Off and on through the years I've kept a pen pal of some kind. All women. The first was a neighboring girl I'd gone to elementary school with who'd gone off to college in Georgia. Then my birth mother after she'd left California and relocated to Louisiana and was open to writing. Then there was …
Listicle #1: Things I’ve Been Called Into My Boss’ Office To Talk About (& Please Shut The Door)
1) The History of Spaghetti Westerns, i.e.: a. Franco Nero b. Claudia Carinale c. Klaus Kinski d. Sergio Corbucci e. The Great Silence f. Lemonade Joe 2) Donald Trump running for president 3) Hindu Philosophy 4) “I Am That” by Nisargatta Maharaj 5) Meditation Retreats 6) His Son 7) His Son The Jr High School …
How Do You Get Out Of This?
We'd gathered together for a poetry reading none of us wanted to attend. This was weeks ago, the same day a group of men and women gathered in a church for bible study and were murdered by someone from the community they invited in. However awful and angry all of us had been feeling from …
The Romantic Comedy
Late weekend mornings at the bakery is all confusion. Meandering lines of smiling couples saddled with babies and loudly laughing daters. I usually feel as if I am in black and white while they move around me in color, as I'm always alone, ignored and silent. I rarely run into friends. Of late, my prayers …
The Man With Two Dogs
The poetry reading Saturday night at the bookstore went well. However much I grumbled over being there on a Saturday night, the reading felt good and the poems were well received. The room was full of seniors, myself included; all men and women frosted by time. Their eyes I appreciated, especially the two older women …
The Reading I Went To Last Night
was staged at a hotel near Lake Merritt. I was not featured but was still motivated to leave the house since two of the features were people I knew and liked. The bus let me off a few blocks away and I happily strolled through a tree-lined neighborhood I always liked with its dense collection …
Mise en Poetry
'…mise en place' means far more than simply assembling all the ingredients, pots and pans, plates, and serving pieces needed for a particular period. Mise en place is also a state of mind. A couple of weeks ago, my friend met me in the city and we sat for lunch. She mentioned wanting to write …
Alternative Lives
There were several strikes against this poetry event having any audience at all. The first was it being scheduled on a Saturday afternoon at 3, when other even main event readings I've attended don't begin filling up until after sundown, irrespective of the day of the week. Second: beyond being asked by the events organizer …
Booze, Not Books
Once I finally settled upon a form for my poem idea, I spent four months working on it. Intended for/ Inspired by BlackPoetsSpeakOut, the poem emerged slow-brewed, during my weekly half hour walks to the acupuncturist for the arthritis frosting my knee. During that walk, I'd think of a line and dictate it into the …
Saul Williams
In the mid 90's Saul Williams helped change the landscape of delivering and reciting poetry. In his own defense he'd prolly cite folks I'm overlooking as equally influencial as himself, but I make the statement because I saw the change take place first hand. The first live performance of his I saw was around the …
The Dirty Rat 