Philosophy 167
Many paths.
Many mountains.
Many valleys.
Many steps.
Yet one.
~
Philosophy 168
Hope to outgrow
what I cannot outrun.
The ache of break
from dream to wake.
– Smith, 10.1.2017
Been in a bit of a funk due to health, finances, a general existential ennui – haven’t even posted my new poems.
The health is Lady’s battle with eye cancer (successful it seems) and my right shoulder replacement in 11 days. Already have a metal hip, a metal left shoulder, two metal rods in my neck, and a 2-year unhealed broken kneecap, and set off metal detectors.
The finances are like Sisyphus – eternal. Born poor, live poor, looks as if I’ll die poor.
In spite of all this I am a rich and lucky man – have Lady’s love, a fine cat, cool friends, decent in-laws, and a past fully lived. Plus I had a fine poetry reading at Mac’s Backs last week.
Here’re my two most recent poems, plus a few news updates.
~ ~ ~
Conversation with Wife 37
“Sweat’s so weird,
I woke last night in a cold sweat.”
That’s a James brown song.
“Think it’s menopause.”
How long’s that last?
“10 years.”
10 years?!?!
You mean you bleed for 30 years
then spend another 10 getting over it?
“Yes, aren’t women wonderful?
All to make more of us.”
Why can’t we just order babies from catalogues?
“Are catalogues how we get cats?
Dogs from dogalogues?”
Captains from the Captain’s log.
“Humans from humanalogs.””
I used to belog to a club,
but they wooden let me stay.
– Smith, 9.28.2017
~ ~ ~
Lady K’s cat scan came back negative for cancer, which implies her eye cancer has not spread. They’ll check again in 6 months. Doc says her eye tumor is shrinking, and she has only a 2% chance of it spreading.
~ ~ ~
Status Report 259
I hunger within
for the things without,
yet the things without
cannot feed me
for they lack substance.
– Smith, 9.29.2017
~ ~ ~
Electricity was out 14 hours. Our neighbor saw the pole go down. Said a man cut across the traffic circle half a block away, blew his tire on the curb, gunned the gas, raced through the red light, lost control, hit the electric pole half a block the other way and knocked it over. Our neighbor is a male nurse. His first thought was stroke, so he ran over to see if he could help, saw no signs of stroke, smelled no alcohol, so his best guess based on the way the guy was acting is heroin. 12 hours later as we watch the repair, we hear an explosive KEERACK right across the street and see a massive tree branch as large as a medium tree fall, missing a man’s house by a few inches. He comes out, sees there’s no house damage, and says “Looks like I have some firewood.”
Philosophy 165
There’s far,
there’s here,
there’s what’s in-between.
Far is sky, clouds, horizon,
dirt, trees, sun, moon, stars, wind,
ornamental grasses,
big ideas, small gifts of affection,
sacred lies like good and right.
Here is our corner of cat and Smith & Lady life,
an oasis from the dark twixt.
In-between lies fire and flood,
weird nasties in power who worsen knot
to make misery money.
We carry our light to far light
in cleanse of blight.
Just need map, road, and first step.
– Smith, 9.12.2017
Philosophy 152
You know you are doing something right
when the purring gets louder
~
Philosophy 153
Fire, bone music, stories
the whence from which we came
~
Philosophy 154
We wake in pain
to feathered flesh
that never will arrive
~
Philosophy 155
Man is a pile of dirt minus one rib,
a sloppy eater that needs a bib,
a hunk of meat devouring itself,
mostly lower shelf.
~
Philosophy 156
Sometimes look in the word bucket
and it’s empty
sometimes full but all messed up
~
Philosophy 157
It’s the process
not the end point
that’s the point
~
Philosophy 158
Do what you can
with what you get
~
Philosophy 159
It’s all fluid
a big flexible water whorl weighed with hook
and bite of tooth and claw
~
Philosophy 160
The face in the mask is
alas
peeking through
~
Philosophy 161
Whatever the while
Do your best
And offer a smile
To prime the rest
~
Philosophy 162
Well crack my bred
spread my jam
in this jelly place of am
~
Philosophy 163
Wrinkles are the face’s wealth
we iz what we iz and that’s all yam am.
~
Philosophy 164
Drink my tea, smoke my dope
Shuck this patriarchal collar rope
Get to work on help and hope
– Smith, 8.29.2017
Philosophy 146
Just cuz they been to school
don’t mean they’re educated
~
Philosophy 147
If you’re not pissed about what’s going on
you’re not paying attention
~
Philosophy 148
The leaves aren’t leavin’
they’re comin’ soon
~
Philosophy 149
Sitting on old wood bench
in tiny flower park
in new day sun
the rhododendrons wrapped in red:
life is better for the basics
~
Philosophy 150
Most of us gotta be poor
so the rich can be rich
We gotta pay taxes
so they can cheat
We need be good
so they can be bad
We can’t be them
cuz they need us to be had
– Smith, 5.8.2017
Philosophy 143
Dawn is the daughter
day the drone
what comes after
is ours alone
~
Philosophy 144
Body wants me in chair
Bladder wants me in bathroom
~
Philosophy 145
I am my own statue
upon which I shit
– Smith, 5.6.2017
Philosophy 140
Meat rides bone.
Spirit rides meat.
Bone strides earth.
When it’s pain
“It will pass.”
When there’s joy
“This is now.”
– Smith, 3.17.2017
Philosophy 139
Life eats the living
the dead are just dessert
– Smith, 2.5.2017
Philosophy 136
Nothing’s black and white,
not even black and white.
~ ~ ~
Philosophy 137
We all got our own buttons to push,
never see the other’s hand
~ ~ ~
Philosophy 138
Got the black cat moan
the under-ladder blues
if it were me alone
don’t know what I’d do
So I walk the endless girth
both latitude and long
of our broken earth
for Mother Nature’s song
Poking puzzle pieces
sorting through the trash
hoping ire ceases
trying not to be an ash
Ain’t found much
no eight-fold road
it depends on whom we touch
how we share the load
So brighten the corner
where you are
believe like Mister Rogers
kindness ripples far
– Smith, 1.17.2017
