Saturday, January 31, 2009

cupcakes in love

dolce: a girl, a camera, and a slice of life

i am particular to the cupcakes myself. the rose minicake and cupcakes give my cupcake-shaped heart good cause to yearn.

someday, maybe, i will make a cupcake as lovely. someday...

Friday, January 23, 2009

an Ode to what Light does

because Peter Wasilewski is brilliant

breaking the natural order
for the sake of personal beauty


a bird's wing preserved
by the polar lenses, white light,
and the touch of a man


fingers trapped in children's toys
a summer treat for i the least

but the sick romance
at the back of your mind

my summer night pleasure
for i all the more


tripping through swirls
and deep pools
along dark slippery
city streets

filled to the brim
with triumphant marches
and parades with routes
passed loosers' houses


locked in at the midst
of a winter battle
to the death and the part

the weight of a horse
on a frozen river
as the war rages on

in a field far away


what was lost
but a letter to the queen

but what of it
was a loss?

Thursday, January 22, 2009

azure letters

for Ashraf Osman

i will not have a grave stone
because by the time i die,
they'll have thought of something better.

i wish you could say the same,
but it's becoming clearer each day
that you are already dying.

one poet's wish after another
for peace and skies clear of white
from the dust of dead neighbors

goes swiftly unheard by all
but the well-groomed dog at your feet
and i, who can't possibly understand

the significance of real warfare.





inspired by Under Siege by Mahmound Darwish

Monday, January 19, 2009

for my loved and lost

i sat across a coffee table
from Frank, George, Mina and Gertrude
with a bowl of cereal and a multivitamin

we made a list together
of all the girls i've loved
and let slip through my fingers

neither Mina nor Gertrude
keep the company of girls
and Frank is too much of a socialite

but George sees my worries as folly
for none of them are lost
only resting, silently,

waiting for me to finish my breakfast

Sunday, January 18, 2009

wabi-sabi (give me i'll give you #27)

For Matt Dioguardi

meditation
with a
homely tree frog

mother
swimming in
the koi pond

we
are lost
in a poet's

world

shenandoah cupcake (give me i'll give you #26)

for Yasmin Elaine


the west was won
and great beasts tamed

by innocence and icing.

sprinkles that flirt with the tongue
atop curls of sweet frosting

and the lips of cowboys
left adorned

with moist crumbs
from women's biggest little secret:

the shenandoah cupcake.

Friday, January 16, 2009

city condo




3, 2, 1 blastoff
old Canadian paneling techniques
in modern city condos

made to order special deliveries.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

of fate and forsaken dreams (give me i'll give you #25)

for Sara Kelley

every other song about angels
ends with a singer humming the tune

and the orchestra pit subdues
as the conductor's arms fall

slowly like leaves to the stand
the wand, as close to magic

as he'll ever come.

Flobble (give me i'll give you #24)

for Rowan Harris

the limits of space-time
don't stretch quite as far

as a vision of your wisdom
and bright purple hair

On Leaving the Station (give me i'll give you #23)

for Morgan Elektra

as i exited the subway
a sturdy figure stood

observing the wet crowds
and as i passed i heard him

mumbling about the umbrellas
looking like funeral flowers

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Blow to Glow (give me i'll give you #22)

for Kim Coakley

behind an old wooden door
cracked by the winds of ages

a blue imprint of an angel
lingering behind, for the touch

of a strong desire, a wish
but ever more the misguided

she falls in love with a dream
and sells her wings for dust

that dry/wet border on the edge of a rainstorm (give me i'll give you #21)

That dry/wet border on the edge of a rainstorm
(that you never see, but you know has to be there, logically)

for John Bell

i drew you a raincloud
with my high precision laser blaster

using the new weather-kit add on pack
and edging techniques passed on

from generation to generation
of regional weather gods.

i drew you this raincloud
in the shape of a tree

with lots of misty leaves
and muddy puddles

for logic to jump in
next time it has an idea.

i hope you like it.

the last pot roast on earth (give me i'll give you #20)

for Drook

on the very last friday of the very last calendar
someone scribbled a skull and cross bones

and we recycled all the old diet ginger ale cans
fashioned them into a sail that captures dirty molecules

rooms in parks (give me i'll give you #19)

for Drook

i had to put my foot down
when you pointed to the parkinglot

and dangled a key in front of me
from an old shoelace.

you thought you were clever
trading it in for that?

a house on wheels
and two sets of snow shoes?

i want my mp3 player back,
this is over. i'm out.

when the ice cream melted (give me i'll give you #18)

for Nicole McLernon

i tried to bring you presents
in square boxes, decorated

in the finest confection
a baker could have anticipated

but once i'd reached your door
i realized my mistake

alas, all the ice cream had melted
and there was no more room for cake

What does the angel give you if you win? (give me i'll give you #17)

for Russell Ragsdale

'you cannot win' she says
as she pulls the blindfold down off your eyes
revealing the course of obstacles before you

'but if you do, by some chance'
her voice is like a song with no end
the anticipation building

as she breaths beautiful warmth
down the nape of your neck
she whispers 'you may have me'

and now you know, you must win.

Lord Dark (give me i'll give you #16)

for Russell Ragsdale

a pin point towards
the light in your eyes

a reflection of knowing
just how deep the river's flesh

flows past the wondering finger
as it dips below the surface

the light of questions
unanswerable by blood

the sheild of age
and the dark bedchambers of wives

shiny (give me i'll give you #15)

for Mick Regan

you sprung me from jail
for a pat on the back
and a pillow case full
of old glory and grit

you'll learn...

there's nothing pretty
about escapology if you can't
bend your arms behind your back
without breaking them

a burning vein (give me i'll give you #14)

for Kristen Tortilla Williams

you take yourself so seriously,
it makes you burst into laughter
on the spot of accusation.

your ride your bicycle with purpose,
other than falling into a puddle of mud
that matches the color or your shoes.

three things that remind him of you,
the tall and the room and the loft
of suggestions held down by good will.

those same six songs (give me i'll give you #13)

for John Cabral

i demand a choir of ambivalent wisdom
surrounded by painkilling nurses with guns

redemption is the widow's veil
on the doorknob of your inner sanctum

a counciltation of magnificent wit
and worry not for the pride of your team

to bury the good book by fire's kiss
at dawn on a private field of frost

r.i.p. number 6




sadly, Mr. McGoohan passed away yesterday :(

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Cake or Death (give me i'll give you #12)

for Elaine Garbarine

span the night, a warrior's path
to the tower of devil's food or lemon delight

to eat your way out
the frosted crest with fork or spoon

and a side of ice cream.

Hello, old friend, it's been a while (give me i'll give you #11)

for Brian Boutwell

across the table
in a nondescript diner
in a nondescript souther town

in a state of hot breath
and bone chilling plastic seat covers

a reunion of old all still the same
covering tracks and past misspellings
memorizing new lines in old faces.

hello, old friend. it has been a while, hasn't it?

Mou'sif (poème pathétique) (give me i'll give you #10)

for Ashraf Osman

there is no sound like the ripening of mud
against the tires of your bicycle

to melt your inner most will to climb
the hill behind your childhood home.

peculiar scents, familiarize your dysfunction
as a common feature among men of your gender

but to tell your father face-to-face
in the heat of this autumn humidity

would care too far the sensitivity
of family and war ridden, muddy slopes.

I Miss Living In The Brothel (give me i'll give you #9)

for Mary K

waking to the sound
of aluminum bunk beds against plastered walls

the begrudging water falls
to fill the chipped tub

and one man rests on a sofa
sipping matte and humming

old leonard cohen songs sweat
through the layers of carpet

to wake me fully
before i see that bus i need

pass the house, full of people
and not one of them looking back.

Just. Cakey. (give me i'll give you #8)

for Michelle Lee

sit pondering the color of frosting:
pink, or green?

pink... with green sprinkles?
and a strawberry.

wrapping up in winter garbs
to fetch strawberries
from the local supermarket.

this cake will be perfect.

do you write it an ode,
or wait and compose a eulogy

on a full stomach?

The Rhetoric Monster (give me i'll give you #7)

for Nate Byrnes

the doubt sets in real fast
as the tie clad man in hat approaches.

hiding under the carpet is no good,
too much soup, you think.

full stop. can i stop time?
the power of your mind is too weak,

too many blogs, you think.
try to become invisible,

but the cement walls are too damp
to lean against, you know.

he knocks and each thump
syncronized to your heart beats.

he's going to kill you with
big words.

little toe, big toe (give me i'll give you #6)

for Nicole Beaudoin

virgin toes in dirty sand
the first thought this morning

was wasted on artificial causes
and desires unmet by the sea

she looks out onto, in the early
of morning and cold winds march

across the seaside shipwreck
in her mortal's wicked dreaming

get out of town (give me i'll give you #5)

for Nicole Beaudoin

this and that the get out of town
to the pink slippers she says 'start walking'

Discovering the Benefits of Acai (give me i'll give you #4)

for Beth Ayer

the morning after, wrapped in his arms
you catch a glimpse

of his Brazilian drivers' license
on the bed-side stand,

but the dates are wrong.
there's no way he's that old.

this train doesn't stop that often (give me i'll give you #3)

for Beth Ayer

'can i pick from these trees?' the young boy asks the old man
a big plastic basket tied to his waste

'yes you can son. from the top branches.'

the boy thinks as he climbs, i am not your son.

classy is a philosophy (give me i'll give you #2)

for Jenni Baker

spread stockings over a delicate duvet cover
imported from Holland alongside the painting
of colorful bell peppers hanging in the lounge

the doorbell rings, the hum of pearls on pearls
fulfilling the backdrop of intimate business
and only the lack of scent hangs on your position

pneumatic mnemonic (give me i'll give you #1)

for Ryan Acheson

the strain on knowledge
when the credits run too long

forgetting names and faces
of famous actors

each one, replaced by an element
on our periodic dining table

the worry sets in and you sulk
curled up on the sofa with a cat in your lap

mumbling names of people you've met
on the streets of imaginary towns

give me a title, i'll give you a poem

if you're familiar with explodingdog.com, then you already know the drill. but if you don't here's how it works... sam from exploding dog draws pictures to go along with the titles his fans email in to him. he even does live art shows where he gets titles from people observing then draws the picture right there and then.



since i'm feeling deprived of inspiration and in desperate need to compose... i'm going to do the same as sam, but with poems.

i've done similar poetry experiments before (in the vein on john ashbury's collaboration with artists (when i remember the one's name, or find any reference to it, i'll link it, but i'm at a loss a the moment)), but this time i want input from some new creative people.

so, you suggest a title for a poem, and i will write it. each poem will be posted on this blog - and i'll do my best to either send an email with the poem in, or post it (or a link) in the comments thread on your blog (if you have one).

so, let the titles roll in...

p.s. i can't promise they'll be good > _ <

Monday, January 12, 2009

it keeps snowing

all different sorts of snow.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

we have a new doctor

not that i don't love david tennant as the doctor loads, but i was nervous about the regeneration from christopher to david because, like so many new-who-viewers i hadn't lived through one yet. this time, knowing that there are still four hour-long specials staring david, i am super excited about the new face of the doctor. and steven moffat at the helm of the show! it's going to be excellent.


Friday, January 09, 2009

relative

marshmallow icing over a hot cocoa weekend with the tree down, in the pile with last year's carcass there is the thought- how romantic of your insides - to want to plant each holiday in the ground and metaphor the landscape into a future kind with artificial sweetener aiding in the continued inconsistencies of morning rituals and as you brushing your teeth afterwards, thinking about diatoms and how little you really care about environment unless it impacts the size of the jeans you buy or the taste of your afternoon snack. overall, i think you're too hard on yourself. here, have a piece of gum.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

reply

"i fancy the hell out of you"

by way of reply to a "hello" kind of wave
across an isle of internet cafe in cambridge

the one opposite the little ice cream bar

"let me treat you" the hair falling over his left eye
cute, so i ask him "how?"

"what do you mean, how? with money"

"to what?"

he pointed across the street and smiled
a please-let-me smile.

sing song la low notes

sweet tie, twinkle like birds' eyes
in a medieval mirror - misshaped
but happy

about the sea side, a gull choking
on cold welsh rarebit

i've just had my hair cut, we've just met.
so i'm not wondering if you'll notice,
but other mischievous thoughts burden

the color of your temper
and the complexion of your breakfast rituals.

haunting me, wishful triangle
or circle sequence and a note
passes from one train car to the next

etched on the dry parts
of a used tea bag.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

a lineage of doctor who cakes

since ryan revealed all the wonderment of doctor who to me back in... 04? (was it really that long ago!?), i've been adventuring with doctor who icons and cakes. yep. tasty delicious cakes ^_^

liz and i recently bravely entered into a new area of caking - we made fondant icing!

before i unveil the latest creation, let me roll you through past cakes...

first, was the Dalek Cake



i made a chocolate swiss roll from scratch, which was very very messy, but also very very tasty.

then, the TARDIS Cake



Ryan had a TARDIS shaped cake for his 3rd or 4th birthday, and asked for a reprise of such a beloved cake for his 26th (i think it was 26th). Kerry, Ryan's sister, and I toiled a bit to get the thing standing, and it didn't taste too magnificent, but it looked great, and the cupcakes did taste good--we we made out in the end.

then there was the Slitheen Cake



which, as you can see, looks like crap. BUT, it tasted brilliant and everyone enjoyed the green-colored, lemon-flavored wonderment of its insides, so I guess that's a win on one front.

then, the Cyberman Cake





he was made mostly of frosting. and although most people ate the cake out from under the super thick layer of gray marshmallowy fondant, it did taste incredible and i'd say he looks pretty amazing too. double win.

now... what's next?

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

some winter bard

startling though a joyous scene,
the sight of a sick man
dancing in the street

his feet caked in red mud
and bandaged stubs
where fingers should be

dancing and laughing
to the strumming and humming
of an old bard's song

the day before Christmas
amidst the shoppers and quarrelers
inspiring children and mothers

sewing the spirit's seed
through imaginary gardens
brought to life through the words

of a traveling bard with no name
and three children at his feet
chiming bells and trash can covers

Sunday, December 21, 2008

snow (to be continued)


first, there was no snow.



and then there was. (looks like we even got some paper snow...)



lots of snow.







Jack looks surprised at all the white stuff.



or maybe he was scared, seeing has how he ended up in ryan's lap ^_^ kawaii!

happy chrimstas

decorating the tree (part 3)


the first part of the decorations to go on the tree was the bow at the top, preceded by the red string at the top of the tree and the hook on the ceiling--a preventative measure to keep the tree and the computer safe from one another at all times.



Rowdy helped with the lights.



a little garland goes a long way.



Jack helped us make this really long paper chain.



pretty lights... but missing something...



cards and presents add the final touches ^_^

kitties' first tree (part 2)

i don't suspect anyone will find the need for commentary here...









oh crimbo tree (part 1)


we went to Hyannis Garden Center after I called a few places who told me they didn't have any more trees left. This place had plenty and at all sorts of prices. We picked out a medium tree ^_^



Here's Liz and I walking into the store to pay for the tree. I was so happy to get one finally. We'd all been so busy with work and school and stitches and all sorts, we had to wait until the 18th to finally get the tree.



The tree didn't exactly fit in the car, but we made it home just fine.



Liz and I did all the tree putting up, which Ryan did exactly what I'd asked him to: take pictures of everything.



Liz loves the smell of pine, how cute ^_^



It took a little jiggery pockery...



... but we got the tree standing pretty straight in the end.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

troubleshooting

to pin point the problem,
just let her cry.

hold her with big arms.
keep her warm and close

until the fire is drowned,
doused out with reason.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

canadian pancakes

a fondly on the sofa, he
picked up at the airport

on his way home from the south.
so he chooses to catch her,

make her pancakes
while finishing the local brew

straight from the jug.

butter out, and syrup warming on the stove
along side the cooper bottomed pan

if he's going to make her breakfast
he's going to do it properly.




seduction is not an art,
it's a skill.

dear big little orange

dear big little orange cat,

two years old
and you still sleep

on my head at night,
slowly pushing

my head off the pillow
until i wake up, and reclaim it.

you've got a wet sniffer
and you're sneezing again

sleeping more because
of your kitty sized cold.

i am sick at home,
for the second day now

and i'm more inclined
to take you to the vet's

than i am
to take myself to the doctor's.

all my love, to my little bit orange monster,
get well soon

Friday, November 28, 2008

in a boy's room

we lie there naked under the blankets, but not touching

the ceiling is dark
except for the crack under the door

and the street light glow sneaking in
from under the curtains over the big window

i wish there was something to look at

i close my eyes so tight
that i can see colorful shapes

'will you tell me a story?' i ask

'what?' you must have been sleeping, you sound startled

'never mind' i say, and open my eyes again
and wait for the morning so i can leave

on "This Feels Like Normal"

step 1: get a free chapbook. 

step 2: read it over reheated ziti with marinara sauce. 

step 3: be grateful you're not still dating.



This Feels Like Normal is a little chappy by brandon scott gorrell, matthew savoca and colin bassett. it came in the mail this afternoon and i devoured the surprise poetry treat over lunch. i'd completely forgotten about the email i sent requesting a copy. 

unexpected poetry in the mail is always a delight.

even better, i liked it. i didn't love it, but i did like it.

brandon, matthew and colin are what i expect from boys who write poetry. boys who write poetry are analytical, self-defacing/praising, sad, unmetered and they make funny faces at the girls they love--girls they may or may not have told they love them.

there were moments, over coffee and fruit salad, where sincerity crept up out of the murky commentary on emotions as revealed through poems. the boys were center stage though. and the poetry proclaimed itself poetry despite any form or poetic tendencies to denote it, rather, distinguish it from angsty note-book scribbles or never-sent love-notes.

so the chap doesn't sound like it's done much really. but as i turned the last page, hoping for that "i love you too" to set me free, to love them poet-e-poet, there was no last page to turn to. i have been left wanting more. much like a girl might--a girl dating a boy poet.

i guess that's just what they do.

three out of three
get four out of five.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

go google yourself

here i was, innocently at work in the writing center at umass dartmouth when one of the tutors beside me started to google herself and go on about it. i hadn't played the google-myself game in a little while, so i joined her.

only to find a mention of my work in an anthology i'd never heard of.

the link was to the loewak institutue, dating back to October 5th of this year.

i read, and followed the link to for godot where, after a little searching, i found myself giggling in the back of the center over the absurd array of sarcasm, wit, fury and disdain cluttering the comments section of this announcement.

the 4000 ish page anthology, free for download, can be retrieved from either of the two sites above; though, i reccommend you save it as a file, otherwise it takes an age to open.

my name is on page 299 under a little poem.

ashraf is on page 1450
craif perez is on page 2664

there are almost 4000 poets (most, i assume, with internet presence). some of your friends are probably listed in this massive anthology too.

and so? well, so, i didn't write that poem. ashraf didn't write the one he's been credited with. craig, i'm pretty sure, didn't write the one above his name either.

check out all the comments on for godot. this is beautiful controversy at work.

i can't wait for the next issue ^_^

genre heart ache

a brooding demi
takes well in small doses

to the breaking habbits
to the fickle measures

of a bored Canadian man
in a raised collar



she escapes the dimensions of her portrait
leaves the wall behind

-the frame and distances of light-

to betray your fantasy
the export of lust on a canvas built for two

Thursday, November 13, 2008

love and religion

everyone is talking.



the gay rights issue at large right now is one i have no trouble taking a firm stance on - unlike many political issues wherein i don't know or understand the full scope of the issue. there isn't much to understand here: the right for same-sex couples to marry in the state of California has been rescinded. and the cause is even more audacious... what place does a church have in lobbying for a vote one way or the other? there's that good old saying "separation of church and state" composed by the men who fought to secure the human-rights of all men and women governed by this country. blah blah, you've heard all this already, i know.

it may be too late in the day for me to shake a moving passion from the bones in my fingers, but that's no reason not to make a small stand in favor for all of those who plan on attending peaceful protests on Saturday to defend the rights of their fellow men, women, straight and gay.

to think, that in one day, we as a country made so much progress. we elected a mixed-race president and a little town in Oregon elected the first trans-gendered mayor. and on that very same day, we as a nation reminded the world just how bigoted and backwards we can be with the several gay-marriage ban election questions. bans which people agree. it makes my stomach turn.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

cnn is awesome

i just saw a hologram, a real one, on cnn during the election coverage. am very pleased. technology is cool. ^_^

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

to address



i want to address the absurdity
of a measurable pleasure

the length of your tongue
against the width of time

and what we use to cover it
when we're not active

in a winter worn room
stained mugs on dusty book jackets

follow the parade of mire
murk and muddle through literature

manuscripts a friend sent
in a big brown envelope

before a late birthday wish
to an artist in Manhattan

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Muwi the Amazing Lawn Mower

i want one

crocodile in my lunch

bento boxes are insane



people with far too many spare minutes.

and too cute to eat.





flicker source

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

waste not

and how.

MSN.com had an amazing article today... ten best ways to waste your time on the internet and some of them actually looked like checking out... (click on the images to go to the sites)

such as the failblog:

(click on the image to go to the site)

a website called "Stumble" which allows you to randomly discover (via stumbling) new and interesting sites you probably never would have heard of or seen before such as Iron Dog Studio's "Tater Titan":



and the third one i really liked was this... the spirograph amazingnessness. reminds me of this ridiculous spirographic pen thing i had when i was a kid. i remember using it to write letters to my cousin Molly oh so many years ago. the pen would spin by itself and draw these kinds of designs... spirograph here