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!

Friday, July 15, 2022

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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