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WALKING ON THIN ICE

Persephone, 51″ x 27″ x 15″, 2021

July 31, 2021 No Comments

Meet Persephone, 51″ x 27″ x 15″, 2021, my first backyard sculpture. Right leg placed over 2 metal rods stuck in ground, then leg filled with cement.

Had a plethera of found objects to add (wings and bull horns and frogs & butterflies and railroad spikes and rockinghorse heads and arms & legs and muy mucho mas more), but she seems happy with the crystal, wire, and whatever electronic cable component this is (along with the wear and tear of her past) . . . of course that could change.













from The Designated Mourner

July 30, 2021 No Comments

*If you look at the world . . . most people in it are the ones we can only refer to, rather nervously and gingerly, by means of those terribly melodramatic and almost hysterical words like “wretched,” “miserable,” “unfortunate,” “desperate,” “powerless,” “poor.” . . . And these particular people — and, you know, God knows why — well, they just don’t like us. They don’t like us. They simply don’t like us. So it’s not hard to see what will happen one day.*

– from The Designated Mourner,” a play by actor / playwright / director Wallace Shawn

bison onto shuffalo

July 30, 2021 No Comments

bison onto shuffalo . . .

Your Mama Won’t Like Me – Suzi Quatro
Poverty Train – Laura Nyro
I Was in the House When the House Burned Down – Warren Zevon
Colour Blind – Poly Styrene
On My Radio – The Selectors
Stuff Is Way – They Might Be Giants
Little Liars – Ida Mae
Speak Out – Rising Appalachia w/ Ani Difranco
Devil’s Got Your Boyfriend – Tracy Bonham
Strong Feelings – Dry Cleaning
Woman – Susheela Raman
Trillium – Lightman Jarvis Ecstatic Band
If Jesus Drove A Motor Home – Jim White w/ Aimee Mann
The Reoccurring Dream – Joni Mitchell
Shoo Lie Loo – Ranky Tanky
Finger Pies – Anika

ex-plantlady Kevorkian

July 27, 2021 No Comments

Lady used to call herself the Plant Kevorkian cuz she killed any green she touched, which is odd since Green is one of her maiden surnames.

But since we moved into this 140 yr-old house with a bit of backland, she’s taken up gardening and landscaping. She’s begun slate paths, built a brick patio for our beehive, dug a small fishpool, is bricking the firepit area, and is growing all kinds of plants, flowers, fruits, and veggies.

This is our first winter-spring-summer here, and she’s already transformed the place. Who knows what next spring will bring.













weird shuffled edge, middle, old . . .

July 27, 2021 No Comments

weird shuffled edge, middle, old . . .

Glueland – Do Nothing
Money Jungle – Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Max Roach
Mainline Prosperity Blues – Mimi & Richard Farina
Bill Gates – Critters Buggin
A Swamp Dog’s Tale – Goat Girl
Istanbul (Not Constantinoble) – They Might Be Giants
Gimme the Car – Violent Femmes
Rhumba Blues – Little Willie Littlefield
I’m Waiting for the Man – The Velvet Underground
Mexican Radio – Wall of Voodoo
The Snake and the Moon – Dead Can Dance
Misterioso – Thelonious Monk
Hell on Heels – Pistol Annies
The Protege – John Cale & Terry Riley
Boogie in the Dark – Jimmy Reed
Monkey in a Silo – Jim White
God is God – Juno Reactor

Lady’s latest

July 24, 2021 No Comments

Rhythm a.m.

The snake flick of the lighter’s tongue
its reflection in the window
firey eyes glint

Husband cups warm orange light
in the cradle of his hand and pipe
all the wrinkles of his wisdom
squint to suck a flame

He ahems some coughs
lights the pipe again

Dog raises head

Husband consults the clock
flicks another glint
rocks forward
says alrighty
time to walk the dog

He blows his nose
The dog skittles his nails
on the Tylenol groan of
foyer floor

The door slams like
the thump of a book
Bells rattle
Windows shake

Now it’s just my invisible
silent breath and the tick tick
of the clock’s swinging pendulum
They’re on their walk
and I am alone
waiting

– Lady 7.24.2021

4 deer, 1 dog

July 17, 2021 No Comments

Four deer in park
One dog off leash
One man calling



Ralph Philip “Pappy” Smith, 1922-89

July 13, 2021 No Comments


Ralph Philip “Pappy” Smith, 1922-89

Dad dead 32 years.

Wish I’d known him better, but I left home at 17, ignorant.

We loved each other. But while I respected him, he found me weird. When I mentioned I’d made the Dean’s List at Loyola College, he said he couldn’t respect me because of my shoulder-length hair. He later upgraded me when I started getting newspaper and magazine articles on my art and poetry.

He was a brick-block-stone mason, and I made good money summers as his hodcarrier from 14-17.

Pappy was a good man. Honest. And funny. Folk liked and trusted him, were talking of running him for local office.

Lady thinks I get my sense of humor from him. Some of these fotos suggest that may be true.

1st foto below is his contribution to my 1975 art journal.









no way to improve on this musical haiku

July 13, 2021 No Comments

A perfect 3-song shuffle last night as I sat in the dark listening to rain.

Church of Anthrax – John Cale & Terry Riley
Rivers – Skinny Puppy
Switch Blade – Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Max Roach

Was going to see what the A.I. chose for song four, but realized there was no way to improve on this musical haiku, and went to bed instead.