Day 8)
I know a guy that dropped a pumpkin
from the top of an FAA Control Tower.
He traded his pumpkin tossing skills in
to become a commercial airline pilot.
I know a guy that was the first to ski
a snow covered volcano
in the Aleutian Islands.
He never got credit for it.
I know a woman
with exceptional English Language skills.
She spends her time correcting my grammar.
I love her for it.
You see, we are all famous in some way.
We just need to look closely.
Monday October 11 (Poetry Challenge Day 7)
I know some of you may be thinking
is this poetry?
If you are one of the twenty-five reading this
let me assure you… I have no idea.
If I knew what poetry was I would never
attempt to write a poem every day.
It could be said that poetry is in the eye
(or rather the ear) of the beholder.
It might also be said there has to be
some intrinsic meaning.
These are just the answers
I have come up with.
Perhaps we can discover
the answer together.
Remind me to revisit this question
with you a year from now…