tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63385538720372404342024-02-20T18:09:03.220-08:00The Ent MootMy name is Jake Tucker, welcome to my poetry blog. Feel free to comment.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.comBlogger459125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-24261941554142338222017-10-11T08:51:00.000-07:002017-10-11T08:51:04.435-07:00Noah on First and Commercial
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A weathered man sits on his ankles. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One good eye looks sideways </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
at traffic upstream, the other is </div>
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clouded over with cataract. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The cigarette is a fragment, a remnant </div>
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plucked-up from concrete, saved </div>
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from trampling feet. Under </div>
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a dripping awning he waits </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
for the 20: filled with character, unreliable; </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
an accordion ark that rolls down the safe, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but damp Drive to Hastings. Above</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the crows return unburdened.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-51853564725678666012017-10-08T09:49:00.003-07:002017-10-08T09:49:38.465-07:00Fall Colors<div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
Like Gatorade—unnatural </div>
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aqua water surrounded autumn </div>
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yellows and reds scattered</div>
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up powder sugar-coated </div>
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mountains cuddling a shy glacier. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A small fish struggles on its side </div>
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at the surface—youth displayed: </div>
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vertical diamonds, iridescent spots </div>
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twinkle in the diffused sun trickling </div>
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down. Round and round. Then </div>
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<br /></div>
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revived. Into the depths, invisible for a moment. </div>
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Then white belly drifting to the clouds. Bearing </div>
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witness means clumsy theology applied like </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
toddler's experiment: how do star blocks fit </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
triangle holes? Mysteries: rapture or fall?</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-69592852815918013722017-10-04T13:37:00.001-07:002017-10-04T13:37:33.090-07:00Is this Normal?
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<br />
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My new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GoreTex</i>
jacket</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hangs in the coat closet,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a handsome grey with</div>
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green trim: a silver fox </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
waiting for rain.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The forecast is near 20</div>
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and dry. I check </div>
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the active wildfires in BC, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
scroll-down the page, </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
wonder: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
what a hectare is, </div>
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how big is a half-million, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
why metric still feels foreign, </div>
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who was still worried, </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
is this normal? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
200 dollars </div>
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for a bike rack—</div>
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from Germany, comes with </div>
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a 30 year warranty. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Still. . .</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A sunny day in October:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the man with a snake and quick gait </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
walks past the coffee shop </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that just ran out of cold-brew. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Las Vegas: 50+ shot dead</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
with two dozen guns modified to be </div>
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automatic—politicians offer prayer </div>
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for victims, congress considers </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a law legalizing silencers.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-87734038845106572382017-08-03T10:30:00.002-07:002017-08-03T10:30:15.834-07:00Joe Laughs<div class="MsoNormal">
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behind a rock, riffles like fu-manchu </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
frame Joe as he lingers in the river</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
soul-patch and checks his fit-bit </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
equipped with paddle-boarding app—</div>
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“6.1 miles” he shouts. An Osprey cheers </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
from it’s house atop power pole. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joe is impressed I know </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Osprey from Merganser. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joe lives on this river, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
confuses me with ignorance </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of names and lack of fear—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
standing <span style="font-size: 12pt;">on shaking legs down rapids</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
between rocks with igneous flare </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like punk-rock bracelets we bought </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
from Hot Topic. Joe laughs at danger </div>
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even as he drops his lower half-in</div>
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to warm the river and mark it </div>
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home. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-26204978828679555572017-08-02T20:17:00.001-07:002017-08-02T20:21:31.951-07:00Dennis Lake<div class="MsoNormal">
Cutthroat trout slurp gnats <span style="font-size: 12pt;">on the surface </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">of shoals </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">reflecting the Telkwa Range’s</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sloping shoulders, somewhere <span style="font-size: 12pt;">hidden </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">there a remnant Caribou herd </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">munch lichen. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Two clouds hover </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">above a loon’s eerie call.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who could give language <span style="font-size: 12pt;">to this grandeur? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">What name </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">could contain this </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">sacrament? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Difficult tasks </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">beckon the brave.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A pioneering settler, <span style="font-size: 12pt;">a century ago, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">ignored </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">first peoples, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">remained </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">unpolluted </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">by native tongues, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">beheld </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">this place and thought "</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dennis."</span></div>
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<i>Merritt</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sun slouched upward:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a free-range yolk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
over-easy in a dirty</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
rusted cast-iron pan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Kamloops</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Smoke from the interior</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
mingled amongst pine</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and sage, tawny hills and</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sometimes green valleys.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Valemount</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The gas station clerk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
said it’s always busy:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
no gas either direction</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a long ways. And there’s an A’W.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Mcbride</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mountains were marbled with snow, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like a python’s black-and-white self-portrait—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a transparent but ultimately unsuccessful </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
attempt to appear artistic. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Vanderhoof</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clouds like white corduroy</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
dissipated over leather-skinned</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
road workers. The slow-stop</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
binary waited for deconstruction.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-7915896675778823612017-06-05T08:47:00.002-07:002017-06-05T08:47:48.528-07:00Something Something Deep Love of Jesus<div class="MsoNormal">
I asked if she was still reading</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Infinite Jest—it’s the only thing</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know about my barista. She is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took my coffee and sat-down,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
considered the day and worried</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that would be my only conversation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom asked me about a bank </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
account she set-up for my wedding.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love my mom. I told her to leave it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s good to be optimistic. Her text</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
tells me she laughed out loud.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her text did not make me laugh. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I asked about what to do next.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d take any instruction: nap,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
move to the Yukon, smile </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
at the next woman I pass. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mind flipped between</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
an Eagles song I hate and</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
a hymn I forgot the words to. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-45456753550569434002017-04-22T14:45:00.003-07:002017-04-22T14:45:32.563-07:00This Will Be On the Test<div class="MsoNormal">
Over a month in nothing </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but rocks and sand </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and shivering then </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sweating, fever dreams </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
for people who wouldn’t </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
stick around and no one </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
came looking, it was a long trip,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
people had families </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and this was his thing, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
training, practice </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
for the final: abandonment </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
and thirst. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-61093879661656010422017-04-22T14:23:00.002-07:002017-04-22T20:52:23.918-07:00Books I Read in Highschool<div class="MsoNormal">
I read a book with </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hell as sprawl </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like suburbs or </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Houston expanding </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like space and everyone </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
moved further and further away </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
they complained </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
about public transit </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
there were no conversations </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
except self-talk </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
arguments about neighbors </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
who lived out-of-sight </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and I thought it was clever </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and creative but </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
now I have coffee dates </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
scheduled a month in advance </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
with college friends </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
who will be moving soon to </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
states with reasonable </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
property values to </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
buy homes and </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
have kids whose names </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll forget with faces </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
seen occasionally </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
on screens flickering </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
in a dark but affordable </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
studio apartment that<br />
isn’t a metaphor.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-185600827083394132017-04-22T12:39:00.001-07:002017-04-22T14:25:12.538-07:00All Grown-Up<div class="MsoNormal">
No one ever told me, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that’s a lie (probably), </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but it allows some anger </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to disturb the lethargy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People were always droning </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
on about growing-up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Warnings I didn’t hear. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I listened to myself, and ska. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t envision: crying bored, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
staring over plain oatmeal </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
at ugly house-plants, hour-long </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
walks looping around </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
gentrifying neighborhoods </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
waiting for the sun to finish,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
an early bedtime and another bowl<br />
of oatmeal to start it again. <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-87560778209505566812017-04-22T12:38:00.003-07:002017-04-22T14:25:49.370-07:00Sahara<div class="MsoNormal">
David Attenborough tells me </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the Sahara is expanding. There </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
used to be giraffes and elephants. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Red paintings now. David thumbs </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
through a thesaurus, desolate: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bleak, empty, forsaken, lonely,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bare. But there is life. Spiders. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A snake. Ants on stilts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They only come out at night. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Satellite pictures. David flips </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to the back, vast: immense, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
expansive, massive, endless. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wind hisses over blank dunes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now David tells me about climate change. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The futility of action, drying up of hope,<br />
play lullaby as I slip into an afternoon nap.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-68328952143405665502017-04-22T11:55:00.000-07:002017-04-22T14:25:01.529-07:00Malaise: Jimmy Carter Was Right<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">A Hyundai—best in class,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">used, some version of <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">off-white, mostly dependable<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">but starting to rattle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">Kraft dinner with basil <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">and oregano, microwaved <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">broccoli, and beer leftover <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">from a party left early.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">A beta fish named<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">Joe--for the gorilla,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">an inside joke with<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">a friend who move away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">A Moleskine notebook filling <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">with doodles of robots, sad <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">thoughts dressed in Sunday <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">best, and unread reminders:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">call Mom,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">change oil,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt;">book appointment</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;">with counselor.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-78485206364728280652016-06-17T14:05:00.000-07:002016-06-17T14:05:04.087-07:00A Poem for the Anxious Dogs Along 10th Avenue <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Smooth and quick—the bikes pass</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
your window. On the main route</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
East to West, they float by quiet,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
unheeding your shrill alarms. Hundreds</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
each afternoon, confident and teasing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Pacing marathons, whimpering, paws</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
massaging the glass. Dance interpretations</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
anxiety and claustrophobia. The long wait:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
for food, a leash, a miniature door within</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
a door? Yawning—she returns tired.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
There is no empathy, only urgency</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
in your trembling whines. She reaches</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
for the leash, leaving the way open, release</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
from bondage, the Red Sea parts, you dart</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
a false charge, a biker swerves into parked car.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Circling you survey: your own brand of justice.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-23532377914401307892016-05-31T21:59:00.000-07:002016-05-31T21:59:23.226-07:00Fries and Butterfinger Blizzard<div class="MsoNormal">
Reverb and beer, lyrics </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
written for an unnamed </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
you caught me unaware. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vague nostalgia—stars </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
above summer camp, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the milky way, silly names</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pickle-tree and Shim-Shimmel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Crushes and otter-pops and</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
symbols and codes for youth </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hid underneath a balance</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
raspy emotive voice</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
over simple chords.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The song reminded me </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of friends basements,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
songs about break-ups,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dairy-Queen after youth group</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and every first original feeling’s</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
shallow claim on authenticity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is all to say Julien Baker’s</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
new album really made me crave</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
fries and a butterfinger blizzard. </div>
<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmGVIvf8Q6sAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-56082802764329711882016-04-17T16:13:00.000-07:002016-04-17T16:13:06.025-07:00Stranger<div class="MsoNormal">
20 years ago we <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVriYZ6rdbs44131bJahCFADCWgqw3AtEQFWG1QMnCb2_udl3yudrS5NU3PQ6PNjlee-BJgrS0iGs2Bl38-tdrfPgfZogBR-u55-rYgwB0Hjr0v2up7VeZu73L3X-IIQdyoIThywz9Bxux/s1600/The_Presidents_of_the_United_States_of_America-The_Presidents_of_the_United_States_of_America+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVriYZ6rdbs44131bJahCFADCWgqw3AtEQFWG1QMnCb2_udl3yudrS5NU3PQ6PNjlee-BJgrS0iGs2Bl38-tdrfPgfZogBR-u55-rYgwB0Hjr0v2up7VeZu73L3X-IIQdyoIThywz9Bxux/s200/The_Presidents_of_the_United_States_of_America-The_Presidents_of_the_United_States_of_America+2.jpg" width="200" /></a>all had their t-shirts,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
insider knowledge </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of their cover-art </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
origin and meaning,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and mushroom cuts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now in an empty shop</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m bored, reading </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
classic books professors </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
raved about and then retired</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to Gulf Islands—hippies and</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
gardens, a lyric surprises me:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Slim. Relax. Fine wine
at the QFC<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">on a snowy Saturday
night<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, I’m a stranger mumbling </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
half-forgotten lyrics, estimating</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the distance to the nearest </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quality Food Center. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe100 miles?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Probably more.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-11505776641194269002016-04-14T18:49:00.002-07:002016-04-14T18:49:47.083-07:00So I Wrote a Poem<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQ2UFWQa-mWwP8SaUnE_Ts6NWWfzKnk2vHSrRUF2ZojYL5ncSvhhY_Z4C1PIeDXoHRaP0MENIX3xiMtOHQz_0b9pZdYi-D0X5JzTSK0qqZjp2BqYG1ES9QW3AjKiD2alIFap313OuHOrR/s1600/IMG_20160414_102636924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQ2UFWQa-mWwP8SaUnE_Ts6NWWfzKnk2vHSrRUF2ZojYL5ncSvhhY_Z4C1PIeDXoHRaP0MENIX3xiMtOHQz_0b9pZdYi-D0X5JzTSK0qqZjp2BqYG1ES9QW3AjKiD2alIFap313OuHOrR/s200/IMG_20160414_102636924.jpg" width="200" /></a>I don’t have the patience </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
or vocabulary to describe</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the walk well. Light yellow,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
soft green, so many greens. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I guess the light was</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
dappled on the mosses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was spring all afternoon,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
smelled good and warm. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the nice outside-ness</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I forgot to be lonely </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
or sad. I felt like me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know the science,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
there have probably been </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
studies, poems for sure—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t have the patience</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to read them, or research,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but the colors and light,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
swollen feet and hummus,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
made me feel better, good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I wrote a poem.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-73125818067311527882016-03-31T15:10:00.001-07:002016-03-31T15:10:52.837-07:00Bon's Off Broadway<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Movie posters covered in sharpie </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
on cluttered walls muffle mediocre</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
juke box—greatest hits albums & Creed;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
an all-night diner that closes at 10;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
the scent still grieving smoking laws.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Teenager sits opposite me with milkshake.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I nod, study walls, sip bad coffee,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
search for late-afternoon conversation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Questions: <i>how’s school? Home?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<i>Want anything else? How’s your sleep?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Things are fine. Sleep’s not a problem.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<i>Good. It’s important for mental health</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Clean rooms. No screen time. He nods.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I finish my 3<sup>rd</sup> cup, pay and leave.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
At home, I shove clutter off my bed,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
binge on Netflix, wait for anxious dreams.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-50819184571402046802016-03-25T09:36:00.001-07:002016-03-25T09:36:21.520-07:00Squamish <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">The trees are tinseled with green beards that must have been donated by punks who spent too much time in the sun. Logs piled-up in the river, some branches still have color. The fish are somewhere. Not here. They filmed part of the Revenant here. Those people would have died from hypothermia before getting a chance to be shot or mauled or scalped. It is nice to not worry about those things. My waders have a slow leak—half-way up my right leg. The water is only cold for a minute, then body heat takes effect—similar to pissing yourself. Round boulders—copper, white, and grey-blue make it hard to walk. God tells me my ankles hurt. The river is wide and shallow—quiet for once. I have no beer, but a few crackers and cheap cheese are good enough take a moment to think. I should Instagram this. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmrhNlZDVWzSNxiKI0WBMzKb_vL2g-tMgIXfnaDfv2CU35zs-0-ITDF9m6tQ-fQbolrf8NCc0OJim7ZntVfK905jneHIvadz607DLySP8rAB25DgFbe7nz9M4KTeiNtPrelxA-LypzNJp/s1600/IMG_20160305_141610000_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmrhNlZDVWzSNxiKI0WBMzKb_vL2g-tMgIXfnaDfv2CU35zs-0-ITDF9m6tQ-fQbolrf8NCc0OJim7ZntVfK905jneHIvadz607DLySP8rAB25DgFbe7nz9M4KTeiNtPrelxA-LypzNJp/s320/IMG_20160305_141610000_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-92148838948998837282016-02-23T18:06:00.002-08:002016-02-23T18:06:55.014-08:00When I look Up<div class="MsoNormal">
I see him. Still, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
in the newspaper—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mother of Two Missing in Montlake Terrace. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Greasy curls, crazy sunken eyes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the sidewalk,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
head hung low, plodding gait.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On my sidewalk, outside the fruit stand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I look up</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
he’s not there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unoriginal? Maybe, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but tonight will be familiar: chicken</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
potatoes and veggies.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-4969403154994932392015-08-05T09:48:00.004-07:002015-08-05T09:56:07.418-07:00Relics<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Name</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My parents gave me my name. My mom named me after some
forgotten member of their church I never met. My dad named me after the
trickster, the shittiest family man in all scripture—who somehow was the
steward of God’s love for this whole hot mess. I like to think I take after the
former. More Jake than Jacob. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love my name: Jake Tucker. It fits. It’s in the right key.
Lately I’ve noticed some darker harmonies, the bass loitering just under the
melody. That name Jacob is sticky. It’s sad and old and meaningful and I can’t
shake it. My dad gave me a lot of things that have stuck. Things I’ve wanted to
disown. Things that make me proud. And few things I don’t know what to make of.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of those things are stuff. I like stuff. It’s
hold-able—has weight and color. After my dad died I got a lot of stuff. Stuff
saturated in him: smells and stories. Stuff I am reluctantly seeing myself in.
Stuff connecting me to him. Relics. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Acoustic Guitar</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My dad used to fingerpick minor chords on his blonde Washburn
acoustic guitar in his lonely office on wallowing evenings, usually just before
Mom came home. My sister and I would watch TV and feel his sadness peak around
the corner during commercial breaks and watch us like a gambler at the horse
track. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Hamburger Helper dinners, Mom would watch TV upstairs,
Dad would retire to his office, and, on our cordial nights, sister and me would
argue about what to watch. Sad lived in the walls and under the floorboards;
like a family of rats we all ignored out of lethargy. Mom was angry-sad. Dad
was self-pity. Sister and me were anxious. We heard them all scurrying through the
walls whenever Mom sighed or Dad picked-up that guitar. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That sad worked its way into me. I think that’s where my
predilection for Elliott Smith and Cool Ranch Doritos came from—like sitting in
my Dad’s office closet spying and listening to him mumble Kingston Trio songs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That guitar sits in a pile of miscellaneous mess now in my
room. I tuned it yesterday—took me an hour. I picked at the corner of his
rainbow “Praise the Lord” sticker, but decided to leave it. I don’t remember
him ever singing a gospel song—but I think (hope) he wanted to. I just heard
him sing: “Hang down your head Tom Dooley. Hang down your head and cry.” That chorus frightened me. There was deception
in my dad’s melancholy chewing through the walls in a trembling tenor. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That same sadness is still in the guitar—spent and used,
like a hurricane turned drizzle. No fright left in it. Self-pity’s trick uncovered—like
Leah in the morning, a blessing unlooked for. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I looked up the chords to Tom Dooley today, sang along under
my breath, and finger-picked as best I could. I felt the same sadness like
family—his story in mine. That guitar has amazing resonance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Fishing Hat</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I caught my first fish on my first try. I left my line
dangling with a red egg behind a rock on Troublesome Creek. I skipped stones.
Rock-hopped. Explored the chattering stream. When I came back, a fingerling
silver and green fish was flopping on my hook. My dad came to get it off the hook;
I held the pole while my dad maneuvered the fish free. I lost interest, moved
the pole, and the hook sunk into my dad’s thumb. Deep. Blood oozed out,
dribbling into the creek. Dark. Dad cringed, winced with a clenched jaw. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was the first fishing trip. The annual event soon had
merchandise—wide-brimmed tan canvas hats, matching t-shirts “I’d rather be
fishing with my dad/little buddy.” For some reason we wore the shirts
fishing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We took our last trip ten years ago. My dad got us new hats.
I wouldn’t wear mine, said something about the style and fit. Navy blue. Avid
Angler Fly Fishing Outfitters logo with ruddy streamer. I couldn’t bring myself
to wear it. Wearing it would have said we were ok. By that time, we were not
ok.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every year after, my dad would ask about a fishing trip. And
I was busy. The thought of days alone, hours in the car, with him—made me
cringe. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I found his hat amongst all the stuff, I bit my lip,
clenched jaw. Remembered all those conversations, busy schedules. Denied
requests. His persistence. Ignoring the broke us. His thumb bleeding into the
creek, face wincing in pain. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wear that hat everyday. The crown is fading towards tan.
If it still fit, I’d wear the t-shirt too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The House</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom sold the house earlier this summer. I drove down to
help her move. We slept in the living room after the move. A slumber party with
sleeping bags and movies. The house was empty. I took the chance to remember.
All the mixed feelings I had were in a quiet mood, tamed by acceptance, nothing
to be scared of.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I investigated the scene. The scars on the fir trees that
held the tree house dad and I built. The outline of tiny hands in the concrete.
The crawl space that kept my dad’s secrets. The lawn swallowed up by moss. This
was pilgrimage—following the steps of my dad. His miracles and the stations of
his cross.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The stuff of home—trees,
grass, doors, patio, guitars and hats—they’re grief aids. Story-telling props.
Things to hold and touch and remember. Like storage totes, they help organize
the memories into a story with weight and color. Concrete. I like stuff</span><!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-47212290458883149362015-04-30T16:54:00.001-07:002015-04-30T16:54:35.421-07:00Good Things<div class="MsoNormal">
The mountains—specific,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
named: Brandywine, Lions,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Garibaldi and Seymour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Raven’s barrel rolls, leg’s</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
gentle burn, meandering</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
conversations and blue</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
burning glaciers still</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hidden on top ice-aged</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
shoulders. Unspoiled. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember the beer,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
cheeseburgers after—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
keep them for warm days </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
in January; when hope </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
recedes and apathy swells:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
hold fast to what is good.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-61496034866157265802015-04-30T16:49:00.000-07:002015-04-30T16:55:17.595-07:00Pretty Pictures and the Virtue of Graffiti <div class="MsoNormal">
Let them paint pretty pictures:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
unicorns and wealth deserved,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hard work and wise investments,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
sidewalk slovens</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
blanketed in cardboard,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
stuffed with balled newsprint,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
addiction and body odor, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
unfortunate poverty earned,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
anchors sinking cities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let them paint pretty pictures,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
grind your teeth and clinch</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
your fist, and don’t forget</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the old stories: mangers,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
pharaohs, gifts undeserved,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
good news for the poor,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
grace. Don’t forget</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the spray can in your hand:<br />
abhor what is evil.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-3157566939623727832015-04-30T16:45:00.001-07:002015-04-30T16:55:47.445-07:00Pep Talks to Myself in the Imperative (This is the first in a series of poems I wrote as a way of reflecting on Roman's 12, with the scripture as the last line. It's an experiment, so bare with me.)<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finish the thought,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
lean-in and listen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scrunch your eyes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
chew your lip.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Drink your coffee. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Risk the straight word, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
yourself: angry or sad,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
laugh and ignore</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the heavy brow </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
disapproving eavesdroppers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reflect and return </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
with penance or prayer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be honest. Think long. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be careful, when you can.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let your love<br />
be genuine.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-64647597277979498672015-04-16T14:43:00.002-07:002015-04-16T20:54:41.474-07:00Bad Poetry<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 18px;">or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0feNVUwQA8U">La Vie En Rose</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I want to write bad poetry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">about you: recycled tropes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">archaic language—let me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">count the ways, desperate,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">predictable, exhaustive eye similes—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">like grains of sand or stars…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I want to write poetry so bad<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">you become unrecognizable,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">not trace of a person: imagined<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ideals, undigested inheritance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of solipsist romantic, rose colored<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">glasses already beginning to crack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I want to write heartbreak:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">shattered and splintered,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">preemptive and total, tempting<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">nihilist conversion, life vacant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and meaningless, alternating<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">use of lonesome and
lonely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I want to write fiction: every twist<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">planned, crafted story-arches,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">familiar epilogue, formula<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">followed like liturgy; rather<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">than write one transparent and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">simple line: humdrum<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">menu debates, half-smiles,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">forced laugh generosity, sipping<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">coffee in an empty shop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">scrawling thoughts, blank stare,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the vacant chair across the table,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">wishing you were coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338553872037240434.post-52039310818072672552015-04-15T16:09:00.002-07:002015-04-15T16:09:51.731-07:00The Last Tantrum
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I lost it on the field.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The little shit hit me</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
in the back, between numbers</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and after the whistle. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got up in tantrum</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
tears, snot and curse words,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
voice cracking, feet stamping. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Teammates pulled me off field,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
where I sat in wet grass,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
glared till I was tired.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then came wave after wave</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hopeless embarrassment,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that unsightly naked </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
feeling. Shame like nausea.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The crowd: parents and worst—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
friends and girls, all watching</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
with a cringe. I promised</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to keep these things secret,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
hidden from view. To take</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
refuge behind blank face. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01974263525233864964noreply@blogger.com0