A Repeated Paler Sense of You

[Fleet St to Easter Ave]
And a repeated paler sense of me,
But I'd rather stick with it if you don't mind.

I know; I know you don't.
I just thought it might sound nice.

Stilted seventies,
Stilted swingin' 60s before that,

And a whole lot more.

[Day later, miles away, Melvin Street]
Mental note, this would work better with pictures.

This is like Shakespeare saying fuck you to the continent and isn't that why he was made King?

What's the kindest thing you did this week?

Someone dyed there hair blond and before you know it they're crying?

Are you finished with that?

Shedding "everywhere."

You wake up with the tip of your tongue a little odd, and it's gonna be half of what you think about all day.

There's white, green, stripes, sun, less football, driving, eating, more driving, coffee, redirection.

There are stripes?

Location:S Howard St,Baltimore,United States

And They Are Amused

Tired in Odenton but slogging the miles.

There is this thing and then a smaller paler version of the thing and then paler still.

We arrive, we watch our step, we consider doing it all again.

All is a trap.

Perfect is a bear trap.

Gold is an element.

Beta is a letter.

My shoes are made for people who need black leather shoes that'll last.

Golden is a state and a state of mind and likely a jam band.

I've always thought a lot about aerodynamics, but I think more and more often about value these days.

It's a more is more thing, don't wear it out.

It's Thursday.

I'll be heading to California soon.

Don't set your watch.

Do not play Monopoly at McDonalds.

Put the Internet down and go enjoy something

With your mouth.

Location:Patuxent Rd,Odenton,United States

You Keep Your Mao in There

I just heard a funny one about baby octupi in Chinatown

But I picked up my little Mao in a train station. His head comes off along with the shortest bit of neck. I'm not sure what you're supposed to put inside.

Maybe spare allergy medecine?

Diamonds?

Something awesome on microfilm?

Microfiche. Microfish. Microphone. Microscope. Microscopic. Hypertropic. Never necrotic. Tick tick tick tick BOOM! We're dynamite.

20 becomes 19
Death becomes her

This vivid, heart-stopping nightmare where I'm writing words on a concrete circle with water and there are all these occulty scary things, but they aren't scary. It's a blond girl at the bottom of the stairs and gross is just blooming on her at the edges of her eyes, her joints. And I can't not look and I can't move and soon I can't breathe.

This wholly other dream from 14 or 15 years ago that I still remember. I'm a bench facing the checkout counters at the 17th Street Safeway (in DC). Maybe the most peaceful thing I've ever known.

Lots and lots of train rides.

Almost to eleven.

Numbers everwhere.
Physics everywhere.
Pieces of us everywhere.
Lightspeed everywhere.
Apparantly repetition everywhere.

Sorry about that.

I better get this up before my battery dies. Cuz it will.

Something about robots, the future, sunrises, smoke.

Location:Piney Orchard Pkwy,Odenton,United States

And a Fine Hello to You

Attention, commuters!

A fine hello to you.

Would you like a cup of coffee?

Water?

"In this world of people there is only you and I."

New Brunswick, Edison, watch the gap while boarding the train, shoe shine, can you afford to pay privately, walking quickly, walking, black shoes, white shoes, sneakers, white sneakers, black flats, black workshoes, black shoes, white sneakers, brown shoes, black heels, black shoes.

You usually do afternoon coffee?

Wherever it's found.

There is a public address system. It is addressing the public, here at the Trenton train station, with sweet R&B sounds from another year.

R&B makes me think of Philly most times.

African accents make me think of America -- probably all those years in DC.

And then I sneeze and suddenly I have a bloody nose and I'm pretty sick of the bloody noses but who goes to a doctor for that kind of silly bullshit.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that everyone at the Trenton train station thinks the skinny white guy in the suit with the bloody nose has been doing too much coke.

That's the thing, this mobile technology stuff is amazing -- even when you totally waste it.

Location:Walnut Ave,Trenton,United States

Twombly While Fighting Something While Philly

Some things just turn out better on video. Thanks Kim and Debrah for the great night of Baltimore in Philly at their General Idea reading series. And to Adam, Justin, Stephanie, Les, Joe, Chris, Chris, and Chris, and Rupert (did I remember everyone?) -- it was a few moons ago. And thanks Kim for the video, too.

Here's the same poem, in writing.

Why I Pay My Taxes

I was raised right (enough).

Incentivized public transportation.

Tackling big problems even if slowly.

The amazing things that can be done with concrete and steel and sweat when you want it bad enough.

Putting your shoulder into something.

Lift and converge is how my government would do it.

Investments in fractured cultures seems random at times and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sometimes you need to drop a big "my bad" on the world -- who do you expect to do that?

Lots of counting and measuring and right things in right places.

Miles and miles of 95 that I've travelled hundreds of times at every time of day, under any weather condition (I saw a tornado from 95 once and promptly accelerated to a quite illegal 100 mph), awake and nearly asleep but still driving, and fast asleep in the back seat.

Coffee. I'm pretty sure taxes make that possible.

The line of military and civil servant paychecks cashed by Perezes past and and extended family and surely Perezes to come. Marines, firefighters, cops, paramedics.

Ft McHenry and the National
Mall.

The Washington Monuments in Baltimore and DC.

The Key Bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge.
Golden Gate Park.

You.

Me.

Get on with it.

Location:Sharps Ct,Fallston,United States

That Happens

Funny how that happens.

Funny how today and tomorrow and here and gone.

Funny how he thinks it's one photon everywhere all the time.

And then there are the constants of this space we're in... With its ups and its downs.

Clinch, clutch, clutch hitter, babysit, kindergarten, the War, war, I am the warrior, because the night, try harder.

Like, You're good. Get better.

Like, Dewey wins!

Like a new shiny bike.

There is rust and then there is the Rust Belt.

There is industry and then there is the Bible Belt.

There is profit and then there is the black belt and the pirate and a priest all walking into a bar.

When we scaled the walls we were met with another wall.

When we scaled the mountain we were met with your God and he was a pretty agreeable chap.

You should've been there.
We all levelled up.
It was wicked cool.

Location:Portland St,Baltimore,United States