I want to write about a guy I used to know. We sometimes ran into each other at one of the bars I frequented. We would talk or share stories. I wouldn’t say we were friends, but we were friendly. In fact, I think if we ever got to talking politics, I suspect we wouldn’t…
Work, Passion, and the Monkey Mind
If I could choose those things over which I obsess or focus, I’d like them to be things that make me smile… things that bring me joy… things that make me understand better what it means to be human. A counter to that way of thinking is to smile at more things, find joy in…
The Process, or Lack Thereof
A poem is never finished, only abandoned. – Paul Valery Once every year or so, I abandon a few poems in the inboxes of some literary journals. After few months, those journals politely tap me on the shoulder, litter in hand like soiled tissues, “um sir… sir…. I think you dropped these.” I look around…
Failure to Launch
I started this post almost two weeks ago. It was cold then. I revisited it and revised it, the weather got warm, and now it’s cold again with snow on the ground and more on the way… During one of the revisions on a warmer day I wrote: In the predawn hours, the morning birds…
What Is It good For?
Nearly 4,800 miles away, war. I know very little about foreign affairs. It doesn’t really matter what I think about Putin or what I think about what’s going on… or, I should say, my thoughts matter as much as buildings turning blue and yellow and people changing their Facebook pictures to say they stand with…
How Could You?
It took a few minutes for the feeling to go away. My chest was tight. My breathing was irregular and quick and shallow. The song playing in my head was Milky Chance’s version of Tainted Love. She had casually mentioned that another guy had gone down on her this past summer. They were just foolin’…
Lost in the Political Landscape
An old friend of mine co-produces a podcast called The Control Variable. It’s primarily about how Americans have been manipulated into believing conspiracy theories and eventually attacked the Capitol. They’ve released four episodes so far. This morning, while on the treadmill, I listed to episode four. Enjoy isn’t quite the right word I would use…
Mementos
… where the swish of jacket sleeves… So began my morning’s Proustian moment – one of those small moments when a sound, smell, phrase, sight, or other external stimulus unearths a memory and maybe puts me in a daze. We all have them, or at least I think we do. This morning, while reading, I…
Not a Valentine’s Post
I feel like I should write something… it’s been a while and I feel guilty – sorta. I thought about writing another Valentine’s Day post, but this one from a year ago still holds up. I’ve also wanted to write about the absolute stuck in the pit of despair feeling I had over the weekend,…
Red Delights and the Limits of Ambition
Today has been full of tiny competitions for my attention. At times, I’ve told myself, “no more! If it’s not related to x, y, or z, I’m not going to give it my time.” – x, y, and z being goals like getting some poems published, or figuring out the meaning of life, or building…
The Nature of Man?
Tiger got to hunt,
bird got to fly;
Man got to sit and wonder ‘why, why, why?’
Tiger got to sleep,
bird got to land;
Man got to tell himself he understand.
Cutting Carrots
I want what I want when I want it. In that regard, I’m a selfish (and normal) human being. I try to be mindful and keep that selfishness in check, but I am amazed at how often I slip back into the daily grind thinking that “the world is all about me and everyone is…