Iron Flowers

sluggish, semi-stagnant
the water in Haitian gutters,
small gullets, trickles green,
sewerage green, here even
the dirt is poor and
there is a cloying dullness
camouflaging even strongly
persistent colors

in squared, white walled
cemeteries
funeral flowers are made of
painted iron/ i see no roses
rising through this Port
Au Prince poverty

i hesitate to take pictures
it is like thievery
almost like
i am stealing precious light
that these, my brothers and sister,
need to live

-Kalamu ya Salaam, 1979

Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Retreating Wind

When I made you, I loved you.
Now I pity you.

I gave you all you needed:
bed of earth, blanket of blue air--

As I get further away from you
I see you more clearly.
Your souls should have been immense by now,
not what they are,
small talking things--

I gave you every gift,
blue of the spring morning,
time you didn't know how to use--
you wanted more, the one gift
reserved for another creation.

Whatever you hoped,
you will not find yourselves in the garden,
among the growing plants.
Your lives are not circular like theirs:

your lives are the bird's flight
which begins and ends in stillness--
which begins and ends, in form echoing
this arc from the white birch
to the apple tree.

-Louise Gluck

A Late Christmas Present?

Some recently-surfaced live Ella Fitzgerald. Twelve Nights in Hollywood captures Ella at her prime, recorded primarily in 1961 at the (now closed) Crescendo in Los Angeles. 4 discs. Badass. Ella.

may my heart always be open to little

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

-e.e. cummings

Hooray for a New Year

Kinoko No Yama

I was never much of a mushroom person until I was introduced to these beautiful Japanese cookie/chocolate treasures.

If you are in Southern California, it is really dumb not to stop by Mitsuwa and pick a box (or five) up.

Places: Pick Me Up Cafe (Chicago)

I've decided to start a new series of posts, focusing on great locations. There is no geographical epicenter to these posts...merely places I've been to and adored.First up on the menu is Chicago's Pick Me Up Cafe, located up on 3408 North Clark Street. It is a 24-hour joint that is full of good food, strong coffee, and eclectic music (the last time I was there Fugazi was on the sound system for over an hour.Although their vegan menu is quite attractive, I am a sucker for the "Garlicious Breast" sandwich. Try it and you might fall in love.