they flash by like
many-colored fish
creating the currents
they seek
leaves rustle
barely
as the gam*
finds its pace
we stand and marvel
at the force
but know
it’s not for us
they ride
*Gam has a variety of meanings, including “a leg” which certainly has relevance here; as part of the marine metaphor, it can mean a school of whales, dolphins or porpoises; and, gam can refer to a social meeting, which is part of the experience of cycling in a group.
Andy told us confidently
we’d all have our fifteen minutes of fame
but that was 1968
when the population of the world
was only 3.556 billion
it’s 6.793 today
so each of us only gets 7 minutes and 51 seconds now
to make our mark on “American Idol”
or “So You Think You Can Dance”
or “The Biggest Loser”
and when we do
it’s Oprah and Tyra and Ellen
if we are lucky
Chad will sell us a house in Malibu
next to someone who has already had
their 7 minutes and 58 seconds
because the world population was only 6.789 billion
a week ago
forty-seven times (or was it 48?
I lost count after 23)
the Police sing “ee yo o”
but never bother to explain.
we all know what they mean, though
we’ve all been there
walking down the street ready
to break into song
just yesterday crisp and clear
like every other cliched autumn day
if you listened very carefully
you could hear six or seven different
people singing, humming, whistling
or was it just a car’s stereo passing by?
that thump thump thump isn’t a sound
that normal people make on their own
we knew it was a hoax —
(how could we not?)
after George and Dick and Karl
the governor of Idaho has WMDs
and plans to use them
Montana’s unprepared
but Wyoming may fight back
Sarkozy’s wife will replace
Lynette on Desparate Housewives
Bo’s not really a dog
just a really big cat
H1N1 started out
as a floor wax, but it still won’t work on tile
eating organic vegetables causes
loss of hearing in mice
texting while driving is not as dangerous
as dancing the Tango or waltz
If you can’t trust a blogger…
Today was the last day of the trellis project. I removed the final canvas, though the trellises are going to remain in the yard for a few days. We have some friends from California coming to visit and I thought I’d give them a chance to see the structures in place.
This has been an interesting experiment, not the least for all the positive response I’ve had. Many people have come by to see the installation and several times while I was in the yard moving the trellises from one location to the next, neighbors have stopped and chatted. One neighbor said that the trellises livened up the neighborhood and gave him something interesting to look at on his daily walks with his dog.
I had originally intended to auction the pieces off at the end of the project to benefit the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City (http://www.hsgkc.org) and Wayside Waifs (http://www.waysidewaifs.org), but I haven’t finished cleaning the canvas and so that will have to wait. One of these days, I’ll let you know about an on-line auction, with all the proceeds going to care for homeless animals, of which there are so many that need our help.
As something of a footnote, I’ve recently been recording observations about various things and posting them here, including a combined observation/image piece which is also going to be incorporated into a mix-media piece that I hope to finish in the next couple of weeks. If you haven’t checked the blog in a few weeks, you’ve missed them. They follow below…
Cheers
Observation/image 1
the invention of liquid time was merely the beginning
Observation/image 2
in the beginning was the invention of liquid
Observation/image 3
the invention of the beginning was liquid
Observation/image 4
liquid time
liquid time
liquid time
liquid time
liquid time
Observation/image 5
merely the liquid of beginning time
Observation/image 6
liquid beginning
merely time
merely time
merely time
the birds are flying south, my friend reports and
Facebook brings the scene
a soundtrack by Charlie Parker
or Jim McGuinn would be appropriate
(he’s Roger now I know but everyone
has changed their name
at least once, it’s hard to keep up…
like learning all your passwords)
a movie on TCM shows Burt at Alcatraz
and birds still flying south
Tennessee wearing pumpkin orange
leads Florida 8 to 6
The score, perplexing the commentators and the fans alike,
seems cheerfully low
like playing an Andy Williams’ 45 at 33 1/3
Moon River still hopeful and gay
Was Tennessee Williams really from Tennessee
and did he play football?
That might explain the magic tower
built to hold his plays
none of which were read
in high school English in the ‘50s
And who’s to say why
Andy never visited his uncle Tennessee
Did he know about Branson even then?
Now Florida has tied the score
and everyone’s crying
especially Frank Stella
but only minimally
is it possible that Donald Trump
and Rod Blagojevich are really
the same person?
could there be
another toupee
at large as bad as that one
ready to pounce
on unsuspecting children?
or can there be
two personalities roaming around the universe
so abrasive or outrageous?
but I’m stating the obvious
like: people who prefer buffets
tend to buy a Thomas Kinkade more often
than a Picasso
The trellises are strung with rope lights, so night provides another way to experience them. Since serendipity is a goal of this project (OK, I realize that you can’t plan for a serendipitous experience, but you can plan to embrace it when it comes. Of course, it’s not serendipity if you don’t recognize and embrace it, right? It’s just some random occurrence. Does a serendipitous experience become some thing else if you are on the lookout for it?), the random siting this time around provided an interesting arrangement, particularly after dark (when I look at the pattern of the lights, I see the outline what might be a horse; albeit, a horse with a big nose. Or perhaps a reindeer. Rudolph? Too early for Christmas, but maybe he’s out reconnoitering for Santa. Now that I think about it, it sort of looks like the Road Runner’s nose.) Well, certainly not anything I had in mind when I started this, but I’ll take it.
Let the waters come... 