Before Beginnings and Endings

God, you were here before this,

before us, before me, before

light & dark, before they started

pavin' over parks, before the

larks and hummingbirds, before

time and other dirty words, before

sounds and drug dogs barkin loud

though tennements, before pictures,

before anything venemous,

before the first flex of technology

that led to jet engines, before games

& cowboys and indians, before enslavement

and brave men who overcame it and

put to shame the ones that made that

shit, before thugs, killers, & gangstas,

before slugs, brillo pads and bloody

coat hangers, before beginnings and

endings, torn clothes and mendings, &

before death, ascending & descending

thanks for reading.


The above was directly written as it appeared in my sketchbook, original line breaks formed from the size of the page. And here is a more literate version, punctuated as-close-to-the-way-I-would-speak-it-myself-as-I-can-get within the structure of the printed word, for those who suggested it.

God,

You were here before this,
before us,
before me,
before light & dark,
before they started pavin' over parks,
before the larks and hummingbirds,
before time and other dirty words,
before sounds and drug dogs barkin' loud through tenements,
before pictures,
before anything venomous,
before the first flex of technology that led to jet engines,
before games, & Cowboys and Indians,
before enslavement and brave men who overcame it
and put to shame the ones that made that shit,
before thugs, killers, & gangstas,
before slugs, brillo pads and bloody coat hangers,
before beginnings and endings,
torn clothes and mendings,
and before death, ascending and descending


Maybe that is clearer on the page. I still like the original version, because when I look at it, it's structure it has more of the-moment-I wrote-it-in in it for me, and I read that better.

love.

I heart Spiral Dynamics

It’s simply that we have to awaken to new ways of thinking. I believe it makes no sense to spend a lot of time attacking the current realities. It is time to create the new models that have in them the complexity that includes the older systems as a part of these larger wholes. And to the extent that we can do that, and do that quickly, I think we can provide what will be necessary for a major breakthrough for the future.

Poem from the vaults, newly rotating

catapult me into infinity watching
snakes slither to tell of the apple to

the first humans get the code, break
the code, make the code breathe

fresh air atmosphere of quickly 

scooting taxis and transport vessels

as i stay firmly planet rooted in

soil winds ask dancers to come with

them, they dance in my eyes like

fireflies twinkle and dust from a 

meteor sprinkles down on my 

shoulders, holders of scrolls keep 

them under their tongues and flicks

of lava start to warm the center 

of the universe, perfected structures

lay in their right places, like

playground equipment with childhood

memories playing on the monkey bars

and balancing on beams with fresh 

grass cut and the smell of it and

dirt mixed with sweat on hands

and i realize shelter does not have

to be a physical location, although

physical locations help too, but this

is a place of awake resting where

monks hover with me above the 

clouds bestowed with jewels of rainbow

reflections and lectures end and

schools out and i feel my pig 

in shit happy snout, God, whoever 

you are, forgive me for my profanities

they just seem to help me like handles

help me forgive myself for the pure

full enjoyment of my physical form, it

feels like food and now i know it's 

good and i don't want to go back,

but back and forth are ends of

a stretched out sircle, pulled

like a rubberband and man i want 

to stretch this out and be not

just caught by my fears and my

voice, but pushed on to new 

eras, new horizons, new sunset skies

clouds burning beautifully and taking

my outside in and my insides out

gets good blood flowing fresh and

new and i hope i never stop going 

and growing and standing up to

wake my legs up and give 

myself a hand forgiveness is so

simple whenever words run themselves

in sircles or into walls of reason

built over seasons but new seasons

arrive to free men

i spelled circle, "sircle," because i wanted to continue the contemplation of: "back and forth are ends of a stretched out sircle..." get it? okay.

thanks for reading

.Endnote. My good friend Ryan McBee, writer for presentmagazine.com, has been gracious enough to collaborate with me on the "sircle" contemplation. This can be found at his new conceptual/actual blogspace: http://suitcaselegs.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/a-reply-to-romagnitross/

Love and Happiness

A Watercolor by David Titterington

Here is a beautiful painting done by one David Titterington in the year 2000 (if I am to believe the information written on the back). It seems to have been painted in Japan, at least I hope so. It could have been painted later, in America, from a picture taken in Japan. It is done in watercolor. This painting was given to me by Mr. Titterington many years ago (2003-ish). I love the subtle changes in color as the light wafts over moss on the big stones in the front. The little stone buildings behind the mossy stones are part of Japanese tradition. The Japanese have kept a strong bond to nature throughout history, beginning with the original religion of Japan, shinto. Shintoism is a nature based religion. The main idea is that everything in nature has a spirit, has an energy. From trees, to grass, to rocks, to oceans, to animals, everything has a unique energy that gathers as it is able to exist in its natural environment. The Japanese people began placing shrines into forests and on trees as a way of thanking and respecting these spirits and energies. I am not sure of any more details of the shrine in this painting, but looking at the moss that is growing all over it, I am guessing that, like the forest it inhabits, it has been around for a while. I wonder how old this forest is? And what kind of shrine is it? The other things I love about this painting are the little flecks of yellow and white that make it sparkle. And if you look closely at the upper right side of the largest rock you can see the tiniest hairs of moss growing there. Oh, and I just found a little creature hiding towards the top middle of the painting, in the tree! I just showed this to my Mom and she laughed and said, "I wonder if he even remembers painting that!" Oh, Mom. I wonder if it is any relation to the soot workers of Spirited Away. =) I love that movie. Is Miyazaki going to come out with another film, or is the master done?

At it again, Back at the (electronic) pen

Well, maybe not so much writing here, but more than I have for.....umm...2 years..hahaha! Wow, well, I changed the name and the format, so it's practically new. I did also comment on David Titterington's blog about a Robert Brawley painting that he has recently acquired, and it is fantastic. I will try to get a link to his blog on here soon. If you search David's Blog, you might find it. I just put my first and as-of-yet only YouTube video on this page. It's a video I made to a beautiful! aphex twin song, called "Avril 14th." For those of you wondering, it is the same aphex twin who is usually found making insane IDM gizmodgery and twirlyglitchwinks. Please let me know what you think. Also, I am currently trying to figure out how to post videos from my "favorites" in YouTube onto the blog. I thought there might be an easier way than searching the videos again in the blogger video search deal. If anyone knows any other ways I would be interested. See you again.