New Year

 

Wall

 I’ve tried to conceive of the world in terms of good and evil, but I don’t often like where that takes me. Suppose I think of the world as made up of those who have the courage to choose good and those who lack that courage or are seduced by material world. Then I ask myself if these differing choices are part of the diverse expression of DNA. No, nurture is the key.

If we humans could find a means of ensuring that every child was loved and affirmed for who they are, would that make a better world? Is that a reasonable goal for K-12 education? Or maybe the answer is in the years before school.
Why should love and decency be such difficult qualities for a society to nurture?
Take an honest look at the world. Other than natural disasters, our charitable energies go to solving problems that we ourselves created. Is this what anyone would imagine humanity to be?
My thinking just keeps leading me to this wall I can’t get over. A few exceptional human beings seem to be able to scale this wall. I can’t. 

Highway Poems

 Highway Poems

Measured asphalt hours
Signs are jewels only to the sun
Cradling instants of memory

Egg for breakfast on my retina
Sunny side up

The sun is a warm trace
On my chest
The path of her last-night-goodbye lips
I took off my shirt to remember

Eyes sleeping closed
Hands sleeping crossed
I spoke moistened poems
On her breasts and nipples

Telephone wires
Bread slicing loaves of clouds
Jet-scar trails
On the smooth blue
Skin of heaven

Wood frame stories
Of living and dying
Gingerbread once iced their frames
Now iced with flaking paint
Proud beggars at the roadside
Stray dogs in their lap
Children’s voices in the wind


The sun passes geometrically
In my rearview mirror
A message from Copernicus
Its last dying strokes
Transported on the long trucks

Enough

 There’s a lot of love around. Just not enough.

There’s a lot of compassion around. It’s just spread too thin.
There’s a lot of courage around. It’s just not put to use.
There’s not enough integrity around. It’s a long term commitment.
There’s not enough truth around. It’s suffocated by sound bites, slick marketing and intentional deception.
There’s not enough responsibility around. It’s the victim of flabby freedom.

Human beings

As human beings, we all have a public self, but also a hidden self, which we often bury deep within us. Society tells us what we can openly express and what must stay hidden. Some of us, most often artists, believe that every human part of us is worthy of consideration. These individuals, freeing themselves, free us. They offer themselves to the world in ways that offer all of us a chance to open up to our full humanity. 

Humility

 One of the least acknowledged of human values is humility. Humility is not much practiced in the “me” age of narcissism, ego, power and celebrity. Yet, humility is at the core of self-realization, empathy and compassion. Humility points the self to the “other.” Humility is the source of courage, integrity and self-worth.

But it’s a damned hard virtue to acquire.

Angels

 Angels exist. Giotto convinced me of that. They do a lot more than fluttering around and spanking naughty cherubs. God gave them responsibilities, which they took seriously. Eons ago, angels were tasked with keeping the machinery of the heavens well lubricated. Some carried messages from God. At another time, their primary strategy was to go one-on-one with humans, but that wasn’t always fun or productive since humans can be such jackasses.

These days, it’s much more likely that angels simply infect humans and then hope for the best. Angels occasionally allow themselves to be spotted, if we look hard.
Nietzsche said that God is dead, but he didn’t mention angels.

If you pay attention
You can find the angels
They float with the music
Of authentic love
They fly with
The winged dancers
And inside
The feathered words
Of poetry
Artists imagine them
To aid us in our search
An angel is waiting for us
We only have to ask

Christmas

 We cannot care intensely about everything, but we can care intensely about something.

In this world filled with brutality, we must cherish every instance that affirms the best of our humanity.

Plan for next Christmas. All year round, show your love for those you love so you can show your love for others at Christmas.
So next Christmas, make all your Christmas money a charitable gift, teaching your children the rewards of giving.

Stadium

 Every one of the 100,000 seats in the new domed World Harmony Stadium was filled. The fans were clearly excited as the two teams moved to midfield. The teams were seated, and the arbitrator began the proceedings. The two teams were here to negotiate the end of the war. As the tentative terms of the treaty were projected on the Jumbotron, the fans cheered. It was clear that the concerns of the fans were being taken into account in the negotiations.

The negotiations went back and forth, and the excited fans went back and forth with them. As it became clear that a final and fair solution was at hand, all the fans participated in waves that went round and round the stadium. It was a win for both sides, and it became clear that a stadium for major political negotiations was the future.

Old folks

Be patient with old folks,
It’s their job to reminisce.
It’s their job to measure their life against their dreams.
It’s their job to recognize who they hurt and who they healed.
It’s their job to determine what they meant in the world.
It’s their job to admit what they discovered love to be.
It’s their job to talk about death.
Be patient with old folks.

 

Excavation

 I find that aging is the time for excavation. The memories that remind me of who I am are fading. So I have to dig. Dig deep inside. Carefully clear away the accumulated detritus to discover the important artifacts of my life—the words, the images, the sounds, the persons.

What is hidden there? What still shines like gold despite the years buried? Are the memories of bodies together still flesh or are they brittle bone? Why do some stay stubbornly hidden?
Once the artifacts are dislodged, cleaned and laid out, I can arrange them into the museum exhibit that is my life.

youth

 This is a time in which youth is what is valued and strived for. Youth have the expendable income, the energy, the desire, the market. People want to be young, look young, dress young, act young. They want adventure and pleasure and not to be reminded of a future in an old folks home. The young have all the answers and have no need for the wisdom of the elders—who are also trying to stay young.

Where do the young find themselves? They are in debt. They struggle with drugs, addiction and depression.
They see violence in their schools and in their streets. They see adults who can’t solve political or social problems. Divorce undermines parenting. Religion lags behind them in the understanding of moral and social issues. They search for authentic heroes and find comic book heroes. The cultural messages to the young about what it means to be a man or a woman are confused and even destructive.

Every young person needs to be affirmed for who they are, loved and provided a good education.
Young people are our future, and if we are wise, we will be proactive in how they are guided to adulthood.

Pledge of Allegiance

 When I was in elementary school in New Orleans, we had a morning assembly each day and always said the Pledge of Allegiance. It was rote, but it affirmed our role as citizens and expressed our patriotism. Outside the doors of the school, we lived in a society of discrimination and segregation—even the Catholic Church participated in this. We never questioned the phrase, “one nation, under God.”

We’ve made great progress since my time in elementary school, but still not enough. The Pledge of Allegiance is not spoken as much, and kids are not as likely, as we were, to be made to memorize it. But I still question what we truly mean by “one nation, under God.”

Immigrant

 I am an immigrant.

I helped build your railroads. I rebuilt your neighborhoods after the hurricanes. I worked your fields. I did your dirty work for low wages. After all that, you suddenly fear me. I leave my home with my family. I risk my life in a long, dangerous journey to find a better life.
I leave a country of drugs and gangs who thrive on the drug use of your country.
I leave a country that still carries the scars of your colonial dreams.
I come to a border that is in chaos, doing its best engage people like me. A border with no guidance and law from a timid and inept Congress.
I am an immigrant.

The United States cannot absorb all the immigrants who want to come here. We can’t even solve the problem of homelessness in our cities. The border cities cannot meet the needs of all who come. Yet look at the risks the immigrants take in hope of a safe and comfortable life. Their home countries are unstable, partly because of American colonialism and American drug consumption. All of this is in the lap of Congress, who for decades has lacked the will to tackle the problem. They just kick the migrants down the road.

Steph

 Wealth and fame of top athletes

I could have chosen Roger Federer or Eli Manning or David Beckham. But I chose Steph Curry because lately he’s trying to sell me Subway sandwiches. I don’t know much about Steph Curry, and I don’t follow his career. But he’s part of the Subway dream team of Steph, Tom Brady, Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe.

By the end of his current contract, Steph Curry will have made more than $250,000,000. Each time he steps on the court he makes more than $500,000. Why he needs to sell sandwiches I don’t know.
If he donates $1,000,000, he will likely get notable attention, though this is just a couple of nights of work.

Studies show that the poorest Americans give the highest percentages of their income to charity, almost 4 times more than those who earn a million or more. Athletes will get media coverage if they spend an hour at a hospital or a charity. Many who spend their working lives in charitable work get little attention.

There are top achievers in dance, scientific research, diplomacy, architecture and more who will never reach the wealth and fame of Steph Curry. The bottom line, though, is that we are the ones that give fame and wealth to the Steph Curry’s. We are the ones who make them our priorities. We are the ones who complain that taxes are too high or police, fire and teachers’ salaries are too high. We are the ones who build the stadiums and arenas but balk at building low-income housing.

Anyway, I’m off to Subway.

Truth

One of the responsibilities of aging is to seek the truth and the wisdom it brings. It may not be everyone’s truth, but it will be your truth. The truth as you see it is a gift to younger generations, especially those you love. The truth has an intrinsic value, but it also bolsters courage and integrity. 

Manger

 The manger is right there. So bring all those asses, goats and sheep. They need to see this. After all, who doesn’t like a newborn--unlimited potential wrapped in swaddling clothes. He’ll grow up and surprise everybody, including his parents. Isn’t that what we all wind up doing in one way or another? He got the kings down on their knees. They understood that, in the end, character trumps power. Not all of us hear the angels singing; but when we do, we know we are capable of doing what we must do.

So don’t be a stranger to the manger. Get off Santa’s lap and mingle with the camels.

Christmas giving

 Just in time for Christmas giving:

Taylor Swift sings your favorite TV jingles

The Big Picture Book of Meghan and Harry Kissing

How to Whine Like a Royal

The Herschel Walker Love Story

Rapper Love Poetry

NFL Locker Room Wisdom

Hidden Tattoos of the Rich and Famous

Beyonce sings Hildegard von Bingen

Veneer

 If we take away the veneer of technology, it seems to me that the future of humanity is just the past of humanity. We can admire the glory of our arts. We can live more comfortably because of our science.

But we build our pyramids in the same way. We build our stadiums in the same way.

We still go to war.

We still hate religiously.

We still have not found the courage to love fiercely.

The few still control the wealth of the many.

We are still seduced and poisoned by power.

True justice is still scarce.

Equality is still a delusion.

Half the world is still starving.

I fear this will still be our condition when we reach our extinction.

BG

 OK. Maybe I’m not done with BG. Make no mistake, I’m glad she’s home. My real issue is with media and context.

I spent 50 years fighting chronic depression. Early on, there were no treatments. I spent these years hiding from the world. Many days, it was a struggle to leave the house and do what was expected of me. It took a great deal of life energy just to hold myself together, appear normal and not feel like I would implode. But I did what I needed to do and built a productive life. I was in a different kind of prison. I didn’t complain. I did the work. And there are many like me.

Another example. Many military come home from war, carrying their own prisons with them. Prisons of PTSD, depression and alienation. How often is this reported in the news. How accessible is help for them?

One more example. There are countless Bangledeshi women working long hours in sweat shops for next to no money. They make clothing and athletic shoes cheaper for American consumers. They are doing the very work BG did, but they will likely never leave their prisons.

Stocking stuffers

 Stocking stuffers:

The WWHMD bracelet. “What would Harry and Meghan do?”

The Republican Heroes charm bracelet. Includes portrait charms of Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jourdan and Marjorie Taylor-Green.

The Texas Abortion Prevention Packet. Includes 3 condoms, red, white and blue, each printed with the Texas abortion law.

The Mar-a-Lago $10 gift card. Suitable for any services at the Trump Castle. Each card comes with a complimentary top secret government document.

Christmas

 The Full Christmas Story

The Three Wise Men had traveled long and hard. Even the camels were exhausted. When they arrived under the star in Bethlehem, they asked around for the jolly old man in the red suit with white fur trim. Everyone directed them to the stable where farm animals, shepherds and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had gathered. (The Grinch had refused the new family a room at the inn.)

The Wise Men were confused. Choruses of angels were singing “Blue Christmas” and “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” When they saw the baby Jesus, they reached for their gifts and realized they had forgotten them back in Babylon. Fortunately, they got them overnighted by Amazon, and all was well.

Rumors began to fly that Herod was not in the Christmas spirit and had slaughter in mind. The Bethlehem Intelligence Agency sent an officer to warn the new family. The officer arranged for jet skis to take the family across the Red Sea to Egypt, where they were given guest accommodation at the Cairo Motel-6.

His parents could not sell the donkey, so the baby Jesus did not get any gifts that year from them. But the young Jesus grew in wisdom. He learned a trade, played briefly for FC Nazareth before he was radicalized by love of his fellow man.

The rest is history.

Angels

 Angels exist. Giotto convinced me of that. They do a lot more than fluttering around and spanking naughty cherubs. God gave them responsibilities, which they took seriously. Eons ago, angels were tasked with keeping the machinery of the heavens well lubricated. Some carried messages At another time, their primary strategy was to go one-on-one with humans, but that wasn’t always fun or productive since humans can be such jackasses.

These days, it’s much more likely that angels simply infect humans and hope for the best. Angels occasionally allow themselves to be spotted, though this is quite rare.

Nietzsche said that God is dead, but he didn’t mention angels.

Briti again

 I might as well get it all out. With Britni, I am consistent with my issues with celebrity. Not necessarily in specific cases but in the way our social values get distorted by the way media and wealth skew them so heavily away from equity and justice and toward notoriety.

Britni is supported because she must go to Russia to supplement her $250,000 salary since she can’t make the $40 at home that Steph Curry makes. All of those numbers are so out of whack based on the salaries of dedicated public servants who give every day and risk their lives.

Tell me why a teacher in an elite private school should make bigger bucks than a teacher just as qualified and dedicated, but teaching in the inner city.

Tell me how I should value my own artwork when many young artists are raking in millions at art fairs.

Believe me, I understand inequity and don’t think I can ever stamp it out. But I can read the celebrity tea leaves and see the consequences for society.

So next time you see a news story about a celebrity volunteering a little of their time and money, think of all the public servants who do this every day for barely a living wage. Then ask yourself who is the real heroes are and what you need to do about it.

Open your eyes

 You open your eyes, and you glance at the world. You open your eyes wider, and you see the world. Wider, and you see there’s a big picture. But wider, and the little pieces of the world distract you. Wider, and you see that the little pieces are the big pieces in miniature. Even wider, and the little pieces advise you that the big picture is even bigger than you thought. Still wider, and you realize that others have seen the big, big picture differently from you. So you go after the big, big picture with them. Finally (?), it sinks in that there is really only one big picture, unfolding from one clear and simple idea that will have made all the work worth it. But can you find it?

Duped

 We’ve been duped into believing liars and cheats are telling us the truth.

We’ve been duped into thinking leisure is the most important thing in our lives.

We’ve duped into thinking we are never responsible for anything that goes bad.

We’ve been duped into thinking that if we want it, we must need it.

We’ve been duped into believing that justice is for everyone.

We’ve been duped into believing that romance is love.

We’ve been duped into believing that intellect is dangerous.

We’ve been duped into believing college is only an engine for jobs and wealth.

We’ve been duped into believing that exterior beauty is the most important thing.

We’ve been duped into thinking that smoking, drinking, dangerous behavior physical agility are the measures of a man.

We’ve been duped into believing that we are measured by our stuff.

We’ve been duped into believing that we need to keep up with the fashions.

We’ve been duped into believing that fear is our guide.

We’ve been duped into believing that there are no human beings under black and brown skin.

We’ve been duped into believing that we can speak for God.

We’ve been duped into believing that corporations have our best interests in mind.

We’ve been duped into believing that if we recycle our trash, pay our taxes and go about our business, all will be well with the world.

We’ve been duped into believing that our personal comfort is the most important thing.

We’ve been duped into believing in false gods.

Anything else?

Tag line

 Every artist should have a descriptive tag line.

Mine is: Agent of the Sublime.

What’s yours?

Acclaim

 Let us pour acclaim on our entertainers. Let us give them Kennedy honors, and Oscars, Emmys, Toni’s, Golden Globes, photo shoots, red carpets, glimmering banquets, football player of the week awards, rings, parades, lots of cash in their pockets and news stories about their generosity. Is that even enough?

Perhaps we can scrape together a little time and attention for the first responders, the medical workers, the police, the needy veterans, the advocates for the homeless and the hungry, the addiction counselors, the refugee caregivers, the spiritual advisors and the mental health workers. We have little money to put in their pockets, and they work tirelessly.

But then again, they don’t entertain us.

Pop star

 Recently a great wave of nostalgia swept over me, and I recalled the time I first attempted to become a pop star. The agent told me some things that redirected me to search for a career that better suited me.

He said:

You’ll never look good in leather.

Your fingernails have no character.

There’s a little too much gray in your chest hair.

Your singing isn’t bad enough to be good.

You don’t have a distinguishing body part.

And your songs have too many different words with too many syllables in them.

Go home.

I did. And look at me now.

Cockroach

 Does a cockroach have an easy life? Does a panda have an easy life? Does the queen bee have an easy life? Should humans have an easy life? We believe we should, but the daily dose of new tells us that it’s unlikely for most, and not even for some.

Did attendance at a spectacle or did a pleasant vacation make us better people than making sacrifices for a child or pushing a personal boundary? Humans can’t escape life’s pain.

Evolution didn’t make us who we’ve become. God didn’t ordain this path for humanity.

We made our bed. Now have to lie in it and decide whether we get out of bed and do something or just pull the covers over our heads.

WGAF-TV

 WGAF-TV News Editorial

Stupid News Tricks

1. Reporters are reporting on a crime scene, describing it to us. But they stand in front of the actual scene and block our view.

2. Reporters are sent to stand out in the worst weather, weather we can easily view ourselves. Then the anchor tells the reporter: Be careful out there.

3. News all about failures and mishaps trumps news about successes and solutions.

4. News about the life dramas of celebrities just puts one more notch in their celebrity belts.

5. Anchor chitchat and frivolity becomes part of the news.

6. Of all the people who could give us words useful to our lives, why do we pick football coaches and players?