to be duke

last night i sat in my apartment on the second floor looking out across the rest of the city under heavy gusts of wind and rain. the quality of devastation on the southside seems to have been slight with the exception of partial flooding on main street. i never was afraid and if i had been i would have huddled low in the stairwell with turquoise trim. for days the weather patrol have been predicting all sorts of atmospheric catastrophe. to me it has felt like the long awaited autumn season.

in the evenings after eleven p.m. i listen to a local radiostation for my favorite music bits. i'll mute the television news and pretend the news crews are singing in the music videos of bjork, modest mouse, interpol, air and much much more. last night it was to be duke that inspired me to do the enigma's easy crossword puzzle and jot a piece of thought out onto the paper.

duke is on my page,
appearing dizzy footed
with ash and alcohol
at his smokey stool side
to order up the bass
and piano strings plucked
from final efforts to come between
windows that make micro
stained glass scopes turn notes
like lights into magnified
drops. one hit. one high.
one hand at a time.


i went outside for a smoke break and saw bluer sky between dark grey clouds. the worse is over for now. this weekend i will work on the mural and go to "push" at the local if thats what betafish wants to do. i don't have the map anymore. i thought it would be considered stealing so i took it back down to the basement. i'm sure i could go and get it back anytime i need directions. fortunately we all got a three percent raise here at uoha. due to the fact that medicare will be implementing major oncology cuts in 2005 the doctors are proceeding with caution when it comes to their expenditures. i'm thankful regardless and have plans to continue to work through the rest of the year and possibly much longer. i'm not ready to look for a new job yet. i feel overwhelmed in other avenues in my life right now. i resigned my lease at the grand hotel with chattanooga neighborhood enterprises yesterday. they did an apartment inspection and everything was graded good/excellent. i am a neater person now than i used to be. the only time things get out of control are during major art project times.

i am almost finished reading the 9/11 commission report. i'll let you know how it all turns out. no news is good news. if in doubt don't go out.