In dreams I fly
above the treetops of a jungle, or sometimes
above a boulder strewn river that races
down a mountainside. In these dreams
it is my inner-strength that lifts me, that holds me
up. Consider
that with your morning coffee.
jobe
Before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.
Harper Lee
A poem by Jack Spicer
Thing Language
This ocean, humiliating in its disguises
Tougher than anything.
No one listens to poetry. The ocean
Does not mean to be listened to. A drop
Or crash of water. It means
Nothing.
It
Is bread and butter
Pepper and salt. The death
That young men hope for. Aimlessly
It pounds the shore. White and aimless signals. No
One listens to poetry.
Jack Spicer, 1925-1965 CE
Waking up very early, we decided to abandon winter. We dressed in our summer things, quickly moved outdoors, and lived in sunlight and moonlight. There is a good feel to that. A blue sky for a ceiling and tall trees for walls. Soft, green grass for a carpet. We captured the warmth of the day in old mason jars, which we lifted up high in the noon hour, letting the light stream through. We won't look back over our shoulders at winter.
jobe
Frank’s Wild Years, a poem by Tom Waits
If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.
Babe Ruth
If it sounds like it might be gunfire, it is.
Drop straight to the ground
And lie still, like you are dead.
And perhaps you will be,
In just a moment or two.
After all, this is America,
The bullets could ring out
At any time, at any location.
Collect your thoughts.
Who do you love?
Have you forgiven everyone
That you need to forgive?
Have you forgiven yourself?
Open your heart and close your eyes.
And lie still.
jobe
Click Here for “In a Grain of Sand” - a poem by Jesús Papoleto Meléndez
I think fearless is having fears but jumping anyway.
Taylor Swift
Bathing in diamonds.
A child of fire, bathing
In diamonds. Golden water on
A clear night. Bare
Mountains in the fire and in
The bath, a ridge crowned
With the blaze of diamonds,
Cursed with bathwater
And the breath of gold.
The night is blessed.
The fire child is blessed.
Every moment is a gift.
Now the child, still burning, steps
Out onto the rusted shore,
Dripping diamonds,
Dripping gold,
Dripping fire.
Even the water is burning.
jobe
Random nonsense:
To be a happy senior it helps to have good food, a comfy reading chair, and a loyal dog.
Constipated, I called a plumber. “Why did you call me?” “Isn’t it your job to get shit flowing again?”
What’s up the Kansas City Chiefs? They still have the racist team name and their fans still do that racist chant and tomahawk thing. That’s messed up.
I work on practicing mindfulness, or, being more ‘in the moment.’ 25 years of working radio taught me to be a multi-tasking son of a gun. I always had several projects going at once, and really, that’s no way to live. When my son died I been practicing mindfulness for about a year. I don’t believe I could’ve dealt with it otherwise. I would just do whatever was the next thing to do. Call the morgue. Donate the organs. Call the crematorium. Call the church. Now the dishes. and so on. One thing, and don’t think about anything else while doing that thing. Focus.
I have a regret about my time in radio; I feel like I was lying for a living. At the time I didn’t mind a bit, I even got carried away with it sometimes. Looking back, I was always pretending to like the songs I had to play, and in some gigs I didn’t even like the format. And the commercials you make! Sweet Jesus, I did car sales spots, mortgage re-fi’s, political spots, whatever. In some cases I knew the clients were crooks. Being on the air is fun, but you have to be careful to hang on to your integrity when you work at a place where integrity is sometimes for sale.
My favorite job? Bike messenger in San Francisco. Man, that’s fun - AND you stay in shape and healthy. Until a car hits you. At 30 I was on my second break on my right collarbone, had a major concussion, and my cheekbone was wired together. That’s when most strong messengers (and I was excellent) move on and get a real job or go into dispatching. At 30 I also had a family, so I gave radio a shot, thinking my earnings would be better. In truth, they weren’t. As a messenger on commission I made enough money to afford living in San Francisco. Radio never did that. Looking back, I think dispatching would have been a better choice.
If it weren’t for eating and reliving herself, I believe my dog could sleep around the clock. And I confess that I am a little jealous.
Thanks for reading this and thanks for your support, and you subscriptions. One can be a free subscriber and get every other post in full. Go paid and get everything. $5 a month is a starting point.
jobe