I don’t write in a journal everyday, but I have accumulated many entries over the past 50+ years beginning in 1966. Some items evolved into longer works. Among the leftovers little pieces survived. I thought a collection of these with a piece culled from the same date in a past year would make an interesting yearbook. The consistencies and inconsistencies of mind, skipping back and forth across time, provide varied perspectives. It is difficult to remember the context of the past we’ve lived; we also make suppositions about times that predate ourselves.

The few alterations from original drafts were to improve clarity. The worst of my work is not included. There remains enough mediocrity and immaturity to make me feel humble and you feel smart. There are also moments of accidental insight and incidental humor.

Author Stephen Crane referred to his little pieces as pills…apparently they were small and somewhat hard to swallow, but good for you.


Comments Welcome!

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Playing Guns ca. 1953


May 13, 1976  (I was 31)

   Playing Guns ca. 1953
Pretend this area is the swamp
you can’t go through here
or you’ll sink in quicksand and die
You hafta go around this part past those trees
or over those rocks the mountains over there
No using binoculars they are illegal weapons
When you shoot someone you gotta say their name
not just bam bam bam but bam bam bam and their name
otherwise they’re not dead
and you gotta shoot loud unless you say before
you got a silencer on your gun
And then you can only use it for close kills
and when you’re dead shut up
No telling where anyone is
or pointing at ‘em with your gun either
Taking prisoners is dumb
there’s never anything to do with them
So shoot to kill  Okay you guys hide first

No comments:

Post a Comment