Tuesday, October 30, 2012

what's new?

I'm busy putting together a big collection
of short stories to be published soon.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

setting free the bird

For years I had to look at this thing at work.
When my co-worker retired, she left the bird.
Today I took it into the woods
and gave it freedom.

Friday, October 19, 2012

in the desert

Last weekend, I watched one of my favorite
Charlie Chan films, CASTLE IN THE DESERT (1942)
which reminded me of this chapter
from the autobiography I'm working on:

Castle in the Desert

When I lived in New York
I used to go to an old movie theater,
red as a velvet heart inside 
with lamps on the walls.
I watched My Little Chickadee
with W.C. Fields and Mae West,
The Marx Brothers and Charlie Chan
finding the Castle in the Desert.
Homesick in one of the biggest
cities in the world, I knew
I was ready to leave
when it became my routine to go
to The Museum of Natural History.
Somewhere in all those displays
I would find the great wall of glass
holding a captured recreation of
the Pacific Northwest rain forest,
staring into the green light of
birdsongs, cedars and firs
in the middle of skyscrapers.
I used to have a topsecret way of
sneaking into that amazing museum.
(I won't say how in case someone else
is using the same method.)
Also, I realize now how lucky I was
to grow up seeing all those old films
in movie theaters.

Monday, October 15, 2012

A Week Old Snake Story

Last Monday at this very moment
we were watching a cartoon 
where someone had to face 
their fear of snakes.
Seeing enough
I went into the kitchen 
and there was a garter snake
curled on the floor.
Fearlessly, I got it outside 
using a dustpan and 
a paper bag.
paintings by Rustle and Rosa

Friday, October 5, 2012

Le Havre


just watched Aki Kaurismaki's new movie LE HAVRE
a beautiful dream, like the films of the old masters

a receipt


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

morning lights

this morning looking across
the valley and the bay to
Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island