—BEEN A COUPLE OF MINUTES SINCE YOU CROSSED MY MIND

 

…I was trying to be funny, but the joke’s on me.

…I might be in a mess that I can’t clean up.

…I did battle with the bushes yesterday—I’ve got marks and scabs to prove it—but I’m still not sure which of us won.

…It won’t be the first time, but it might be the last.

…It’s official—I’ve played the new Role Model to death. I can even sound out every instrument.

…Audrey Hobart is a wonder. This is true.

…Why bother underlining it, or paying attention to it, if you’re never going to use it?

…Sorry that your dog died.

…“His name is Mac Miller. It’s spelled M-a-c…

…“Romance and death travel on the same boat.” Reka Nyitrai, With a swan’s nest on her back

…It seems like I’m the kind of person who never learns from mistakes, no matter how many he makes.

…Hey, look, it’s almost midnight. Are you there?

…$TARFACE, the new release by Tyga, received Pitchfork’s first 0.0 rating in 19 years. Here’ what they had to say: “The rapper’s slop-pop concept album is smug and complacent and depressing. Its very existence has made the world a worse place.” Ouch. I guess I love the brutal honesty of the (entire) review, but that’s the type of thing that can stop an artist from ever trying to create art again.

…I recently learned this: Only 2% of actors make a living solely from the profession. 

…I know just what you’re thinking, coming down from the high.

 …Everyone’s too beautiful and what’s sad is they all know it.

…I wish I was beautiful.

…If you think a Muslim mayor in NCY is threatening your kids, or grandkids, when you live way the fuck over in North Dakota, well, you and I have problems and I suggest you buy yourself a really big vibrator with extra batteries and go to town. Treat yourself. Let off some steam.  It could help you see more clearly.

…Who’s that knocking at my door? Better be an angel four-four-four.

…It’s late, just clicking midnight Thursday, but I might get one last—"Song is All You Get”—in before it’s over.

…Yeah, I know—we’re all busy, but you can’t at least reply.

…(…)

…It might be a fire I can’t stop.

…In this case, it’s probably smart not to be too smart.

…“Sir, you’re annoying my customers.”

…Damnit, I’m trying. I’m the only one crying.

…I don’t why I give him so much of my energy. I wish I could be more like most of my friends who shrug it off or look the other way, but I fucking can’t.

 …From the NYT yesterday: It’s natural to envy your friends

…Every man’s greatest fear is that he’s a pussy. It totally sounds sexist, but it’s true.

…Just look around. Everything you could possibly want is here temporarily.

…Things look a lot different these days. Maybe that’s okay, but it sure doesn’t feel like it.

…Balloons. Who doesn’t love balloons? You can never have too many balloons.

…“Stop ordering so many books.”

…I did it, but I hated all that other stuff.

…It’s the hardest thing, not to reach for the lap.

…I like to know who I’m playing with.

 

…”It’s not just the Odyssey effect: poetry is booming because it’s the only language for these times of violence and chaos

Charlotte Higgins

From Homer’s epic to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, we can see how poetry fills the gap when ordinary ways of writing or speaking aren’t enough

Mon 10 Aug 2026 03.00 EDT

The biggest sales of poetry since records began are expected this year. The reason? The movies, of course. UK print sales of The Odyssey increased by 1,400% in the four weeks to 25 July compared with the same period last year. In the US, year-to-date sales of The Odyssey are up 76% so far. Christopher Nolan is doing miracles for Homer – whatever problems one might have with the movie (and Emily Wilson, who made the most popular recent translation, has a few).

…I think the key to life is you pay attention. You notice things that others dismiss without knowing it. That’s what poets do.

…I wish I had a best friend who was techy and available.

…I’ve got a best friend who can’t stand up in the waves anymore, and I’d take him over anyone, anyday.

…I got an ad on my phone the other day to buy a cap that said IDK, IDC, & IDGAF. That made me laugh.

…We had that one night, last July, I kissed you, thinking I’d have you satisfied. If I’m being honest, I could use another try.

…Maybe once I get there I’ll know, but who will I have to tell it to?

…“His name is Mac Miller. M-a-c…” I know—a second time, but it really haunts me.

…It’ll still three strikes, as far as I know.

…Well, that was bound to happen—the erasure of everything.

,..But I’m still holding on, hoping prayer actually works.

 

…Well, if you’re dead, what’re still you doing here, standing beside my desktop every fucking day?

 

…But the barflies took the jukebox back.

 

…It always depends upon how you look at it, right? Or the angle. Or the memories you twist into it.

 

…I guess I don’t know where we’re going anymore.

 

…You could have kissed me any time you liked.

 

…I’d really feel more comfortable if you blinked once or twice.

 

…Wait, is that the same cloud from yesterday?

 

…Wait, what? Role Model?

 

…I don’t want to be lame, but maybe I am.

 

…Sometimes you get a drink. Sometimes you get nothing.  Sometimes you walk away worse than before, but that’s still something.

 

…One of the things I’ve learned is there is no perfect wave, even if people tell you differently.

 

…As long as you know it, what does it matter if no one else does?

 

…Love songs don’t come easily, but I lean into the melody.

 

…Somehow, inexplicably, I lost the file I’d logged all my published pieces onto—1,395. I don’t know how it happened or where they went, but I’ve looked and looked and they’re gonorrhea.

 

--Do you really believe you can jinx something?

--Don’t you?

--I’m not sure.

--Wake up and smell the toast burning.

 

…One thing you definitely don’t want to see right now is my desk. Or my ankles.

 

…People tell me Friday is too long, so I think I’m going to cut this post off early and just leave the other 20 pages dangling, sitting there on the barstool with a short one in their palm.

…I’ve only got a few tricks left, and I do mean only a few.

…I guess we’ll see how that goes.

 

—REMEMBER, JOY, SHE’S BEEN GONE A WHILE?

 

Atlantic City

 

No one wants to see your toes. 

But I do.

I love the scrim of dirt under the biggest one that makes it resemble a wallflower hoping to be noticed.

I love the two, almost microscopic hairs no one can see unless their face is right there, up super-close and ready for the surprising strands that look like life lands.

I love how your pinkie twists east, or is it west (?) under different light, like a sunflower either praising, or desperately trying to stay alive.

I’ve been friends with your toes much longer than you know, before there were glaciers or Grand Canyons, before God had even started to think about things and what He might all do with  the mess of it. 

Sometimes we sext, your toes and I, while you’re snoring like the E Street Band doing Atlantic City. On occasion, things can get unruly, if it’s been a while, and your feet won’t stop wobbling.  

I love how gnarly and prehistoric your toes are, like miniature dinosaur nubs, but with the same curled nails, talon-like, sharp as perspective, pointed and opinionated.

I’ve loved your toes forever and still do.

After you’re dead and have been cremated, I’ll dig through the ash looking for them, those stubby digits, and when I find one in the gray flecks, I’ll suck the gunk straight off them, then I’ll move right along to the others. Some people call that gluttony, or sickening. Others call it a smorgasbord.

 

--WHY DON’T YOU COME A LITTLE CLOSER

 

                                               Vintage

           I miss your dirty sweater, the Goodwill one you got for five bucks, the one you claimed Joni Mitchell wore at Woodstock, or maybe it was Joan Jett, but damn you wore that sweater out. 

I miss the baby vomit Lucas would spew on it, how the puke would harden into daisy patterns, but then you’d wash it and wear it again until we had Abby, who threw up more than any baby has ever upchucked in the history of babies.

I remember how the fibers pilled around your perfect ass, how you’d wear that sweater first thing in the morning with nothing underneath and we’d have to do it on the couch or counter or standing up like corn stalks in the kitchen, me hard as a snow shovel, drooling on your sagging neckline, the yarn filthy as ever smelling like something full of life.

All these years now and it’s the one thing I’ve never thrown out, that dirty sweater. 

When I went to see you at the cemetery yesterday, I pulled it out of my duffel and left it on your headstone. Tiny flecks of ancient vomit or sex juice flicked off it when a sudden gust came up as two robins danced by, making love in the air entangled awkwardly, yet beautiful in its own way.

 

—YEAH, I’M MOVIN’ PRETTY FAST, MOVIN’ PRETTY FAST FOR ME

 

...Can you let me have a moment, please? 

...Yesterday was a day, and then some.

...At least I don't need to workout today. Or maybe ever again.

...This is why life matters-- Thnx Big Bro .. will do.. life , Roller Coaster, not Merry Go Round! Love you too man ill keep u posted Night.

 

...It looks like you’ve been up for a while, for a really long time, and I have, too.

 

…Don’t talk shit, that’s just embarrassing.

…You can read a lot in the white space if you look close enough, but it’s not always advisable. 

…Karma’s just a different word for bad luck.

…Shouldn’t everyone write their own lyrics? But then, what about Sinatra? What about Elvis?

…You only get so many moments. They’re like wild fish flapping in your palms for air.

…Someone told me that “August is the easiest month to reset.” I still don’t believe them.

…Like any kid, it took me a while to get that a lot of people are liars. Like my parents. Like my mom, especially.

…I’m always going to root for the 70’s. I just am.

…I just realized I’m spending way too much time on this. Do you ever do that? Go, what the fuck, I just wasted ----?”

…“The worst part about having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don’t.” The Joker

…One thing I learned this week is that bison and buffalo are not the same animal. What we think are buffalo in North America are actually bison. Buffalo are only found in Africa and Asia.  

…You probably shouldn’t play “Against the Grain” too much, this early, in the morning. The background voices start to sound like they’re actually talking to you.

…I’m really glad you’re asleep right now, and I'm sorry I’m not.

 

…Maybe we should just go on a long walk.

…“Yeah, sure. It’s pretty easy to use the glue when you’re not the guy who had to kill the horse.” Everybody Loves Raymond

…You sure know how to beat a metaphor to death.

…Last night, while trying to fall, and stay asleep, I must have run into a dozen different things, none of which I wanted to collide with.  

…You’re only happiest as your unhappy child. That’s a very true story.

…Okay, I swear to God, this is my last listen of this song.

...I don't know why it does that, but it does that sometimes. 

...“Nobody starts out saying: I’m gonna be honest with you…And then finishes it with: I really do still love you madly.” Benjamin Drevlow

…How did I get here? I wonder that every day.

…There aren’t many things better than watching young people in love trying to figure it all out.

…You can’t take back what’s been done. No one can. All you can do is move forward and try to do better.

…Maybe Heaven is a ghetto with no bad blocks.

…The reality is, sometimes you just get bad letters and there’s nothing you can do about it.

 …Don’t ever piss off a hacker or you’ll be sorry. 

…The good thing about hair is it grows back.

…Asking Dr. Fauci to testify, and then trying to vilify him, find him in contempt, jail him, is akin to putting Jesus on the stand. He wasn’t Jesus, I’m not saying that—but he was Christlike—he was saving LIVES. What in the fucking fuck is wrong with you?

 …Aside from e v e r y t h i n g else, let’s take a gander at a different topic, though these are just a few points, of MANY… 

…Trump’s nuclear-powered battleships cost $275B: CBO report

 

…IRANIAN WAR COST TRACKER (Estimated U.S. Taxpayer Spending):$113, 300, 000, 000

 

...USA Today: Trump ballroom soars to $600M, with taxpayers on hook for half: 

 

…Trump revamps White House helipad, then tears it up, construction will cost $6 million

…As of mid-2026, the U.S. government has significantly ramped up spending, with over $46 billion authorized to build and complete a "smart wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border.

…Where is all that money coming from? If every person, man, woman and child in the entire country, plus their pets, paid taxes, we could never fund all this, not to mention Social Security, Medicare, and all the other countless, necessary social programs.

...It's like Global warming: we know it’s happening, but let’s not care right now. Let’s burn the whole fucking world down for nothing.

 …Dude, you’ve got to take it down a notch. Or several hundred.

…Anyway, how about those Mariners?

…Most people only manifest good things while all I seem to manifest is palsy.

…“Sometimes I forget how punchable my face is.” Benjamin Drevlow

…Lord knows I’ve had some really bad haircuts, but I’ll give myself a couple of points for a least trying something different.

…Every disappointment, every rejection has led you here.

…Hey, I’ve got nothing to brag about. Sorry. Age has let me down but it’s somehow left me living, so I’m grateful for that.

…“Every morning I wake up and think I have a test that I’m going to fail that day.” Benjamin Drevlow

…This is one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time. You can replace “songwriting” with whatever you choose, and it still works…

With hits under his belt like Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” and One Direction’s “Drag Me Down” and “Best Song Ever,” Julian Bunetta has emerged as one of the most successful and influential producer-songwriters of this era and was recently honored by the National Music Publishers Association.

We in the audience were cued to shout “SONGWRITING IS EASY!” We knew all too well the irony of that statement, and we joined in with relish.

Here’s Julian’s speech in full:

“Songwriting is easy. It’s only notes and words. It’s a skill that can be learned like any other craft. Songwriters know this. The more you write, the better you get — simple as that.”

Rejection is hard.

Watching years of songs go nowhere is hard.

Watching songs you think are the best you have ever written get released and do absolutely nothing is hard.

Admitting to yourself the song was not good enough is hard.

Lying awake at night wondering if your songs will ever be successful is hard.”

(All) “Songwriting is easy!”

“Trusting your gut is hard.

Telling the truth is hard.

Fighting for your idea at the risk of disturbing the peace in the room is hard.

Asking people to stay and rewrite something when everyone wants to go home is hard.

Getting people back in a room to keep working on something is hard.

Finding the time is hard.”

(All) “Songwriting is easy!”

“Putting all your eggs in one basket is hard.

Losing a project is hard.

Rejection is hard.

Staying the course is hard.

Persistence is hard.

But if one day you woke up, and you had parents like mine….

And if you had a brother and manager like mine….

And if you had a writing partner like mine…

And if you had a wife like mine…

And if you had daughters like mine…

And if you had publishing partners like mine…

And if you had mentors like mine…

And if you had lawyers like mine…

And if you had collaborators like mine…

If you had a big family like mine…

If one day you woke up and had all that, I guarantee you would also say that …”

(All) “Songwriting is easy!”

 ...How about that?