AD.

WALKING ON THIN ICE

42: The Cleveland Experience

Saw glass in the middle of the bridge today; before, it was on the side. So I’m thinking that the glimmer means that I have to pick the glass up & put it in my salt & vinegar bag & then I thought, well, God will provide for everything, right? Just then, a piece of the glass feel out of this hole at the bottom of the bag. It fell out the hole at the bottom of the bag.

Maybe Heaven is Supposed to be this Planet

Maybe Heaven is supposed to be this Planet. This is the butterfly that’s going to carry me home, and this is the trash I’m going to pick up later, I hope.

Old MacDonald had a farm

Risk is part of farmin/run with it weirdness. “I’m going to go for the trash I see on the Horizon and then hopfully I’ll be able to run.”

TESTAMENT

Original post down below. I am strongly feeling that the staples on my roof seem to think I was wrong & I tend to agree with them.

– – –
As a person with a BSEE,a background in neural nets and search engine optimization, I belive (believe) I am receiving scientific messages which could be interpreted as holy messages (for me they are one and the same.)

I am not entirely certain, but I think I heard on the radio that J (Lebron James) is Jesus. (I do believe, I think.) Hard to tell. Will try to be truthful in what I’m picking up.

Now, off to good faith work. Seems like a harsh think (thing) for a prophet, but I must do my work for my loved ones.

More later, if I can.

Peace out,

xok

K

Christmas Eve

THEY SEE HER AS AN INFINITE SINK

THEY SEE HER AS AN INFINITE SINK

They see her as an infinite sink
or a flush toilet
I see her as a continent
We all do
She’s reliable
She can take blame
She can take criticism
She’s an inspiration
She’s determined to be happy
because she’s an infinite sink
because she’s a flush toilet
If you lay a turdy word in her
she’ll flush it away
If you throw up in her
she’ll flush it away
Eat and shit
Eat and shit
She understands human foibles
She’s a continent, a firmament, a planet
she’s carefully considering her options
at the rate of five centimeters a year
like Baja California
separating from Mexico
She’s determined to be happy
She says she’s happy
She’s an inspiration
She’s Baja California
She’s a flush toilet
She’s an infinite sink
She’s a planet Earth

Lady

face, not place, is base


“No Exit” by Mother Dwarf Smith – foto by son Smith

We made the monthly Tremont ArtWalk rounds tonight, and our first stop half a block around the corner at the Doubting Thomas Gallery, my 24 year old art past struck again. Performance artist Frank Green is selling off his art collection and one of the pieces he has for sale is a fine assemblage by my dead mom–Mother Dwarf–while another in a rusted cake pan is one-third of a triptych of mine from the mid-1980s (the other two portions of the triptych were destroyed somehow).

Also saw Dick Head at Green’s show, and 4 days ago in another part of town I chanced across some of my old artwork in a couple of Dick Head’s 1985 Clevebland Rag-o-zeens. My old art past is Mobius strip looping around in some Twilight Zone infinity flip. These seem to me to be omens saying I’m supposed to be here.

I first met poet artist punk musician publisher performance artist Dick Head in 1983. There was a pounding on my 4th floor warehouse fire door. I opened it to my first view of Dick Head. He whined, “Do you have any drugs?” “No,” I replied, “but if you find any, come back.” An hour later he was back pounding on my steel door, with drugs. Not a bad foundation for a 27 year friendship.


Robert Ritchie a.k.a Dick Head – foto by Smith

Sometimes I forget how long I’ve been in Ohio. Moved to Chagrin Falls in 1977 when I was 31 (moved there to be with another man’s wife), then to Solon in 78, downtown Cleveland warehouse 81, Tremont 85, Europe 2006, Africa 07, Mexico 07, and back to Tremont 09 at 63.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m sixty-four?

Started life in Idaho in 1946. Then Washington state, Oregon, California, Tennessee, Maryland, Hawaii, Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio. And of course the England Netherlands Poland Croatia Italy France Spain Morocco Mexico Ohio loop just to keep things interesting

No wonder place has seldom been my identity.


“No Exit” (detail) by Mother Dwarf Smith – foto by Smith

“As Above, So Below” – 1/3 of triptych by Smith – foto by Smith

the adventures of lady & smith


balloonboy – foto by smith

The adventures of Lady & Smith, soon to be no longer broadcast from foreign shores.

Getting things picked up, packed, mailed, given away, tossed, cleansed for our fiftieth-some move since 2006. Our fridge and furniture have been traded for our final two weeks rent. Plants gone, art gone, books gone, spices gone, smoke gone. Getting white and empty in here. It’s the awkward stage where we’re gone in our minds but still here in the flesh. (Although my body still revels in this sun and warmth).

What an odd three year story arc it’s been – Cleveland England Netherlands Poland Croatia Italy France Spain Morocco Mexico, and now back to Cleveland to live. I spent 29 years there–46% of my life. Looks like I’ll stay at least one more.

Once back, perhaps we can begin to put our journey in perspective. 31 months, 10 countries, 21 cities, 3 continents. Not sure how we’ve changed, but know we ain’t the same.

After all this, I figure Cleveland will be just one more foreign city to report on.

We watched Stranger Than Paradise last night. Wanted to see the actors standing in the blowing snow looking out at the iced-over Lake Erie to prepare us for returning to Cleveland winters. The scene where they drive by Tremont into Cleveland showed our old studio flat. Interesting scene because they’re supposed to be driving from the east, from New York City to Cleveland, yet in that scene they’re coming from the west, which is ass backwards.


redhand – foto by smith