He digs into his wallet. Hands over a $20 bill. God bless you, she says. But where's the god for lost girls in a squalling storm? She turns to go back into the Taco Bell. He shuts off his car. Gets out. Do you have a phone? No. She says. Anyone at all to call?
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Post-eclipse, thrilling with fellow humans at what we had just witnessed, it was a stark reminder of how few and precious are the sweet collective experiences we now share in an America riven by engineered dispute. And how utterly important it is to be reminded of the significance of shared wonder.
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And, so, we light up our smokes. Then, ponder the / shape and proximity to clouds of what escapes / our lips. Passing the time between the next / befuddlement, the fresh intoxicating despair, / the blindside moment of sublime wonder ...
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For folks who know the upper echelons of songwriting, 'No Depression' magazine once awarded Susan Werner some high praise indeed: “When it comes to crafting a song, Ms. Werner’s only peers are Jimmy Webb and Paul Simon.” Study up on her songcraft in our '5 Questions' with her in advance of an April 6, 2024 show in Charleston. W.Va.
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I think that I shall never see, a tree sermon lovely as this one by some trees. A video-poem in honor of Easter Sunday for those of us without Easter bonnets.
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10 photographs from around the neighborhood, allied with quotations and excerpts that may or may not align, but it's all good.
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From glimpses of cellular life to the Kirkin' o' the Tartans, from rectilinear concrete to the healing vibe of marshlands, plus a diner at the end of the world, here's a multimedia tour of travels around the shire of West Virginia.
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Bill Hart, a dear traveling companion through this vale and holler of light and darkness, passed from this mysterious world on Friday evening, on Feb. 9, 2024. Here are some thoughts and images about a notable human being, artist, and world-class craftsman. And, to be sure, a genuinely offbeat, unconventional, and bohemian soul.
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Four things for your consideration: A rainy photographic street; a 'Gladiator Song'; meme on how grief abates a little; and an epigram of remembrance.
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Five short poems to consume on the run: 'A Poem About All Poems About Trees'; 'Something for Nothing'; 'Platitude-lessness' (brief, but essential writing advice!); 'Mission Statement' and 'Wait a Moment'
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Here are four things I suggest may be worth several minutes of your hard-earned life-force, when the thought arises that you could use a break to think about something other than what you've been thinking about.
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Take a break from worrying about the fate of the Republic, beyond the locked gates of a forested park where the pine trees offer fine company and conversation and the view from on high poses some good questions.
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I toil mostly in obscurity. But which writer does not? / Except for those few who are feted, adored, and / lifted so high. Until they pass from favor & are knocked / back to the second-rank, never to return to / the heights from which they sipped / the better champagnes ...
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If you make sure to buy your pants with cellphone pockets, you can more easily capture the moment when the Sour Gum tree beside your house catches fire.
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There is much to rue about living in West Virginia, run, as it is, by empty suits and chuckleheads. But every time I think of leaving for a bluer state, this one floors me with the views from being way the heck out in the Mountain State.
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