I just get better and better looking. Thanks, Virginia Jones, for sending this little portrait, a memento of our Grand Canyon rafting trip. Photo by Mike Jones or Liz Willey.
In the beginning, when we were still made of mud, and pieces of ourselves were always falling off, it was necessary to live close to water. [...]
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Like the moon she swims in darkness.
She gives, and only hands can block her gifts.
She wraps herself in blues and greens
and tastes of loam and snow, of marmalade
and rolling thunder.
Summer hides within the everglades with her,
and plays upon her belly.
But Summer’s knees are getting older now,
older as the rocking earth a slower,
slower movement makes.
She sleeps, [...]
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Posted in art, ekphrasis, image prompts, isabel allende, painting, poetry, stories, storybook collaborative, supernatural bridge, works in progress on September 24, 2008 | 13 Comments »
A day early but I’ll be out of town tonight (off to Santa Fe to hear Isabel Allende with my son, Broadus, who loves her children’s stories, and a van full of international students from UWC-USA). And besides, this is one of the paintings I am currently working on. I’m interested to see what you [...]
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Posted in art, broadus, collaboration, ekphrasis, image prompts, painting, poetry, quesrtionable rights of the state, stories, storybook collaborative, stupid war, tell us a story!, the children's hour on September 18, 2008 | 5 Comments »
This image was inspired by the spirited freedom always evident in the artwork produced by my son, Broadus. If a dragon needs four eyeballs, or double jaws, or teeth in its belly he does not hesitate to add them. It is also inspired by the stupid war, obviously. Let’s hope it is brought to a [...]
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Another day, and my small town sings into a gray morning.
The clouds hang low, walking slowly eastward on bound feet;
their feathered skins and souls are wrapped in old newspapers,
damp straw, cotton from the fields to westward; they are bound
with rubber bands and orange twine, now gray and rotten.
.
No drum rolls herald the approach of war. [...]
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Posted in art, birth, ekphrasis, image prompts, myths, openhand, painting, poetry, stories, the children's hour on September 12, 2008 | 6 Comments »
.the dragon prince
Mister Openhand, I think maybe it would be okay to quit your day job.
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Maybe someone can find a story here? Or a poem? This painting belongs to Broadus, and he would like a story, please. It’s almost bedtime.
Sept. 11, 2008 image prompt
. The Dragon Prince, by Openhand
. A Not-story, by Z (distillation infusion)
. Sailing Sunsets, by Angelica
. Night’s Invitation, by Pamela Olsen (coosacreek – amputated)
. Under the Big [...]
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The black cats arrange themselves in pairs by starlight,
on polished black marble by a black lapping sea.
They bow to each other — yes, they stand upright –
and wait till the band leader clicks, one, two, three….
The dance begins gracefully, with great formality,
under the stars, on polished black marble, by the sea.
Where are the trees? There [...]
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Early Naomi but still a fave. It is sometimes hard to get back to poetry if one is really good at grant writing, speaking, facilitation and training, strategic planning, community organizing and the like. But sometimes I wonder who is more likely to move the world, the community organizer, or the poet?
Old Man comes back [...]
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Posted in art, poetry, stories on September 6, 2008 | 6 Comments »
Once I saw a seed gone bad,
a twisted, tortured face it had,
its roots and voice were trapped inside,
life would never break through here;
tomorrow would wait forever.
It was a futile, little, budless thing,
full of sadness, hopeless,
abandoned by its maker.
It’s she who weeps beside you now
and shrieks
and scares the birds and squirrels
and bites the children who used [...]
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Posted in memphis, poetry, stories, winter on September 4, 2008 | 19 Comments »
1.
Winter comes. The leaves must bind their thoughts
to now, or too soon leave the branch.
Well, indeed…
Where is my commitment? Placed in overlays?
One facing forward and beneath that,
one facing back?
One fine and bright but beneath
are winter’s trees and rocks,
winter’s shadows, winters tracks?
I am the only life here.
Winter says, “Don’t go.”
I say I must.
She plays her light [...]
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Posted in anger management, art, ekphrasis, image prompts, law, painting, poetry, race in america, stories, storybook collaborative, vegetarian pacifist boxers on September 4, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Wanted to call it, “Bruno Goes To War”, but that’s not really what it’s about. So, for lack of a title I’ll just call it “The Fight”.
Have fun with it. Next week I’ll get back to, heck, I don’t know. This week the kid in the ring is on my mind.
(In “catagories”I checked “race in [...]
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Posted in #1 son, #2 son, art, broadus aurelius, law, poetry, politics, stories, vegetarian pacifist boxers, will scarlet's feud on September 2, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The Kid has a blog. Will Scarlet’s Feud. He is telling stories and, chip off the old block, he is collecting stories. Any kind of story, it seems, and from anyone, as long as it is from personal experience. He has started a story chain, the linkages being story, to story, to story, without explanation [...]
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