reading

Politics is power. The ancients understood this, the ruling class always has, nutters on the right and left too, understand, whatever language they wish to cloak their putschs' in notwithstanding. Meanwhile, the sedated public, doused with television on a regular basis, sits back eating cheetos and noshing on cardboard chain goo[calling that spew pizza is insulting], ignorant of the world,its problems or even, you know reading. There is always in April a hue and cry asking"how do we get more people to read poetry?" Well, I am actually surprised at the number of people who DO read poetry, and the number who actually, you know, read! The number of independent booksellers are frighteningly low, {though I do love amazon,i confess],there were in the 1950's over 150 bookstores in manhattan alone! outside of the chains, now there are very few. I dont care if folks read romance novels or the newspaper, as long as they read. Unplug the drug! I would as mayor, increase the budget for libraries 10,000% Literally!That and for parks , pools and playgrounds schools and daycare.For Everything else ,let the bastards wrestle each other. bookmobiles to in need areas, healthmobiles to in need areas. Collge kids to do national service in inner cities during the summer.Remember the old slogan? Give a damn.

another courageous pick from Obama

So, the treacly spirit of Bill Clinton still reaches 1600 Pennsylvania ave. After eight years of that do nothing weasel, he still influences the white house, with the choice of Juudge sotomayer to fill on the court. Yikes.To stand against wingnut neanderthals like Scalia and his ditto head goofball Thomas, you need fire and ice.Obama, once more egged on by Rahm emmauel[caution! you want to win re-election!} goes safe. Come on Barak, this is not why people voted for you! Not to be safe and be Clinton, that panty sniffing- fence sitting-do nothing. Damn it, man, be bold, dont listen to the advisors[they are doing a bang up job, by the way.}The wackos on the right DONT WANT TO HELP, THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN BI-PARTISANSHIP. They understand only when you let your dog shit in front of them, then run their noses in it. Stop trying to be everything to everybody, fight these fuckers, the ones on your staff especially.

worship

Somehow, in the Us, we are so insulated from the world, at least those of us on the fringe of the middle. A billion people go to bed without clean water or enough food each day, that is over three time the entire population of the us and Canada, every day! And we piss and moan about trans fats!Intellectuals squabble, dissect, and talk about writing papers.Conservatives say"it their own fault" and just don't care. Liberals wring their hands,and give a bit of money to ease their convenient consciences, and do nothing. The question, i guess is am I my brothers or sisters keeper? if not, well then fuck 'em, right? if so, what to do? As i remember Jesus once said"you ll always have the poor with you" which , unbelievably, many have taken to mean you don't have to do anything to address the problem!!As if Jesus a poor marginal Jew who scraped his hardscrabble life together by the work of his hands and the kindness and table fellowship of others, would ever be anything save sensitive to the poor. He did say we would be judged, judged,by what we did for the poor sick imprisoned hungry ,destitute ,the whores ,drunks ,junkies,immigrant, the OTHER. By this measurement, we as a people have failed miserably and totally. Calling the USA a christian nation is like calling the former soviet union a "workers state",pure fiction.We worship one thing in this country,POWER through its conduit, MONEY. Everything else is simply bullshit. Jesus wept...

what poetry is

it's confusing and literal
exciting
passionate and
silly
breathtaking
and
ridiculous
a lot like sex
it is the gnawing feeling
of grief that never goes
that knows no cure

it is the longing for
quiet that city goers
need
crave
never receive

it is the teenage boys chasing a teenage
girl
playing rough tag

but not
too rough

hoping for a brush against
her

sigh

it is the knowing look of your dog
looking you square
past your eyes
defenses
allowing you
to show
a side
you'd rather
not let
otherwise
be seen

its the compassion
of being human
that needs
neither dictionary
nor instructor
to decipher
nor decode
to understand
like listening to
a cardinal sing
or explaining
why a blue bonnet
simply
is

Friday

Listening to JS Bachs musical offering, the sun is strong[finally] my chai is hot and spicey,and it's friday, which means ,actually quite little when you have small[ish] kids...Jose reyes` will always be a player of the future...The Red wings, shockingly,in a thrilling 7th game and Dan Cleary's late goal, now play the Blackhawks in the westtern conference final, 2 original 6 teams! Now if the Bruins had not spit the bit to carolina[hockey simply should not be played where you cannot skate outside At any time during the year. No one goes to games in these places[Nashville being an exception] save during the Cup. Load canada with the sinkhole teams,canadian economy doesnt look too bad now,eh?}then we would have 3 teams fromthe 6 sigh.Oh well...Betteman is so bad as hockey commisioner that he makes Bud Selig look enlightened.Bettemen is from the David Stern /Joe Stalin style of management...time to read and walk the dog

revisiting sites

have you ever
in that oddly lit place
between wake and sleep
gone backwards
thinking over
decisions that once
caused isomniac weeks
that now appear
as they always were
ephemeral
the breathing of butterflies

the lightness of the stars

in that wakeless hour
populated by many spirits
mostly benign
as I get older
who hold up mirrors
to my future
answering my questions
with songs
in undiscovered
languages
often
leaning foward
to whisper
not to stare

mothers day

softly
birds coo
cities yawn
puddles sing
dogs croon
trees whistle
against the clock
drawn morning

Happy 88th Birthday Dan Berrigan!!!!!!!!!!

on this day in 1921, Daniel Berrigan,S.J. poet-priest peacemaker was born on the Iron Range in Minnesota, home to such great poetic minds as Bob Dylan, Bill Holm and Eugene McCarthy to mention a few. Daniel Berrigan is my candidate for the sanest man of the 20th century, for his lifelong witness against POWER, for his lightness of touch, his wonderful sense of humor, his superb[and greatly underrated]poetry. He is quite simply, the greatest man I have ever met, and has been a guiding light in my life since high school. If Pete Seeger is feted` for 90, Daniel Berrigan should be lionized. simply, a good great man. Happy Birthday Fr Dan! Many many more!

yellow paper

once
many years ago
in a state of
drunken
rapture

I wrote
a seven page
rambling letter
telling of my undying love
for you
confessing it on
crushed yellow
legal pad
indicting myself
with my signature

you had the kindness
not to mention it
until we
were dating awhile
out of typical
delicacy
and guessing
I was too
embarrassed
to bring it up
funny thing was
somehow
through the haze of booze
i remembered
not just penning it
but each word
as if it were
on a plaque
before me
and
perhaps
strangest of all
i meant
every goddamn
word

If they came for you...

My beloved wife has one test she puts in her mind for anyone she meets{she is part Romani,so it is historical} If they came to take away the Jews of your city, would you hide them or would you collaborate.Perhaps an odd litmus test,it is indeed a powerful one.Since my childhood the Shoah has haunted me,{ perhaps due to my part Polish heritage?}the overwhelming stories,the almost unspeakable scope and evil. I have read a great deal[ the great Primo Levi of blessed memory, is among the great writers in any language] and tried, in my limited way, to if not understand[it is madness and evil squared] then to simply never to go along with any form of brutality.The agony of survivors and their families is almost nihilistic in it's power ,though somehow, nihilism did not triumph.The question my wife poses might sound odd or even inappropriate,though ponder this:historically,power has always gone after a scapegoat, and Jewish people have always been marked. I hope and pray, sincerely pray, that this question is never ever needed to be asked again...

this bloody century

and now
you sail
on the waterless
sea
the blue
waveless
sea
no more
to crash upon
the blood black
rock
no more to
set your watch to the
darkness
to caution
others tracing your steps
on the slippery
dark red ice
{is it ice?}
how to navigate
without causing
death
your own
never in doubt
is courage
rarely seen
given
now

always kept
in your breast
pocket
the key to strength
the sparest
bone
a memory card
given at birth
collected
as you board
the fleeing
day

Together through life

Odd, no, how Bob Dylan has survived. In the 1980's he put out a bunch of truly mediocre music,then suddenly[methinks he either put the plug in the jug and/or stopped getting high] he puts out 4 excellent albums.Together through life is hilariously dark[the swine flu scenarios are all abound with the tex-mex flavor on this record] raucous ,hell bouncy recording. Dylan is one truly strange and unusual man, very very few people get to live life on their own terms, and have talent besides. His music is the voice of America, the truest voice since Whitman's[though his lyrics, especially the earlier ones, are more Lorca}rumbled and yawped across the rooftops. If it is not poetry per se`, it's pretty damn close. So here's to Bob Dylan, still kicking some serious ass at age 67.