far and few between

'When Your Father Is the Devil'

2009-06-16T18:56:00.001-04:00

When your Father is the Devil
. . And you turn to Demon Rum
When Hell flames rise up round you
. . To my place you can come.

We'll drink to future Heaven
. . We'll drink to future fun
We'll drink to all the women
. . Who one day sure will come.
June 13, 2009

'The Rack Twists With a Screw'

2009-06-01T18:21:00.000-04:00

Nightmare and Horror Show
. Agreed to wed
To torture someone new
. At altar, though
The preacher said:
'The rack twists with a screw.'
May 30, 2009

'Thing to Behold'

2009-05-26T18:35:00.000-04:00

Pure selfishness
. Vices untold
Pure selflessness
. Thing to behold.
May 25, 2009

'The Good Book'

2009-05-25T18:32:00.001-04:00

The Good Book is books aplenty
. Each from a different source
To tell us what it really meant he
. Shouts at us until he's hoarse.

Though his words thunder from Above
. . He speaks no Hebrew, no Greek,
Still he hollers about God's love
. How the Earth goes to the Meek.

To read the Vulgate requires latin
. To make sense of it scholars
The kind of learning that you find in
. Jesuit priests in collars.

This Word drawn from many voices
. As hurled down from Babel's Tower
Leaves us with so many choices
. On interpreting this Power.
May 23, 2009

From an M.P.

2009-05-20T18:34:00.001-04:00

United Kingdom Parliament,
Foreign Affairs Committee,
House of Commons,
London.

Dear Sir/Madam

Firstly, I apologize for intruding into your privacy, do kindly permit me to introduce myself. I am (Winnick David) member, Head Of the foreign affairs committee London, United Kingdom. I have taken time out to source the right individual, which is your humble self. I possess valuable and classified information of great interest which I wish to share with you.

Presently the contract investigation committee London-united Kingdom, under the House of Commons has just reached a new resolution to pay all their Pending Foreign Contractors. So I will demand for your information to enlist you among the unpaid Contractors that will be paid, and after your information has been alleged and acknowledged by the board of directors in charge the sum of ?13.6 million pounds will be paid to you.

For your assistance you will be entitled to 40% of the funds as your commission. 5% shall be set aside for reimbursement to both parties for any incidental expenses that May be incurred in the transaction.

NOTE: If however, you are not disposed to assist, kindly delete/destroy this email in view of the confidentiality of the proposed transaction and Interest of personalities involved.

If this proposal is acceptable contact me on my email:
winnik_houseofcommon@yahoo.co.uk

Best Regards,
Winnick David, MP.

'Why Am I Still Writing?'

2009-05-18T18:48:00.003-04:00

All the good poems have been written
All the great songs have been sung
All the fine plays have been acted
All the church bells have been rung.

Why am I still writing?
. If not to make a name
Why am I still hacking?
. If not to win the game
Why am I still trying?
. With no real shot at fame.

The effort is game enough
. To quit would be a shame.
May 17, 2009

'Your Truth Commission'

2009-05-12T18:35:00.001-04:00

As you launch your
. Truth Commission
One truth you must chase down . .
. How a liar like you
. . was going to save this Town.
May 12, 2009

'Time for Tears'

2009-05-12T18:25:00.002-04:00

I'm changing some assumptions
. I'm starting something new
Time I made some new friends
. Time I found me a new crew.

Let's start from the beginning
. Let's start from my birth
Let's have no thought of winning
. Let's have no thought of mirth.

Where was I less than perfect
. Where could I have done more
Where did I miss a genuflect
. Where did I fudge the score?

When could I be more brave
. When should I face my fears
When was I but a knave
. Was there ever time for tears?
May 12, 2009

'I Know What Rhymes With "Love"'

2009-05-10T18:22:00.001-04:00

I brought you here to show you words
. Beginnings of a song
It's not much yet, but with you here
. The rest should come along.

First a tour, of Nature's work
. Then you should come in
Like the song, it's all for you
. (Just add the mandolin.)

See over there, the guesthouse
. I hope that it agrees
My only thought when building it
. Was how it might you please.

Beyond that, a rushing stream
. They say it's full of trout
For something in the morning
. You might just yank one out.

Where are you off to now?
. Must I do all the talking
I guess I always did, right?
. (Though some might call it stalking.)

Oh, let's forget the poem
. It's silly to sing of Love
Nothing rhymes with it, you know
. Just glove, dove, shove, above (and of).

Let's speak of my Father
. You remind me of him so
You both are such a bother
. And such a so-and-so.

He came from a small town, too
. And picked the same career
He took his love with him, though
. And destroyed what he held dear.

You're both from Emerald Isle
. You both should see a shrink
(Leprechauns on the brain?)
. You're both given up to drink.

Once you sell out, can you go back?
. (Half of them are spooks!)
What's left to sell, anyway?
. (The other half are kooks!)

So you do want to make some music?
. (The attention span of a gnat)
For me it must be magic!!
. (Or maybe a vampire bat.)

Okay, I guess I talked too much
. And you forgot your gig
Headed across town again?
. Your life's a whirlygig.

I know what rhymes with 'Love'!!
. (A thought rhyme not a word play)
Me fixing a place for you
. And you coming home one day.
May 10, 2009

'Were You Really Mine?'

2009-05-08T18:03:00.000-04:00

Did I leave you sort of out there
. When I took a step inside
Did I leave the door unopened
. The one you left ajar
Was it my job to secure you
. Toss you tethered line
Did I make you any promise
. Were you really mine?
May 7, 2009

'Been Lookin' at Dylan'

2009-05-07T18:40:00.006-04:00

Been lookin' at Dylan . .
--Dylan as American
--Dylan as Jew
--Dylan as addict
--Dylan as thief
--Dylan as genius
--Dylan as artist
--Dylan as Gemini
--Dylan as midget
--Dylan as prophet
--Dylan as liar
Dylan as Messiah.
May 7, 2009

'When Your Father Hails from Mars'

2009-05-06T19:10:00.003-04:00

It's hard to win at golf
. When you're scoring only pars
It's hard to throw a party
. When the guests are superstars
It's hard to kiss a girl
. When you're smoking big cigars
It's hard to keep your hair short
. When you sing and play guitars
It's hard to keep a straight face
. When the facts are NPR's
It's hard to run for office
. When they put you behind bars
It's hard to whistle Dixie
. When your lips are creased with scars
It's hard to drive through Cleveland
. When you fly the Stars and Bars
It's hard to track the planets
. When your head's up in the stars
It's hard to live on Earth
. When your Father hails from Mars.
May 6, 2009

'Christ as Jewish Plot'

2009-05-06T19:08:00.006-04:00

Christ as Jewish plot
. Ain't no Global Warming
JFK was shot
. For loving not the War Pigs.

Big Bang never happened
. Global Earth expanding
Plays Shaksper never penned
. Are his due to branding.

May 6, 2009

'Virginia Is for Lovers'

2009-05-06T18:24:00.004-04:00

Virginia is for lovers
. The hawkers and the dovers
. . The grovellers and the snubbers
. . . The speakers and the dubbers
Virginia is for lovers.

Virginia is for lovers
. The New World rediscovers
. . The fun found under covers
. . . As the hummingbird hovers
Virginia is for lovers.

Virginia is for lovers
. Not for money grubbers
. . Or bear cub clubbers
. . . Or old lady shovers
Virginia is for lovers.

Virginia is for lovers
. For fat cigar stubbers
. . For divish bar pubbers
. . . For panty-waist drubbers
Virginia is for lovers.

Virginia is for lovers
. Sea tars and landlubbers
. . Fast cars and rusted tubbers
. . . Rare treasure uncoverers
Virginia is for lovers.

Virginia is for lovers
. As all the book lovers
. . And all the wine lovers
. . . And all the music lovers
Know . .
Virginia is for lovers.
May 6, 2009
(scrubbers, shrubbers, blubbers, glovers)

Please Fix and Send

2009-04-13T18:38:00.001-04:00

Date: (Your return address and email address)

Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code

Re: Declaration of Reasonable Doubt About the Identity of William Shakespeare

Dear ____________,

I am writing to invite you to please join Sir Derek Jacobi, Jeremy Irons, Mark Rylance, Michael York [or other names you choose from the list of Declaration signatories at: www.doubtaboutwill.org/signatories], myself, and more than 1,400 others, including over 250 faculty members, in signing the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt About the Identity of William Shakespeare. A copy is enclosed. It can be signed online at the website of the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition (SAC) at: www.DoubtAboutWill.org, or you can fill out and return the enclosed Signing Form to the SAC at the address shown at the bottom of the form.

Orthodox Shakespeare scholars claim that there is “no room for doubt” about the author’s identity. They say that the authorship controversy is therefore not legitimate, and should not be seen as an appropriate topic for research, or classroom discussion. It is often regarded as a taboo subject, which professors and students pursue at their peril. We believe that an objective assessment of the evidence shows that there are good reasons to doubt the traditional attribution, and the issue should therefore be regarded as legitimate.

The Declaration was written to clarify why so many outstanding thinkers have expressed doubt about the author’s identity. It also provides a convenient way for prominent people to take a moderate, reasonable position on the issue, while putting their doubts on record. It provides a brief, yet definitive statement of the evidence and arguments for and against William Shakspere of Stratford, but it takes no position on the true identity of the author. Thus, doubters of any persuasion can sign it, and even some traditionalists have done so. It has been fully vetted, with not one factual error identified, even by orthodox scholars.

The Declaration gained worldwide attention on September 8, 2007, when Mark Rylance, founding artistic director at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, Sir Derek Jacobi, and others held a signing ceremony in Chichester, West Sussex, following a performance of Mark’s authorship play, “I Am Shakespeare.” There will be additional efforts to hold high-profile Declaration signing events this fall. Please join me, and those named above, in promoting the legitimacy of the Shakespeare authorship issue in academia.

The easiest way to reply to this is to send me an email at the address shown above, or you can phone me at: (___) ___-____. Also, please let me know about any other doubters who I could consider contacting.

Thank you.

Sincerely, Enclosures (2) [4-page Declaration, plus Signing Form]

Your signature

"You Were My Sky"

2009-03-25T18:29:00.003-04:00

You still have
. . A thing for me
. . . . It's plain as day
. . . . . . It's plain to see.

Remember when
. . I loved you, too
. . . . When the world
. . . . . . Turned just for you?

Back then my hopes
. . Were running high
. . . . I dreamed of you
. . . . . . You were my sky.

But now, you see
. . There's been a change
. . . . As if my heart
. . . . . . You rearranged . .

It's not my blood
. . That's running cold
. . . . Or my mind
. . . . . . That's growing old
. . . . It's just that I'm
. . Crosswinds with you
Still may you find
A heart that's true.
March 19, 2009

"A Book of Proverbs"

2009-03-24T18:17:00.000-04:00

If I'da book of proverbs
. . I'd make you read them, too
. . . . Over and over again
. . . . . . Until you see the truth.
January 8, 2009

"Words"

2009-03-24T18:07:00.000-04:00

Words
Cannot be trusted
Words
Can't change a life
Words
Like furniture dusted
Words
Might make a good wife.

Words
I see you are listening
Words
Are you watching, too?
Words
Like heirloom glistening
Words
Can't trump what I do.

March 1, 2009

'Growing Gold'

2008-12-15T18:25:00.001-05:00

Growing gold
Spreading wealth
Making good
If by stealth.
October 21, 2008

'What Does Love Mean?'

2008-10-10T18:51:00.000-04:00

When this question was posed to a group of children between 4 and 8 . .

"Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way."

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

"She's Singing Patsy Cline Again"

2008-10-07T18:47:00.002-04:00

She quit ever so briefly
She quit I think chiefly
Because I gave up the booze.

I quit comin' home late
Smellin' of whiskey
With vomit and puke on my shoes.

I quit leavin' her home 'lone
Drownin' in her tears
I quit being a public disgrace.

So she quit singin' that country
Our lives became tear-free
But now she's got smears on her face . .
October 3, 2008

Songs My Father Sang

2008-10-06T18:09:00.010-04:00

"When The Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along". He'd mostly sing this one to my younger sister when she was still pretty small; seems likely it was mostly in the morning as a way of getting her out of bed.

"It's a Sin to Tell a Lie". This may have been his trademark song when I was growing up, the one he sang with the most gusto, the one that makes me think of him most clearly now.

"Detour (There's a Muddy Road Ahead)" by Paul Westmoreland. He says he was overheard singing it below on a Navy ship by an officer who then commanded him to sing it to the entire crew up on deck.
"Old Black Joe" by Stephen C. Foster.
"Cool Water" by Bob Nolan.
"Goodnight, Irene" by Huddie Ledbetter (or "folk standard").
"Oh, Lonesome Me" by Don Gibson. He'd sing this in his brighter moments.
"Tom Dooley" by Thomas C. Land (or "traditional"/"author unknown"). He had a thing for the Kingston Trio, this being one of their popular hits.
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney). My Mother returned from Moscow for medical reasons and bought us a bunch of Beatles albums in the States. That was in 1969, likely, and The White Album had just been released. We learned every song backwards-and-forwards (harder to do with one of them). Inside the album came glossy photographs of each member of the group, which my brother posted outside our apartment. They were gone the next day, as might be expected, Beatles albums being highly sought-after behind the Iron Curtain.
"Delilah" by Les Reed and Barry Mason. I don't know how many times I actually heard him sing this song, but he told a story of asking the band at a Moscow restaurant to play it to no avail, despite exaggerated and overly-phonetic pronunciations of the title.
"Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. I always assumed he was singing to my mother on this one.
"Your Cheating Heart" by Hank Williams. Another song that sounded like it was aimed at my mother.
"(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" by Joe South. This was popular at the time of my parent's separation, so I assumed he related directly to the words Lynn Anderson was singing.
"Four Strong Winds" by Ian Tyson. He got drunk with his second wife, her sister Pat, and I think his brother Tom, somewhere in Europe--maybe Germany or Austria--and they recorded a version of this on tape to send to us three kids back in the States.
"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. I always thought this was a workaholic's theme song, my father being a card-carrying member, but since I started listening to the words lately I see it's more about my way of doing things.

"Walk Right In". He mostly seemed to sing this when it came back around on the radio for a second (or third) time.

"Old Five and Dimers" by Waylon Jennings. From the album by the same name which my father and older brother used to introduce me to this towering Highwayman. I actually remember my brother singing it more than my father, but they both wore the tracks of that record out when drinking.

Magraw Gap Reunites

2008-09-25T18:26:00.000-04:00

Magraw Gap warms up at 2008 Watermelon Park Fest

"Into Your Eyes"

2008-09-22T18:29:00.004-04:00

I should not look
. . Into your eyes
It is not smart,
. . It is not wise.

It's not the truth
. . I can't disguise
Or gorgeous looks
. . That still surprise
It is the chance
. . I realize
The chance remains
. . Your eyes apprise
The stage is set
. . For an emprise.

I should not look
. . Into your eyes.
It is not smart,
. . It is not wise.
September 21, 2008

Tanka

2008-08-05T18:38:00.001-04:00

Love that should return
After long years so distant
Garden overgrown
Gangly weeds that strangle Hope
Must bring a confident hoe.
August 5, 2008