welcome to chicken world
no mean sharks allowed
in the pool
chickens only
free rocket rides to the moon
or
you can go to the top of
the empire state building.
there’s just
something special about
small town living.
local skater boy
drives around
with his polar bear way up top
just like the north pole
i see him all over town
and
it makes everyone
who crosses paths with him
smile and turn or cheer or shake their heads
no one fails to react in some way
good or bad
isn’t that what the best art is meant to do?
—
the entertainment is in the presentation.
– john mctiernan
were in my care today
it was real hot outside
so we walked up to the ice cream store
dragging long sticks along the ground
jumping down the sidewalk
when i got a little lost
b said,
“maybe you’re taking the LONG shortcut”
yes, that’s it exactly
and
last thing i remember their dad saying
before he left was
“make sure they don’t get messy. we’re heading to a party as soon as i get home.”
well it kind of went bad in that department real fast
we took the short shortcut home
tossed acorns pinecones pebbles
onto the street
washed hands face arms legs shoes clothes phone and glasses
so much sweaty sticky fun.
——-
see any detour as an opportunity to experience new things.
– h. jackson brown, jr.
barbie takes a victory lap
—
when
creative muse
and
longtime friend
barbie
the real thing
asked for help
on her latest project
a big night
mixing
comedy, fashion, art, adventure, food, wine
all in support of detroit artists
raising money
for future
collaborative creative projects
i imagined myself
working
at the door
setting up
bartending
catering
helping models get ready
doing whatever
needed to be done
until
she asked me to wear
one of her designs
a statement dress
in the 50s style
all pink and flowery
with a
prom-like innocence
in the front
tiny birds nesting in my hair
flowers on my heels
and a glimpse
of something more
a corset
and
peek-a-boo fabric
in the back
then
a text
‘oh, and
you’ll be
carrying a dog
with you
on the runway’
a sweet little chihuahua, emmy
dressed in a pink tutu

we stepped out
of our comfort zone
onto
the runway
and
into
a
great adventure
in spite of our fears
we even got
an audience vote
that read:
‘the one with the dog’
no one was immune
from
barbie’s recruiting
even her husband
with his
band of merry men
fellow attorneys
ready to do battle
outside of the office
and
way beyond
the courtroom.
bravery never goes out of fashion.
– william makepeace thackeray
it began with the random choice of my reindeer shirt
the obvious selection for a springy-summery day
i wore it on a visit to my daughter
as we sat in her yard
i saw something
out of the corner of my eye
i looked over
to see this guy standing there
looking at me
he must have seen me
out of the corner of his eye
i headed over to
the hidden and understated
hard to find
artisan oasis
known as
motawi tiles
where i came across this beautiful
handcrafted tile
and i knew
this was the one i was meant to own
all signs pointed me clearly in this direction.
—
“signs may be but the sympathies of nature with man.”
― charlotte brontë, jane eyre