2.607 : 12/31/06 : The Resolute

2,798 : 13 ?



The resolute
determined to have fun
tear it up proper
get the job done
give up forever
from this point forth
give up forever
ever after
keep the moment
hope
and laughter
I, resolute
fit for battle
on my feet
back in the saddle
now to the deep
the then to now
riding into the future
on my sacred cow

what

2.606 : 12/30/06 : Spark

Flash a moment
an inkling
a spark
two points of
separation
a gap
the arc

what

2.605 : 12/29/06 : The Near Thing

Nearly there so
nearly there
right back where I started
nowhere
anywhere
I’ve got no more credulity
no more hope
I know that I’m deluded
I know that I’m a dope
Yet I strive
still I strive
for the near thing
try to make the
ends meet
try to snatch
that bright ring
and I’ll make some
pronouncement
I’ll set some mark
that will rest in silence
in stillness
in dark

what

2.604 : 12/28/06 : Magic

When the magic is gone
do you say so long
or just keep hitting that pig
hammer and tongs
hammer and tongs
If I believed no more
would it close some door
would it put me on a vessel
to some distant shore
to some distant shore
will the magic return
if I rave and burn
how can I feel so old
and have so much to learn
and have so much to learn

what

2.603 : 12/27/06 : Factions

Free the radical
the redox reaction
free the numbered members
of the hated faction
hang the bloody dictator
in 2 days time
I’m telling of the future
that’s no capital crime
I hate the bloody factions
and the paradox
the more you fight the sides
the more they put you in a box
people love their categories
indexes and files
the factions take advantage
playing stupid all the while

what

2.602 : 12/26/06 : The View

The view out of the window
the unknown passing by
a vision of a greatness
for a little guy
stuck rutted in a rhythm
Stuck rooted in a beat
Stuck staring lost and fixed
at all the space between my feet
hardly as if anyone will care
I tell myself
no matter how I try
I’m browsing the same shelf
Daydreaming about breaking out
getting a different view
but guessing it will mean a change
that’s through and through


what

2.601 : 12/25/06 : Intermezzo

Slip in some blessed verses
on the intermezzo
asked if I think I’d make it
yeah you know I’d bet so
worry if these in betweens
produce the richest cream
but days when it’s just where it is
but days and passes like a dream
Sometimes I think all life
is just an intermezzo
and asked if I’m a cynic
well you know I guess so
no matter what I say though
I do keep on trying
in this space between the nothing
and the someday dying

what

2.600 : 12/24/06 : Condition

The condition’s flaring up
an outcome of the bitter cup
forgotten what symptom was
so now I drink it just because
forget about the long goodbye
or any tender lullaby
the fear is what I fear today
its object what I fear to say
the cup won’t keep the fearing down
So I must seem a real clown
to be tipping it back again
to be taking a pad and pen
to act like a man on a mission
seeking to cure the condition
with some voodoo herb or spark
that solves nothing but leaves a mark

what

2.599 : 12/23/06 : Another Flaming Hand

Another flaming hand
another king another wall
as if we needed more
reminders of the fall
What will you remember
in the morning when it comes
the writing of the fiery finger
or the ghostly drums
and the assembly line
of time it never ceases
and the new year’s resolutions
in a million little pieces
do you really think I’ll heed
the latest reprimand
you think you’d think
of better uses
for that flaming hand

what

2.598 : 12/22/06 : Casting

Casting casting about for a topic
try to steer clear of the mirror
try to magic out a hot pick
casting into turbid waters
casting where it’s clear
casting into kill and river
lake and stream and mere
I’m a lousy fisherman
I’m the first to admit it
but if I get a nibble
then by damn I’m gonna hit it
It’s hardly news that I don’t
know why anymore
lost looking for a window
lost looking for a door
I cast about and
I’ll cast off the traces
I’ll forecast heavy weather
till we have faces
this is a shadoworld
I cast for a light
and some clever pronouncement
to set things right

what

2.597 : 12/21/06 : Determined

Determined again to end the
failing
Rushing upstairs with scissors
not holding the railing
catching up’s the easy part
Changing is the bitch
I’ve caught up nine by nine
by nine
but still procrastinate
that one stitch
I know the feeling
I know what I have to do
I’ve figured out the pieces
but I don’t know
what’s the glue
I toss it all up in the air
hoping it stacks up neat
baffled as to why it is I
still will not admit defeat

what

2.596 : 12/20/06 : Lap

Another straining breathless
painful step
makes a lap
It’s such a shame I need
the carrot and the strap
I’ve just a week to
figure out some way
to turn
Some way to reconcile
and make this
fire burn

what

2.595 : 12/19/06 : Egregious

Egregious abuse of
the rules of engagement
I try to surmise where my
anger and rage went
bemused by the turns
and the twists of the path
around some bend which
I must have dropped my wrath

what

2.594 : 12/18/06 : Anxious Return

Anxious return to the relatively normal
Didn’t have time to engrave nothing formal
If this anxiousness is normal I’d rather be strange
I’m sick of feeling like this and I’m sick of trying to change
I’m sick of counting syllables
I’m sick of hunting rhymes
I’m sick of thinking up excuses
why I’m not up with the times
I’m sick of trying to come up
with some money making scam
I’m sick of my potential
and I’m sick of what I am
return to the old order
in anxiety and funk
And dismal recollection
of a lot of cast off junk
No fantasies of transformation
Daydreams of escape
illusions of some rescue
by some joker in a cape


what

2.593 : 12/17/06 : The Home that is Not Home

2,784 : 111 ?



I’m not nostalgic about
my old home
the streets I used to drive
the dirt roads I
used to roam
the place I once called home
is long past and gone
a composition in a picture
the topic of a song
the home that is not home
is just fine for a visit
but it’s not quite the same
as being back there is it
I hardly think about it
all about the now
I’ve built my own home
by the sweat of my own brow
built it just to be prepared
for him to come along
it is his first home now
at least until
it too is gone

what

2.592 : 12/16/06 : Break the Vow

Break the vow and shout out
storm the cloister bang the drum
Yell and holler sing and stomp
Raise hell bring down kingdom come
When I vowed to keep my silence
how could I have known
the extent and painful excess
of the firm advantage you’d have blown
I never would have guessed it
Dreamed of such a thing
you screwed it so hard in the ground
witness the pain I’m gonna hafta bring
look down at your shiny toe caps
feel your faces flush
I bet you never saw it coming
when you pushed that power rush
but anyway I’m back in play now
no more silenced shall my voice be
better figure out your next play
better figure what will your choice be
 
what

2.591 : 12/15/06 : Silence

Oh
I
mixed that up
again
didn’t
I say I
wouldn’t
then
no
matter
how
I
protest
I
always
fail
that
test
swear to be better hence
no more
no more
silence

what

2.590 : 12/14/06 : Peace

Peace is an abstraction
that we talk about
we talk and talk and talk
until our tongues fall out
we finally figure life out
just in time to die
the next bunch does it all the same
don’t ask me why
don’t ask me where the mojo went
‘cause I don’t know
don’t ask me to roll up my sleeves
So I don’t have to tell you no
I’m really starting to think
you’d be great seen but not heard
and I will try my best
not to say another word

what

Adventures in Enigmatic Diarism

Coup d’État is one of those songs I read, and than drag out the original because obviously I must have transcribed it wrong because there are just obviously word missing, at the very least.

And then I see that what is on the screen appears to be as faithful of a transcription as I could manage and I think well, okay, what was going on there?  Six years ago.  Was I drunk?  Or just extremely tired, or was I watching television at the time?  The world may never know, I certainly don't.  Which is sort of a shame, because I like the first four lines.

Sometimes I think, ah, I'll rewrite these promising fragments some day, give the little enigmatic gems a more fitting setting than the highly variable diary of enforced personal productivity in the context of life in all its disabling vicissitudes.  But this is probably not true: barring some unforeseen and dramatic shift in fortunes I give this thing as much time as I can, really.  Perhaps more than it deserves, I have trouble deciding, lately.

what

2.589 : 12/13/06 : Coup d’État

Secret first announcement
of the coup d’état
strike of state
don’t hesitate
to disassociate the flaw
that we all see
We’ll blame it on
the right people when
Shatters and dumps
half them in the sea
I’ll show you
Where to stand brother
Either you’re
Coup d’état
Or you’re the other
There’ll be no
subsequent announcement
of the coup d’état
You want to know that
you’re on board
you’ll have to
look straight down
into the maw

what

2.588 : 12/12/06 : Like A

Are you gonna fix my metaphor
like a superheroine
and make me eloquent enough to
Rock you like a simile
Some apogee to climb
ascend this paradigm too rough to
Fix it
Mix it
Like a fish with a submarine
break it
snake it
down the pipe just like a fast machine
Are you gonna wreck my allegory
A story like a parable
this cloak is just unwearable
and this dagger is dull
for what I’m bout to
try to pull

what

New continuity record myseriously smaller than the previous one...

I'm pretty sure I'm really the only one who bothers about Continuity, making this confession doubly unnecessary (in that it's not really a confession, just something I never got around to writing about, plus nobody cares anyway) but heigh ho, whatever.

Quite some time ago now, anyway, I proudly announced that I had crossed into triple digits of continuity (being the number of songs in the current project I have written in an unbroken succession, without missing a day) - I think that count peaked somewhere around 115.

Well, as I've noted before I have dealt with some enumeration challenges in the whole tracking arena.  Suffice to say that previous count was bogus - it broke I think somewhere in the 70s or 80s; my continuity tracking is not an exact science, it's a benchmark rather than a "significant figure" and I haven't kept precise records though I have moved somewhat more in that direction as of late.  That unknown (and given the facts above, probably unknowable) number was my real continuity record to date.

Well no more!  I've checked the records and I'm fully confident that the recently posted 105 is the real deal.  Honestly I try not to make continuity a key issue of this project, the central theme of which I deem to be (for now) persistence - a quality that I think comes into its own precisely when your consistency and good habits momentarily fail you.  Do a little searching for songs of the day (or daily anything for that matter) on ye olde internette and you'll find that intention is in ready supply, and generally comes with at least some degree of initial continuity.  But I remain the unsung world champion (as far as I can tell) in this small and modest arena by praying at the altar of persistence and not getting too hung up on the lapses in continuity.

But I can't deny I get a little attached to it when the numbers get up there.  So while - not often any more, but still occasionally - I'll just give it a miss and intentionally skip a day because I don't feel like it, now that I'm attached to my freshly minted, "honest" high score, experience suggests that when I break it it will be a genuine lapse - I'll simply, honestly forget to do it.  That this still happens after all these years is sort of an amazement to me in itself.  And I'll be sorely disappointed when I figure it out the next day.

what

2.587 : 12/11/06 : Dust Off

2,778 : 105 ?




Never thought I’d see your face again
but I’m pretty sure
you’ve got no twin
Mercy me I guess you’re
beggin’ for the
dust off
off my sandals
off my feet
off my shoulder
on the street
Not for nothing
did I toil
to get the rust off
And the moral
is quite plain
Gain or loss
there’s always pain
So don’t remain
I’d hate to stain
you with this nut
I’m bout to bust off

what

2.586 : 12/10/06 : I Suck so Bad I Should Quit

Said the poorly sucking vacuum
I suck so bad I should quit
Rotten gaskets leaking joints
Who knows where I’m losing it
To create what nature abhors
You must lay an unbreached path
Failing that the center must drift
leaving product in the bath

what

2.585 : 12/9/06 : Cilantro

Cilantro fennel ginger spice
if God doesn’t exist
then why is life so nice
If pain’s the toughest riddle
Why’d we seek it so
I think I’m going to have to
hit my peak to know
Arugula sage and nutmeg
just another job for a super square peg
just another hole so don’t applaud
The work is necessary
but it is not close to God
And so to package it all
for the hoi polloi
It’s all a little ditty ‘bout
how girl meets boy
And makes it in the kitchen
among the herbs
a cautionary parable
for those of you kicking the curbs

what

2.584 : 12/8/06 : Damn Again

Damn again, damn again
Guess I’m gonna hafta wing it then
You can’t expect the unexpected
you can’t direct the undirected
And if that ship’s coming I’d like to know when
Maybe it all comes to nothing but a scrawl
by a palsied hand on a crumbling wall
the signs never told me a blessed thing
I never got my hands on the damn brass ring
A decade, two, slowed down to a crawl
While entropy has a fine old time
I’m stuck in traffic on my own dime
try to get caught up today
damn it all again anyway
just keep shooting for that new
paradigm

what

2.583 : 12/7/06 : Disciple

I’m a bad disciple I’ve got no discipline
So many times I thought that I
was ready to begin
Did I really only ever want
to wear the fancy robes
To pin my unearned progress
to display them on my globes
It seems late in the game
to still be questioning intent
wondering about just where
all the inspiration went
Or if it really was at all
or was it just a show
I’ll probably wonder all my life
I’ll probably never know
what makes a disciple
what divides him from the rest
is it discipline
something within
Something you’ll never know
until you pass or fail some
test

what

2.582 : 12/6/06 : Determination

Determination is a misnomer
state of mind determines
little if anything
Determinism versus determination:
no contest
irresistible force
versus
aimless whistling
inspiration is truly named
but which spirit
and where does it
get in?
you’ll see me dancing
to its silent beat
quiet as a drop
on a head of a pin

what

2.581 : 12/5/06 : The Old Leaf

And the old leaf turns and withered
flies at last unlike the
winged seed to die and lie
forevermore
Turning as the seasons do
a living green to crimson hue
no more to breathe or
catch the sun now
merely a messenger that
winter has begun
the old leaf will bathe
in rain and snow
be warmed by sunlight
now with nowhere else to go
it will be food
for worm and germ and seed
and disappear
be seen no more
another leaf to feed

what

2.580 : 12/4/06 : Closer

Come closer for a minute now
let me see every eyelash
let me taste your breath up close
I want to whisper something rash
Let’s run away today we three
Let’s run off to some island
Forget all about responsibility
Is this a credit card I see in my hand
I’ve been a good soldier true
in the ranks of the consumers
I’m getting closer to a tipping point
But despite the message of the doom and gloomers
I’ll retain an optimistic cheer
Blindly sure something will come up
And that whatever it is it’s close now
I just need to see what I can drum up

what

2.579 : 12/3/06 : Failure at Depth

2,770 : 97 ?



The failure occurs at the
depth of longing
consumerism
demystified
belonging
is a good enough
answer for
the way of everything
and boredom makes
it cool and
fall apart as much as
anything
Failure at depth
at psi
failure at the center
at the crisis
at the eye
but for my part
I’ve bought it
and deserve a break
Up until I get up
to this plow I’m gonna make

what

2.578 : 12/2/06 : Giant Hands

Between the right
and left of your giant hands
I’m in no position here
to make demands
One hand or two hand
Clap You say
my preference is obvious
but it’s not zen
that makes me
act this way
it’s just survival
big versus small
I look to find
I’ve got no other
hand at all

what

2.577 : 12/1/06 : Pay

Rush it slack it cause it doesn’t pay
not enough to register anyway
did it make me a pound
or a penny
was it worth a nickel
did it net me any
how far off the track
did I get
was it close to an
even bet
try to figure
the odds the vig
on every throw
try to quantify
I still don’t know
reflected in the back
of a
silver spoon
still hoping
it gets better soon


what

2.576 : 11/30/06 : Not One More

Not one more
marathon
not one more
graceless end run
I do not
accept the status quo
when it includes
the kind of shit I know
just happens
every day that passes
no choice
but to exploit
the masses
I got another way
but my voice is so tiny
I get flustered my voice
gets high
tight and whiney
the prose gets shrill
sound like a shill
feel like I better
stop
So I think I will

what

2.575 : 11/29/06 : Codebreaker

35 college non-drop-out
underachiever
underemployed
Up to now
See how dull it all spells out
another project
another probe deployed
had to take a minute there
to change a diaper
never used to think I’d take
that plunge but I’m a lifer
I only brought it up
to answer the inevitable
questioning after the code
Now you know
hey in the afterglow
do you feel lucky
hip deep in my motherlode

what

2.574 : 11/28/06 : No More Bridges Road

No more bridges
So simple
henceforth since this day:
No more worries about
burning them
or if the ropes and rotten boards
begin to sway
All straight line
all over land
magnetic navigation
and
an anchor in
my hand
So I need not to fly away
cause I feel so high
from giving up
bridges today
henceforth next
abyss I come up
I either pitch headfirst
in or
turn tail bum up

what

2.573 : 11/27/06 : Trinity

Elucidate the math of a mystery
try to make it into an equation
try to turn a story into history
try to use the mess to rule a nation
Ask me if I believe in the trinity
ask me if I believe in one birth
I haven’t got all day to explain what it means to me
And I really can’t see what it would be worth
I stand with the rest and profess trinity
Father son and ghost of a glimmer
of apprehension forced into a book you see
behind my eyes the truth will always shimmer
dancing and elusive just beyond my reach
popping up in long forgotten dreams
Pulling me to the forest or my perfect beach
then dropping me bewildered so it seems

what

2.572 : 11/26/06 : Lady Superhero

2,763 : 90 ?



Lady Superhero
fill me up with hope
make me tell the truth
tie me up with your magic rope
Fall in love with my hero
like Firestar or Trinity
It might take just a second
to remember what
you do to me
When that evil rock and roller
cast his spell you know I felt
A funny new sensation
tickle me below my belt
make me feel that way again
Like a lady superhero
Fill me with that power
bring me up all ways from zero

what

2.571 : 11/25/06 : Pair of Twos

Tossed off lines
about days and dues
nothing in my hand
but a pair of twos
if I’ve talked bold
and acted sure
just an act of hope
while I searched for a cure
no will to push it
just wrap it up
if I spot a vague notion
I’ll snap it up

what

2.570 : 11/24/06 : Leftover Blues

Got a plate of unfinished bizness
Lord I got them leftover blues
Whole lotta trouble in my fridge
Lord I got bad leftover blues
I promised so so much
yeah how I gotta pay those dues
I’m running out of tinfoil
and tupperware to boot
oh my goodness soon
I’m gonna need my funeral suit
I got a heap of mashed up worries
Yeah I got those leftover blues
If you’d faced the meal I did
man you’d sure be
standing in my shoes

what

2.569 : 11/23/06 : Thanks

I give thanks for what I have
and I know I’ve got a lot
I give thanks and try hard not to
dwell on what I haven’t got
what good is thanks anyway
Sure I seem a jerk to ask
So rake me over coals
take me hard to task
I just do what comes naturally
Though without thought to why
It seems a very human thing
to send our thank yous to the sky
if I just could make a habit of it
being thankful always
I’d be a better better man
and make much more of all days

what

2.568 : 11/22/06 : Advice

The easiest advice to give
is live to love to love to live
say seek your heart
forget necessity
don’t worry about anything
just leave the rest
all up to me
I mean but I wonder
just how well I’ll hold my end up
Wonder just how well
you listen to the prayers I send up
Please don’t ask the questions
just believe in my advice
I’m praying one more time
that I won’t have to give it twice
I’ll bet as many gold coins
as I can hold in my hand
that if I squint and turn my head
I’ll make just what’s to be
a promised land

what

2.567 : 11/21/06 : After Thought

The action or expression
that comes after thought
The shadowy impression
the climax fraught
with mystery and intrigue
with a furious sound
knew I was out of my league
So I went to ground
I always want to give
every little thing
each conflict that I live
more and more thought before I bring
myself to taking action
but it’s a mistake
while others find their faction
I’m stuck in a double take

what

2.566 : 11/20/06 : The Wheel

2,757 : 84 ?



The wheel may turn turn turn
explicating the jewel in the lotus
I want to be like that wheel
endless revolution my standard modus
I’m sick of aspiration
I’m tired of pushing the stone
I’m tired of looking for the savvy angle
And always ending up going it alone
Can’t I just stick to my turning
Can’t I just keep spinning my wheel
I know it isn’t exactly prime time
but you can’t deny a certain appeal
that’s enough I’ve said it a thousand
times before but damn I mean it
I’m sick of turning this particular wheel
this slate’s full and it’s time to clean it

what

2.565 : 11/19/06 : Circumstances

I went up to the church
but the church was closed
a circumstance not a sign
or so I supposed
I don’t blame it on the devil
or the media
or the societal attrition
that keeps bleeding ya
it’s just the circumstances
always coming up
like a bad card in a crooked deck
death between the crown and cup
I understand it’s a symbol of change
some earthly transition
I try hard to believe that
it foretells the transfer of my mission
but deep inside it feels
like just more disorganization
a failure to plan well ahead
a failure of information

what

2.564 : 11/18/06 : Junk

Junk is junk I’m not enough of a punk
anymore to try to score
so I better spelunk
dive into the depth
pull out gold
some epic poem
some magic tale I told
sometimes it seems
you gotta wait for it
and make your way
sometimes you ain’t for shit
so it goes and
qué sera
I’m deep ambiguous
like Desiderata
it ain’t nothing
fine aspirations
nothing can replace
that 99 percent perspiration
because not all work
bears fruits
And you gotta chew
through a lot of
new recruits

what

2.563 : 11/17/06 : The Nature of Information

The replication of information
bears no relation to an act of theft
It is the nature of information
to shatter artificial boundaries

I refuse to call this property
even if the one who wrote it down is me
I appreciate a statutory recompense of cost
but the balance versus freedom of expression has been lost
in the name of Mickey Mouse Immortal
we slammed the door on public domain’s portal
like Bob Dylan’s opinion matters
more than information and all the illusions that it shatters

The replication of information
bears no relation to an act of theft
It is the nature of information
to shatter artificial boundaries

in the end only the information truly persists
evidence that some consistent energy exists
someday they’ll laugh at our pathetic showing
as we thrash around pretending we can control its flowing
like Jack Valenti’s opinion matters
like Universal Vivendi’s
opinion matters
I’ll laugh today and watch
as this false paradigm
shatters

The replication of information
bears no relation to an act of theft
It is the nature of information
to shatter artificial boundaries

what

2.562 : 11/16/06 : Failing Another

Failing another easy distraction
forced all unwilling back into the main attraction
Never cared for freak shows not a bit of it
all the less so now that I am part of it
Livid at this dream I can no longer believe
of some gift or revelation I’m about to receive
Failing inspiration and failing strength
failing another test of depth and length
climb back on that horse
the one on rockers in the lobby
try not to feel remorse
at my suspicion that it’s just a hobby
Still none can deny I really stick to it
penance now for all I was
too quick to quit

what

2.561 : 11/15/06 : Lucre Lucre

Lucre lucre
lascivious lust
treasuring the food of moth
the fodder of rust
I can’t help that Caesar’s
into me for so much
I can’t help the world I’m born to
coveting
the midas touch
what do you do when
you know better
but still feel the same
what do you do when
no matter what you do
you find
that you’re still in the
Game
Lucre, lucre set me free
of your hold
And grasping after
everything
that I can never hold
 
what

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What does that mean?  Most food shelves have geographical or other restrictions, require ID, paperwork, a waiting period, etc.  This is a necessary component of how they perform but it leaves a hole for families in sudden emergencies, those outside their typical region for whatever reason, homeless and highly mobile people who lack ID... A no-restrictions food shelf serves a community need for people who are often at that point among the most vulnerable and desperate in our society.

About half those served by our food shelf are children and youth.

My church supports the operating of this food shelf as a community outreach ministry.  This ministry is about feeding people: it is not a place to proselytize, evangelize or question people about their personal religious adherence or lack there of.  Our sole mission in the Little Kitchen is to serve the need of hunger.  Our church, through the donations of its members and other avenues of support, houses the food shelf in its facility, manages the food shelf through the work of its staff who are paid through the church's regular operating budget, and is operated with the support of an amazing team of volunteers from all across the metro - churches, schools, tenants in our building, other non-profits all pour their free work into keeping this food shelf open.

What all this means is that 100% of your monetary donations that we receive will go into the purchase of food and supplies to support our hungry neighbors.  NO donations you make through this campaign will go to support the church itself, or any of our religious activities.  Your donation pays for food, period.

The food shelf is also engaged in innovative programming to increase people in needs' access to fresh fruits and vegetables.  We operate a community garden that produces food directly for the food shelf.  We have been involved with programs like Fruits of the City and Gardening Matters' Gleaning Task Force which access underutilized, growing fruits and produce sources.  We arrange donations of produce that would otherwise likely go to waste from the NE Farmer's Market, and have many other community partnerships that are making this food shelf a model of innovative response to hunger, food access and food justice.

I know there are a lot of requests out at this time of year. I hope you can consider a donation in ANY amount that works for you, and share this email if you wish. You could also visit this campaign's Facebook page and like or share the link there - http://www.facebook.com/LittleKitchenFoodShelfNeedsYou.

The growth in need during these tough economic times has been enormous. Thank you for checking it out.

Donate online to Little Kitchen Food Shelf Needs You! at Razoo

2.560 : 11/14/06 : Willing But the Flesh

Willing but the flesh to
step up
Will to blow it all the
heck up
what is strength no
really what now
what is discipline
that sacred cow?
I know hunger
what that feels like
all I know for sure
Still it seems not
quite enough
perhaps my poor
intentions
aren’t quite pure

what

2.559 : 11/13/06 : Setbacks

Beset by setbacks
can’t believe
this return to diarism
is all I’ve got left
up my sleeve
rather read my book it’s true
rather play my game
rather surf the net
so much diversion
that’s all so the same
why do I keep coming back
why do I keep trying
why do I keep fucking up
this noose I’m always tying
to string these foolish fancies up
to free my soul for barter
I guess old habits do die hard
I guess that dreams die harder
 
 what

2.558 : 11/12/06 : Recovery

2,749 : 76 ?



Why does a word for getting back
mean to conceal again
it is something about debt
or the forgiveness of sin?
the recovery proceeds
and hope to God it is complete
because I’m very very tired
of being off my feet
and it all shall heal
and it all shall pass
and one day each particle
will be vaporized to gas
but for a day more I guess
Consent to being on my back
I swear to God when I regain my feet
I’ll try another tack

what

2.557 : 11/11/06 : Havelock

The other white bread
mainstream, orthodox
amazing the diversity
that fits into that box
Havelock Township
out there boondocks
the Outpost with its
satellite dish on concrete blocks
rarely there but
still seen in dreams
the other half of
father’s work
an aspect of the
Trinity it seems

what

2.556 : 11/10/06 : This is a Bomb

This is a bomb
on a long slow fuse
all made of words
a secret I’ll use
butterflies of poison
darts of fear
no doors no windows
no here here
total annihilation
nothing but a gate
the crush begins
all power and hate
call me powerless
watch me come on hard
slipped right in between
when you let down your guard

what

2.555 : 11/9/06 : The 100 Percent Solution

Turning the symbolic deck
Forcing fate confused as heck
trying to nail the tipping point
a spike in time
peak to anoint
refusing dogma’s absolution
seek out the complete solution
Hail the one hundred percent
solution that high heaven sent
concealed in a game of chance
a tale for one this flatland dance
tell myself it means everything
change of season wind on wing
the no wall seems reversed and spent
I click the one hundredth percent

what

2.554 : 11/8/06 : Enough

What will be enough
what could ever be enough
in this system in this mayhem
in this philosophy
money god theocracy
I tell myself a thousand
and I’m selling out
I tell myself a million
to go walkabout
will I ever really
stop thinking about
If I could marshal
my spirit
it could be a rout

what

2.553 : 11/7/06 : Poor Thanks

It seems a poor sort of thanks
a rush to catch up
shoved in sideways
shake dice in the cup
and toss anything
take whatever comes
vague promise tomorrow
will yield more than crumbs
will offer up more than
a moment aside
will offer the moon then
and offer the tide
Give thanks that are potent
give thanks that are well
and draw it all higher
well that’s what I tell

what

2.552 : 11/6/06 : Bucket

2,7423 : 70 ?



After the flood
buckets of mud
a growing galing tide
a pound of blood
before the dawn
stretch and yawn
try to shake the feeling
that I’m just a pawn
try to let go
let the wind blow
admit a thousand times
that I just don’t know
In time for the drought
a bucket of doubt
did I ever believe
I’d get it all worked out

what

2.551 : 11/5/06 : Try All

Try all possible
methods of inquiry
try all possible
attacks
the only thing between us and the void
is human industry
and there’s no way
to cover our tracks
how dull to try so little
politics and the church
how foolish when you need to chop
to only whittle
while you whistle in the dark
it all gets left in the lurch
try harder try
something different
make it new make it real
make it now
Otherwise it will all
pass with little incident
silent with a graceless
bow

what

2.550 : 11/4/06 : Or Deal

Should I try to go
the solo path
or deal with
the fury no hell hath
or deal with
the big machine
So many deals I made
sight unseen
I’m not a hermit by nature
though some might look askance
at my small assertion
that I’m trying to give
cooperation a chance
just wish I had a mentor
and a fellow on the march
to remind me of the
destination

what

2.549 : 11/3/06 : Pop

I never thought it would be
such an illusion
I never thought I’d be defined
by my confusion
I never thought it would
feel fit to pop
I never guessed it would be
So hard to stop
I can’t tell smart from dumb
any more
or come up with a decent reason
to get off the floor
I can’t decide if I should pop it
before things get worse
I can’t recall if it’s just bad luck
or a gypsy curse

what

2.548 : 11/2/06 : The Position

The position I staked
on the subject of jake:
One month nine days Free
not from today
don’t ask it’s crazy
I sacrificed all I had to art
and whatever spark
was left in my heart
gloves off teeth bared
anything not lost shared
I’ll hold my position
and spin until I’m dizzy
he isn’t such an easy
mark anymore is he?
And I assume
the position with a smile
feeling deep down
I have found
the miracle mile

what

2.547 : 11/1/06 : Efficiency

With the efficiency of
a cyanide shower
none of the evil
all of the power
I’ll slash slash through
the evidence of my disaster
stumble through the trials
like an august die-caster
It’s never really mattered
if it’s good or bad
when the yahoos figure that one out
they’ll know they been had
but when that shoe falls
I’ll be long gone
barefoot, hungry
still going strong
So don’t bother asking
what it’s for
I’ll just whip you up another
and tomorrow one more
maybe it's genius
or deficiency
but none can question
my efficiency

what

2.546 : 10/31/06 : Interstitial

Interstitial entry on the long way back
taking any opportunity to hack
elegant widgets
crazy kludges
anything to pass the time while it drudges
In between the stretch
and the break for working
pull another soft draft
off this fountain I’m jerking
they say all the magic
from here to Halloween
lives in the narrow places
that lie between
everything they call important
and the things that really hurt
between slaughtering the high hog
and losing your shirt

what

2.545 : 10/30/06 : Wrecker

I’m a wrecker
a dumb swinging ball
two one oh el bee ess
better watch where I fall
I can’t be a genius
can’t seem to get rich
so instead I am just
gonna up and
wreck this bitch
who cares if it’s good
who care’s if it’s complete
tomorrow and tomorrow
it’s all just a repeat
that dustbin of history
is hungry as hell
so I might as well
keep wrecking
till they ring that bell

what

2.544 :10/29/06 : Bone-Ache

2,735 : 62 ?



Bones ache like they’re
being powdered
if this pounding skull was
any louder it’d
Drive me senseless
I really thought it
would be simple
the briefest pause
the slightest dimple
Now look oops
ten years good bye
should I have held out
for a bigger piece
of the pie?
It’s just the bone-ache
talking
It’s just I’m so damn tired
it’s only that I hoped
it’s just the way I’m
wired
I’ll push past the ache once more
Still groping stupid for that door

what

2.543 : 10/28/06 : The Vig

This one’s the vig
excess fast
english on the dice
and how it all slips past
I’ve got this thing wrong
should slow down
the rolling
but I’m impatient
and I can’t stop
hearing that bell
tolling
A little action
just a margin
is all I ask
while I keep barging
into games
I’ve no place in
so far over my head
I can only spin
another wheel another reel
beg what I can’t borrow
the rest I’ll have to
steal

what

2.542 : 10/27/06 : In the Aftermath

In the aftermath
believe it or not
after the trial by ordeal
had beat the snot out of me
I had a notion
though I’d have rather had a plan
an inkling how I’d swing it all
finally outfox the man
the lead up had got
as bad as it’s gotten
and I know just how bad it is
I never have forgotten
and I’ll never forget this one
either while I live
it seems that in the aftermath
that’s all I’ve got to give
but really it’s quite simple
just a scribble on a scrap
and a notion to parlay it
right into a treasure map

what

2.541 : 10/26/06 : Screw Up

Another screw up
bollixed transmission
another match
don’t want
to betray our position
it seems we always gotta be
somewhere fighting
the romance
of the cluster bomb
is I admit inviting but
screw up your
courage your
indignation
screw up your
belligerence
we’re nothing if not patient
screw up; grab another form
and start the process over
while your still warm corpse
spins outraged between
pushing all that clover

what

2.540 : 10/25/06 : Horror Essence

Why does
that essence exist
why does it plague me
the horror the horror
what is says
and what it’s for
he was a
cynical cat all right
I could reel off
that sort of poetry all night
I tell myself
soon inspiration
the grace I imitated
crucial station
to station
I heard about it in a
book what irony
but it meant all the same
to me
I’m turning my back
on the horror essence
look at me
learning all my lessons

what

2.539 : 10/24/06 : Significance

I can’t tell you everything
that seems significant to me
and so it seems impossible
the information
ever shall be truly free
Sowed rot on rice
I ate its young
I found I saw
and spoke in tongue
no music could
release the wreck
or move the dial
one minute speck
and in that hole
I locate all the woe
and strife
but it balances each time
I contemplate
the knife

what

2.538 : 10/23/06 : Triptych

I pay special attention
to the latches
and the hinges
fool me twice a shame
to waste
a culling
and your cringes
I just wiped out
all of a bad week
a pause
a rush of
prostrate slack
Now I rally to my flag
and
wrench my banter back
on the left a hook
of solid gold
the right, illumed
the tale told
and right dead center
spread and pinned
the specimen
myself, I grinned

what

2.537 : 10/22/06 : Bridge

2,728 : 55 ?



I wait for the
perfected page
the sum of all
translations
soon knowing will not
matter
we’ll be left
with the cold equations
give me a bridge
a space of pause
a track across it
a set of laws
I don’t believe I
should ever need another
crazy to assert it so
but I have done
without my druthers
nothing but
what god had graced me
with, up top the ridge
I strode out on
the bridge


what

2.536 : 10/21/06 : Trilogy

I’m writing a trilogy
about
unicorns and
maidens from the sea
the stones, the rings,
the wands
the staves
I expect a
million dollars
and raves
I’ll throw in some skin
and some twist suspense
and demand not
half an hour’s
recompense
when it comes to that
the distribution gamble
I got a feeling
my big break
won’t be more than
preamble

what

2.535 : 10/20/06 : Sewn

What can I expect to reap
of what was sewn
So far I don’t
believe how much
has plain transformed
2 years, what’s grown
and honestly
what hasn’t
and what waits
and what’s in store
I probably sounded
ridiculous
up to my neck
and more more more

what

2.534 : 10/19/06 : Plan

I had some sort of plan
it did not pull through
I’m all lit up and
stoned to boot
then there’s you
laid out on your back
sawing up logs
hey hell so what
take the leash off the dogs
dedicate an hour
I could have wasted
to the spirit I declared
to the love I tasted
It’s a plan hey hey
it’s a calling
it’s an avocation no
idea what I’m stalling
I’m a man
always falling
caught below my station so
just planless ass I’m hauling
 
what

2.533 : 10/18/06 : Milk

With a firm grasp
and a quick pull down
oh baby yeah
milk that bone
what a sweet little hand
such a sweet soft demand
such a sweet little set
of skills to have grown
baby milk that bone
catch every drop
squat down on that bench
go go go and don’t stop
any step that was took
any bend any book
it’s just a mean
bait and switch
go and milk that bone bitch

what

2.532 : 10/17/06 : Solid One Love

One love solid one
run over
get a gun
rock solid, one love
bare knuckle no glove
righteous mother
left cross
left behind
no great loss
tussling on the
green grass
knock you cockeyed
on your ass
all branch
no dove
heavy solid
one love

what

2.531 : 10/16/06 : Soul Ache

Acts of contrition and faith
sat still and
accepted my place
Excuses worn as thin
as a wraith
and look at
the soul ache
On my face
It’s the real thing
my bitches
it’s a supernova star
I’m gettin’
too big for my britches
but wherever, whatever
there you are
like a tooth uprooted
like a stump that’s itching
Rock it back to the back of the arc
will you contemplate
or relate to this woo I’m pitching
I’m grabbing my heart,
smart, raging just like Tony Stark

what

2.530 : 10/15/06 : Dissected

2,721 : 48 ?



Particle transmit
solid code:
3-D transhelical
mother lode
once perfected:
the apparatus
dissected
or so I
in the hubris of
my planning
had projected
prior to the consult
contemplate the insult
on the flesh compliant
On one good word reliant
So I sighed and let it pass
another drop
in the half-full glass

what

2.529 : 10/14/06 : Partisans

I cursed both houses
from my parapet
fuck’s sake Mercutio
ain’t you dead yet
more fool I
caught up with means and ends
caught between you idiots
you partisans
So hard to concentrate
so many demands
so many opportunities
pass through my hands
so many many best laid plans
dripping from the mouths
of the partisans
No more no more let it lie
the message in my ear
the twinkle in my eye
find some niche
between para and trans
try to make my peace
with the partisans

what

2.528 : 10/13/06 : Work Faster

Work faster: night is coming down
work faster: night is coming
Oh my God oh my God
this disgraceful beat I’m drumming
work faster: dawn is pressing
work faster: dawn soon breaks
the light no ghostly shade
can tolerate
look how the firmament shakes
work faster because no one knows
how long they’ll have to work
before the fail safe blows
and the pent up pressure
envelops us in vapor
for sure the red tape
aftermath
will bury us in paper
but I’ll scrape the
barrel bottom
for one last disaster
set my sights
lock it
and just work faster

what

2.527 : 10/12/06 : Stealth Writer

Still stealth required
never been fired
good as but then
rules are rules
no: it never happened
stealth writer creep along
sneak in another song
between all the dull leaves
of necessity
with nothing up my sleeves
I say it’s ethical
I step up when
I feel the pull
I’ve got a ways
to battle back again
but to put it in perspective
I’m nothing if not reflective
it might be absurd
but that is no sin

what

2.526 : 10/11/06 : Scatter

Dense with vapors clouded view
wood spirit solid phase see oh two
sublimation saturation
felt, projection
I’ll leave the rest to your imagination
tracked across the chamber’s span
dense as iron unseen by man
known only by the trace it leaves
forged in hearts of dying suns
or so it’s said and he believes
watch them scatter
minute to minute
damn lucky we’ve got
an atmosphere now i’n’it
going on just all the time
detected or not
the instrument is crude
but we make do with what we’ve got

what

2.525 : 10/10/06 : Backwards Again

Getting it backwards again
cart before horse
the horse eats the hay
and it all goes
nowhere of course
and yet again
full of sterling intent
I throw my back into
straightening the column bent
the bend sinister
the gloria dei
do as I do please
and not as I say
I call it progress
albeit in reverse
It’s only slightly better
Still it could be worse

what

2.524 : 10/9/06 : Rack

Oh oh oh they’ve
limbered up the rack again
oh my joints
my wrists my ankles
and my skin
what do they expect
to get out of me
after all this time
it’s not as if I
haven’t copped
to every type of crime
Dr. Rhetoric
Said it was all
just a mistake
I only had to submit
and wait for the
cure to take
sorry for my obstinacy
to make you break my back
sorry for my preference
my allegiance to the wrack 
 
what

2.523 : 10/8/06 : Tiny Brother

2,714 : 41 ?



Somewhere between victim
and victory
Pardon my continuum
my one two three
still listening to lovely
but I’ve met my other
my little
mentor
my little tiny brother
Yet to make
a man of what I am
like every time I said
that I was ready
and began
what was to be
has been by now
and what’s to be
could sever
any vow
According to hypothesis
but I instead stand hard
on this

what

2.522 : 10/7/06 : Brutal Clarity

Brutal clarity
lay it out sock it up
throw out universals
all that
smack about the
half full cup
the cup that
runneth over
the cup you’re deep into
I used to love that
tumbler
heavy glass and cobalt blue
so dark and heavy
couldn’t call the thing
transparent
brutal clarity
that I recall
I smashed the hell out of it

what

2.521 : 10/6/06 : Paraphrase

The opposite of improvise
is paraphrase
try to convince the shrink
that it’s not just a phase
try to kill the vibe
that I’m a reprobate
You think you’ve got the answer
just how do you rate
hear tell that what he said
it’s all vanity
I felt he wrote it special
meant it just for me
the egocentric fallacy
I think it means something
what I feel and think of
what makes my brass bell ring
I wouldn’t dare presume
to carry that to you
to try to make it universal
even so I claim it true

what

2.520 : 10/5/06 : Beyond Stoked

I’m standing in the tender
stoking up the ancient boiler
racing over hills and courses
I’m on a bender
where there’s fighting I’m a spoiler
beyond stoked,
thirty three hundred horses
and the stove is blazing white
and the coal’s up to my hips
my gleaming shovel my shining dome
Eradicate regret and spite
hesitation slops and slips
stoke it up and bring it home

what

commentary on the acts

I believe this song was a response to Justin Timberlake's offer to "bring the sexy back".   I don't know that it aged so well, but there it is.  The virtue of the song of the day (sometimes if feels like the only one) is that there is forever something new to cover its quotidian sins.

In other news the tagging project is just a damn mess like nearly every amateur effort at epistemology.  I've decided to put a hard limit at 200 tags and if (when, if I'm being honest) I hit that I'm going to have to make some decisions.  As it is what I'm getting out of the frequency-weighted tag display is that because I use the language, imagery and intellectual gestalt of religion as a sort of multi-purpose tool for representational lyricism the "religion" tag is about as useful as, say, a "symbolism" tag for a blog about literary criticism.

what

2.519 : 10/4/06 : Take it With You

Get the hell out of my house
you son of a bitch
you son of a bitch
you son of a bitch
get the hell out of my house
you son of a bitch
and take the sexy with you
take it with you
when you go
don’t you look back
or dare to think you know
I’ll turn you into a pillar of salt
erect you as a cautionary
spectacle of thought
do turn you face away
and take your fucking posse too
get the hell out of my house
and take the sexy with you

what

2.518 : 10/3/06 : Long Division

The cracks go all the way
to the center of the sphere
to where the molten
gyroscopic magnet lurks
it’s not built to
run forever ain’t you heard?
Long dead you’ll be
long dead I’ll be
I’ll bet you any
amount of money
we won’t be back
by 2283
put your money down on
put your money down on
the long division
that drops all
the way to the center
of the sphere
it won’t spin forever
ain’t you heard
what you new here?


what

2.517 : 10/2/06 : Make Us Cry Again

All your challenges
to theodicy
are based on the assumption
that God is nice
I’ve had a choice
ever since I can remember
I hafta assume the time came
I agreed to pay the price
Go on, you omnipotent bastard
Go and make us cry again
We just keep coming
and coming
and coming
I guess that you might guess
just what tune it is I’m humming

what

2.516 : 10/1/06 : Approach

2,707 : 34 ?



A different approach
from the freak de jour
stories of atrocity
nobody’s poor
nobody’s ugly
all about power
wrap it up wrap it up
only got an hour
poison in the ears
poison in the eyes
somebody plays a body
some nobody dies
the odd detail to make you squirm
effect the danse macabre
another hour of prime time
another poison barb

what

2.515 : 9/30/06 : Darkness

Still vulnerable
Still susceptible to
still not immune
to the
fear of the darkness
allow it not
to interfere
from here to there
from there to here
however it presents
in starkness
contrast: finality
I roll through all
dynamically
for now
adept in darkness
I pass nonchalant
record the whole
dull musing
in the standard
blocky font

what

2.514 : 9/29/06 : Crawl

Crawl through the thicket
crawl through the mud
I’m at it again
You’d have thought I’d have
got it out of my blood
I’m on a crawl
A push through a recent fall
I’ve got to push
but the treasure
is to have it all
Do you believe it?
Are you convinced?
By these strange ciphers
all the words I minced?
If my virtual progress
has slowed to a crawl
my current state of flow
could make your mommy bawl

what

2.513 : 9/28/06 : In a Minute

In a minute you can decide
to commit acts of decision or deicide
everyday that passes
I polish my glasses
and nervously clear my throat
raise a meek hand
and gently demand
that I’m gonna hafta rock this boat
in a minute I shall declare
the answer to why this is neither here nor there
it’s not on any map
So you better cut the crap
and start working with your feet
I work for fifty cents a day
writing code or making hay
so you simply cannot compete

what

introducing volume two point four

Thus endeth volume three of the second song of the day project, entitled Persist.  Tomorrow we'll begin volume four: Not Another Bridge.

what

2.512 : 9/27/06 : Selling Water for its Weight in Gold

Selling water for its weight in gold
pretend its kosher
you cannot deny you’re cold
When you know how much we need it
here’s my warning
mind you heed it
A curse upon the business classes
another on the complacent masses
a curse on every artist who capitulates
Now watch my silver hammer
as it smashes through your altered states

what

2.511 : 9/26/06 : (Selling Water for its Weight in Gold) Overture

Wearing thin and getting old
clichés worn to the glow of fool’s gold
Good intentions heard that one before
A mirror meets a window meets a door
An overture of a sketch of a notion
Such a small bucket such a large ocean
forgotten all the movements I imagined
forgiven and forgiven and still I sinned
The story of the journey, the story of the bell
the story of the forest  and the story of the well
the story of the tale and how it was told
of the man who sold them water for its weight in gold
the rising action the parabola
the gripping climax and its dénouement
the people as they carried it six thousand years
revealing every mystery as it appeared
I’m weary of the argument inside my head
of silently refuting all the words he said
of biting on my tongue all the live long day
And so I say and so I say
I’m going to pass over this bitter cup
I’ve had enough I’m going to give it up
it will never be finished I’ll never be done
I will never understand
I’ll never be the one

what

2.510 : 9/25/06 : Second Aspect

In the second aspect of the second sight
sketching in the trenches
sorting out the wreck all night
the exhibition:
the purpose statement of the mission
dismantle and recreate
stuff your modern muse into a suit
and force them to administrate
The fundamental aspect
was the party of the first stroke
the koan of the painter was
a running joke
the brush moves the ink
the ink moves the brush
only the mind is truly moving
what a riddle
what a rush
the final aspect was
all empty; all full
none could understand it
though all could feel its pull
but in the second aspect
we all became mired
contemplating Buddha’s brood
and the illusions that they sired

what

2.509 : 9/24/06 : Jipped on Fries

2,700 : 27 ?



Burger Queen
Burger bitch
I’m on to your bait and switch
But I got
jipped on fries
I could not believe my eyes
As if it wasn’t
bad enough
you chose you bitch
to short change my stuff
jipped on fries
jipped on fries
a little part of your faith
in people dies
die, the light in my eyes
not only do I have to
work here
but I got jipped on fries

what

2.508 : 9/23/06 : Take No Jive

85, 85, 85
Take no jive, take no jive, take no jive
go to college, go to college, go to college
gain new knowledge, gain new knowledge, gain new knowledge

what

2.507 : 9/22/06 : Because Art is Good

Not for your own good
not as evidence of faith
not for father or son
or the holy wraith
but just for the answer
that must call your bluff
just because art is good
and good is enough
not to separate the truth
or the wheat from the chaff
not to put the eternal period
on the divine paragraph
but to let you know I’m with you
even when it all gets rough
just because art is good
and good is enough
because souls were made to ascend
because hearts were made to love
because the whole damn universe
fits the pattern hand in glove
just to generate more eternal stuff
I say art is good and good is enough

what

2.506 : 9/21/06 : Psycho Dynamic

Tigers is tigers
fear itself is plenty to fear
and the point to panic
and the Psycho Dynamic
is there’s nothing and nowhere
but now and here
instilled by a crisis
instigated by an error
the snowball rolled down the hill
the ever more bitter pill
bred a simulacrum of terror
virtual is real
all things visible, invisible
still recall that you beat it
when you chose not to feed it
and bowed to the self, indivisible

what

2.505 : 9/20/06 : Hammer of Dad

One eye clean
one eye mean
His eyes California gray-blue-sea-green
Hammer in hand
So much we’ll never understand
This nail’s head is where the strike shall land
What you could have had
you’d have to call him good not bad
But you are more than a stroke of the hammer of dad
Still the strike leaves its mark
this is no walk in the park
and the striking’s rhythm
leads both to and from the dark

what

2.504 : 9/19/06 : Make Your Own Souvenir

There’s no there there
no matter where you go you’ll end up here
make your own path;
do the math
make your own souvenir
I followed the sign
it said “go by train”
with the paradox shocks
riling up my brain
it was an ill fated journey
an unlooked for leap
and it gave birth to a splinter
that got buried deep

what

2.503 : 9/18/06 : Dragged Back to the Sea

Maybe it may
it may be
the whole of our ilk
is being dragged back to the sea
walkers crawlers
flyers too
oh mother are we
being carried back to you
loss of limbs
and growth of fins
no history could ever keep
track of it
yet it may be
yet it may be
it all is crumbling
back to it
What use are we
upon land
cause a lot of trouble
make a lot of noise and
I couldn’t be bothered
to worry about our fall
whether we’re being
dragged into the sea at all

what

2.502 : 9/17/06 : Determinist

2,693 : 20 ?



If it wasn’t all determined
from the very first
whatever that means
this stuff goes from bad to worst
if there’s such a thing as choice
if the future is not fixed
there must be something missing
in this science thing we’ve mixed
they’ll probably label me
an occultist
It seems the dim alternative
to being a determinist
I don’t believe at all
in the supernatural
I’m a big supporter
of the evident and factual
but I’ve tangled with the mystical
I’ve been stumped by the occult
I can’t deny a limit
where my reason must revolt
where what cannot be understood dwells
understanding must cease
till the mighty lathe of heaven
finally gives us all release

what

2.501 : 9/16/06 : Picture Books

I’ll sit on the floor and
read my picture books
so much to wonder at
to sit and look
the day will come
to leave almost all behind
today I won’t worry
about what tomorrow will find

what

2.500 : 9/15/06 : Archipelago

This is my Galápagos
I sailed to where what I wanted most
was to be found
along a chain
of discrete
parcels of cleansing pain
I don’t need a theory of
theodicy
I couldn’t do without
suffering on this odyssey
and each furthermost
point I go
along my archipelago
I know discovery is close
and trembling for my daily dose
I’ll scrawl a pronouncement on the wall
It’s not going to be like anything
you ever saw at all

what

2.499 : 9/14/06 : Three Strokes

The first stroke brilliant
unassailable
taken without fear or hesitation
with all force available
Draw back and press
the advantage
See how I have mastered this
propensity for rantage
simply by not asking
what it’s good for anymore
if the cup is overflowing
it must spill out on the floor
third stroke: final killing
the violence merely metaphor
the victim fully willing
No apologies for storming through the door
of course it’s far from perfect
next week there’ll be seven more

what

2.498 : 9/13/06 : The Ways

Conservation reclamation generation
the holy trinity
of sufficiency
what I keep and what I make
what I grow or trade or take
the ways are three
how much more simple can it be?
there is no scarcity
there is no lack
welcome to the heresy
that’s still holding us back
conservation
reclamation
generation
the triad of the wise
the cornucopia of wild surmise

what

2.497 : 9/12/06 : The Path of Three

Oh path oh path of three
will you not show yourself to me
Built on strength on discipline
And the whipcord of hunger
for the journey to begin
The path is long but the map is brief
I’ll let this versling stand as an aperitif
Sure it’s been said a million times before
but as always in this case
it seems less might be more

what

2.496 : 9/11/06 : Every Soul

I have no favorites I have no days
I have no paradigm to shift
Every soul commends itself to me
Every planet I strive to lift
Every day that passes by
another hundred fifty thousand die
And it seems insane to ask why
I’ve got no point I’ve got no politics
the timing is coincidental
I say a prayer for every soul
and try to keep from going mental
It’s really not a game to me
I try to learn I try to see
fortune so cruel and fate so free
I don’t want to lose me or mine
I’m scared of it as the next one
clear it matters, every last soul
germ or weather car or gun
I try to wrap my head around
though all must end up in the ground
so much harder than I make it sound

what

2.495 : 9/10/06 : At Least

2,686 : 13 ?



What is the least possible
this human race can do
they say we could destroy the earth
I wonder if it’s true
I know we’ve got the power sure
to rip matter asunder
I know we’ve got enough piled up
but really still I wonder
if we could get it organized
and really get together
to really do it properly
to turn it all to glass or whether
we’d make a half job of it
like we do with so much
seems like at least we could do
enough to make it moot as such

what

2.494 : 9/9/06 : Interruptus

Lyricus interruptus
thread lost again
clichés unpacked
all I’ve got now man
been a long day home slice
feel it’s no excuse
whatcha gonna do though
really what’s the use
someday it all shall be revealed
the false veneer of it unpeeled
at how I lapsed
and how I reeled
Make of it what you will
I make of it a bitter pill

what

2.493 : 9/8/06 : Monster of Ire

What a titanic waste
this monstrous tower of ire
ten thousand pricks to kick against
smoke that reveals no cleansing fire
did I harness strength, discipline
for this unseemly tide
am I a helpless leaf in it
taken for the cliché ride
Won’t waste more good ink on it
good feelings after bad
It’s just weak humanity
a moment that I had

what

2.492 : 9/7/06 : Human Kind

So: the fat Korean buddha
guitar player said
what kind are you?
the human kind
all I am all I do
now looks back
four times four
a hurricane of water
swear it feels like more
what kind am I
the human kind
in bone in blood in
sinew, muscle, mind
Be kind be kind
love thy bro
It might take a thousand years
or maybe more
but I still believe
we could make it shine
raise it to the level
of the human kind

what

2.491 : 9/6/06 : The Great Stream

In a dream only it was a great stream
in the world that was
it was a ditch man made
nevertheless it was
the water of childhood
Compare it to the first I knew
the great Pacific bone and sinew
Still recall the plunge the fall
So far away but hey it’s all good
Crossing the great stream
Leaving behind the sins of the father
balancing on the crooked beam
done it so many times why do I bother
Cast the coins cast the stalk
you know me baby I’m all talk
throw the turtle shell in the fire
You know me babe always
right under the wire
crossing the great stream
I’ll eat the blame leave my father’s
legacy pristine
crossing the great stream
How’s that for a message?
How’s that for a meme?

what

2.490 : 9/5/06 : Direct, Current

Direct, current
straight to the point
drive it in with all my force
it breaks off in the joint
warned to learn to follow through
I never learned
to pull my punch
so go ahead and make light
let’s see you laugh
when I eat your lunch
Someday it will all
be revealed
like some black vein of coal
will it still be so little known
and what will be my goal
but still today I only pray
to keep it current
be direct
learn to live without recognition
money fame support respect

what

2.489 : 9/4/06 : Hope Does Not Lie in the Future

There’s no there, there
eternally we ride the second hand
not one beat ahead of the game
and one beat behind
is pure fantasy land
hope does not live in the future
it is all and only here and now
You’ll find your hope or not as you will
Son of lepton daughter of Tao
Faith is an action
it’s not a state of mind
stepping out to the unknown
unpreconceived as to what you will find
what’s true has got nothing to do
with what’s inside my head
Faith’s my declaration of that
milksop crumb of daily bread
Love me baby do not listen to the bell
that tolls for me for you for him
I’ve damned that bad noise
Straight to hell
love is the greatest love is the greatest
lotus in the muddy pool
Hope does not live in the future
And for the present I’m faith’s fool

what

2.488 : 9/3/06 : The Future of 3 Part 3

2,680 : 7 ?



Dream big, dream bigger
Are you feeling me
feeling me
yo, hey
I figure that you
think you know what I
got to say
I was going to change it up anyway
See it all, see all the world
why not go all together
Only takes another
Way of thinking
and a keen eye for the weather
defying every augury
I knew him well he was a friend to me
And now he’s in the earth you see
And never will he know
This mighty legacy
But that is the future
as always it must be
Only remains a fragment
but we carry it
the future of 3

what

2.487 : 9/2/06 : The Future of 3 Part 2

Five year plan title
The future of:
3 pages mission
vision
goal there was
Had to admit
there was some
chuckling at the gall
said:
Work
hunger
discipline
& that was all

what

2.486 : 9/1/06 : The Future of 3 Part 1

From a flashpoint of sudden sullen anger
checked the spark he saw the danger
from that moment all evolved
first thought: best thought: problem solved

This is the piece for you my love
this is the innovation
this is the resolution of a better way
this is the visionary revelation

It sounded better on paper true
but the sincerity ran through and through
the deal was sealed with sweetness and a smile
Watch this space don’t touch that dial

All I ever wanted was to have a place
Never gave much thought to getting rich
Or saving face
All I really needed was to give Caesar’s Due
So I could get back to reality, me, he, you

The future of three in this moment
Awakening the dynamo that long was dormant
Simply was awaiting the final piece
puzzle no more now I shall be released

what

2.485 : 8/31/06 : The Future of the Past

Some believe they
understand the
things that went behind
no amount of
record keeping
stills the doubt in my mind
the future of the past
is surely to be
misremembered
before the corpse is cold
the old guard experts
have dismembered
and laid its chunks
in jars of chloroform
so neatly labeled
the future train
comes barreling
the whole affair is tabled
believing history is bunk
we are indeed doomed to repeat
God help us when some
new Orator
brings us to our feet

what

2.484 : 8/30/06 : Back and Forth

Experience runs backwards and forth
I’ll drive it West by North by North
The Past every distorted by memories’ lies
The future always dazzled by the sun in your eyes
Stranded in the now I must navigate both ways
Janus faced Odysseus steer blindly through the haze
stuff my ears with wax and lead and lash me to the wheel
deep down I want to hear their song to find out how I’ll feel
Poised thus in the center and revolving on a pin
I’m sure that you’ll agree I’m an uncommon specimen
I haven’t got an ounce of proof I’ll ever pull it off
but as long as I am standing do it better or don’t scoff
I spend far too much time up late pacing forth and back
Pondering the way forward this glacial slow attack
always say that day is over ready once again
nothing’s ever over nothing ever starts or ends
 
what

2.483 : 8/29/06 : Tribute

Is this tribute? Recognition
automatic product of cognition
am I asserting a sovereign right
all I know is I’m a raver
I can go all night
twelve thousand seven hundred eighty five days
that’s all: move on
And the band plays
Even so I have to mark the spot
take a moment to give thanks for what I’ve got
It only comes but once a year
look for me next time I’ll be here

what

2.482 : 8/28/06 : The History of the Ivory Tower

I hated it from the start
I hated it at the end
I’m so glad I don’t have to pretend
anymore
walked through that door
forever
The ivory tower
I thought somehow would be
my place of power
but something else is singing to me
I can see the eyes
the mind going if I only knew
he said you better get out now
well if I only knew
In fact I knew
but it was something that I could not do
It ended with a dream
There was a funeral of sorts I suppose
I remember corridors
horrible rooms
old flames, yes one of those
I took the best advice that
I could find
left the tower with what
was left of my mind

what

2.481 : 8/27/06 : Retract

2,672 : 24 ?



No one can retract
a statement anymore
cheap abundant memory
dragged with it the one way door
So I have no option
but to stand by what I say
I think I better watch it then
more closely from this day

what

2.480 : 8/26/06 : Swift As

Change up rearrange up
Swift as, swift as
Make it, if you have to, fake it
drift past, drift past
smooth as glass
raw as silk
clean as blood
and whole as milk
Swift as, swift as
Put up get a foot up
long as, long as
Glancing off a strange romancing
strong as, strong as
bold as death
dark as dawn
long as a heartbeat
good as gone
swift as, swift as
swift as, swift as

what

The problem with labels

A couple of forays worth into the application of labels (as Blogger refers to tags) and I decided I better move the cloud display further down the sidebar because it was clearly going to rapidly get out of hand.

The problem as always with labels is that there are so very many things, and the map that could supply every detail of the terrain would have to be as big as the territory.  So you end up with a handful of drastically recurring objects because they happen to be so broadly defined or general followed by a massive scrum of overly specific one-offs.  I guess time will tell.  It's less of an issue of course in a case like this where the labeling is pretty much just a parallel work of art.  When it is supposed to be functional these problems represent real obstacles.  In the real world of say biological taxonomy actual disputes over where lines are drawn, or whether a particular label represents over-specificity is a regular occurrence.  Classification is useful but on some level always artificial.

When you start to weight stuff new issues arise.  The meta tag I'm using here is a good example.  It's simple function is to label the non-song posts - the posts about the blog itself (not to be mistaken with the solipsism tag, which is used for when I refer to the song of the day project within the song itself, an occurrence I fear I will find to be all too common).  "Meta" posts are by a very great margin the minority on this blog, but because the tag is unambiguous and consistently applied it already carries a rather high weight in the tag cloud.  Somewhere out there there is a whole series based on Dante's Inferno - and it's horrible! Unreadable!  But for that sole exercise I expect the hell tag is always going to loom large in the cloud once I reread (ugh) and label that series.  Oh well, I guess it is what it is.  I can just be glad I don't have contextual advertisements in it anymore, the heavy weight of the hell and religion tags would probably attract an unsavory element.

I'm hoping getting to a more representative sample of the songs labeled will see legitimate common themes arising in the songs will play this down by and by - in many of the seemingly obscure labels I've come up with so far I'm anticipating motifs, themes and personal jargon I know will arise repeatedly as I continue through the lyrics.  The problems of redundancy and over-specificity are harder to know what to do with (at this point I'd invite certain of my compatriots to enjoy the opportunity to suggest the redundancy of having separate tags for religion, mythology, and superstition...)

So the evolving tag cloud is going to be an ongoing element of interest to me, at least...

what