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, July 15, 2018

A Few Notes on Tropical Birds


July 15, 2012  (I was 67)

   A Few Notes on Tropical Birds
In the prattle of the palms
above the general cheep and chatter
one bird says Achoo Achoo
or It’s you It’s you
You know what the rooster says
Another bird rants can’t can’t can’t
so dove does do do do
Two converse  Did you weld it up
I welded it up  Did you weld it up
I welded it up  Third says Well did
Did you see what Cerise eats
She eats cheese she eats
More specific listening delineates the general
into subtle individuality
Branches make me itch itch itch
A whole week’s worth of work if we stay
Eat eighty-three seeds eighty-three
Geeeeeze  Geeeeeze
Walk the talk walk the talk
delicious but all so repetitious
Oh for the love-a Oh for the love-a lava

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