David Franks is a River in Baltimore

That's David on the left. And that's the day he made me cry. I'm the on in the middle that isn't Lauren Bender.

I have a poem for David over at Secondary Sound as part of David Franks Week. It was originally, "Fearless is a River in Baltimore," but that seemed a little self-congratulating.

Go check it out along with great things from Justin Sirois, Chris Toll, Adam Robinson, Ric Royer, and others.

David's Memorial is this Sunday, January 31st at the Creative Alliance. Find info and bunches of more over at this memorial site that sprung up. I suggest checking out Aaron's tribute on the Signal.

i.e. Reader Book Launch Party Tonight

At the LOF/t (Baltimore) tonight as we celebrate the publication of The i.e. Reader. Come join us, much fun will be had.
The LOF/t (Load of Fun Theater) [map]
120 W. North Ave.
Baltimore, MD

Saturday, January 2, 8pm

More book info, including for orders, here. Though it ain't a pre-order as of tomorrow...

Camera 5 (December 24, 2009)

Report anyone crawling through this culvert.

I guess it’s that time of year.
Doing what we can
Even when what we can is badly.

Grate, gate, passageway. Nothing.
Minutes and hours and hours and nothing.
Meals and gifts and conversations and
Soon bowl games. Lots of bowl games.

For 2010, three-hundred and sixty-five days will line up, one after another.
For 2010 the guard will change many times.
But for 2010

9:51 p.m.

Camera 3 (December 21, 2009)

This area is a high crime area. If you see suspicious activity in this area please report.

Just about three days to get my shit together.
Sharing,
Sleeping,
Preparation. And lots of it.

I’m way behind.
My nephew was a belly crawler.

The view pulses, you can’t see it in a still shot.
I’m looking at it right now. The buildings glow
Or maybe burn or
Flare and jump.
Imperfect translations..

One hundred years ago they saw ghosts.

1:58 a.m.

Don't Look Down

There is dancing and there is eating.
My throat is fucked, so the eating is becoming human.

I love seeing older men rollerskate
They are black and wear black v-neck tees
They skate lines awake to the 70s and
In just a few nods I’m thinking

Back and forth and back back and forth and back and forth again
A great song from an earlier age of not looking down

Back back because dancing, really dancing, and city upon city, and watching the snow coming down and forth again

I get it.
And when I’ve got it, I'll get to working on making peace with all this not looking down.

--

for December 5, 2009 and a few other days

As Seen, Posted Above a Urinal

Seems like the thread started with that just-as-witty shaving commercial -- something like, "the tree looks taller when the underbrush is cleared away" (was it Gilette?) -- is here to stay.

Keep it classy, Bally.

November 17

The pastry of my discontent sits in the fridge.

Was Martin Smid a real math student?
There's something that doesn't matter.

Rumors of impending doom for the late night.

I developed a taste for butternut, and I'm afraid the season's gonna pass me by.

That reminds me: get the pumpkin thing at the Helmand – everybody says so.

I'm going to just play louder and louder.
My nose is going to bleed and I'm going to play louder.
Things'll get caught in my throat and I'm going to play louder.
Gunshots, grocery stores, short walks, furniture, trains, cooking utensils, underground and over and I'm going to play louder.
I'm going to play louder and louder and louder.

Look in there. Just look.

Things Done, Things to Do

You should go see A Serious Man, the new Coen Brothers film. I was up in the air and haven't-seen-her-in-forever Tina said it was good, so I skipped staring at goats and went to this -- conveniently right around the corner from my place. What a great follow up to No Country. Am I the only one who thinks that? Same feel, only in a midwestern suburbs and very Jewish way. I'm sure a lot of the cultural nuances were lost on me, but damn was it good.

I went home and drank a beer in the backyard, standing on a chair and looking around the neighborhood over the fence. It's a momentary-perspective-shifter kind of movie... like The Wrestler without all the ugh, or Pecker. But maybe those are two more cases of "I'm the only one that feels that way."

Last night (Saturday), J and I checked out Times New Viking at the Talking Head. Also good stuff. You should check them out, too. Unless you don't like things that are fast, loud, and fuzzy. If you don't like those things, then you probably don't like me. Thanks for the much needed company J.

I Like Working with Good People Who Work with Good People

The Humane Society

I spend my days at Threespot (more or less), and I'm going to take the rare moment to give big ups to my colleagues. Check out this super-small sampling of client launches in these past 12 months. For the record, we aren't as always-left as this little portfolio would imply. But they are all names I'm guessing you know.

ACLU

If this makes you hungry, maybe you should come work with us someday. One of the mantras around the halls these days (did you start it Colgrove? is it a quote?), "Do good. Be great."

Planned Parenthood

Bragging now complete. And for the record I didn't get to make serious contributions to any of these due to commitments to other equally great clients, so it is only bragging-once-removed. Like when you talk about how a friend of yours is about to publish 2010's most important book of poetry (unless it comes out in 2009, wherein it will be 2009's most important).

I Haven't Written in a While, But I Have a Lot I Should Write About (Soon)

And Now Wunderkammer on JGP

Or at least Paula Gilovich on a picture of JGP that she didn't know was JGP. It's a great piece, and it's a picture of skinny ass me in an unflattering wrestling singlet... How could you possibly not click through?

"Writers as Kids: To Wrestle," Paula Gilovich (at Wunderkammer)

JGP at Wunderkammer

Here's the picture of Melissa Walker that I started with. Here's the piece I wrote.

Thanks again to Kathryn Regina for putting it together. Be sure to check the many other great ones in the series (since my last posting, I've really dug many but will call out the Christopher Higgs-Sam Pink pairing!).