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.


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Friday, May 13, 2022

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

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