—I KNOW PEOPLE THAT TRY, PEOPLE THAT DON’T, PEOPLE THAT FLY THROUGH THE AIR, JUST FLOAT LIKE SMOKE

 

 

…Happy Monday.

Already this morning I’ve seen hail, rain, hard snow, and light snow knifing down at an angle.

For some reason, the ducks on the lake like it when the water is freezing. It’s fun to watch them frolic.

 

… I had a convergence of bad dreams last night, all things I tied to various stuff I'd seen or read or will soon be doing. For instance, these two murderous guys were trying to break into my house and I had to run to every door to see if they were locked while also trying to find a weapon. They keep pounding on the doors, shouting, “It’s only I matter of time before we get you!” I even remember wishing I owned a gun. (That was from an episode of How It Really Happened about the two evil convicts (one tied his victim up, stuffed him in a trunk, drove for 30 hours, but would stop every half an hour and beat the shit out of the old guy some more, this after he'd already beat the shit out of him. He eventually cut the guy's arms, legs and head off, then cut his torso in half with a hack saw) guys who escaped from Clinton in upstate NY a couple of years ago. Eeee.... So, no insomnia last evening, just nightmares.

 

…Ha! I’m pretty good at sending notes to people when something they’ve done or said touches me. Because a friend recommended it, I bought and started “frank: sonnets” by Diane Seuss. I was floored by the writing, even just ten pages in, so I found her on FBK and sent a gushing and encouraging note. Afterward I read her bio and learned that a previous book of hers had won the Pulitzer Prize. Ha! I thought she was a fledgling like me. Silly, boy…

 

…You should get bonus points for trying. Like, lots of bonus points. It doesn’t even matter what it is you’re trying to do.

 

…On our last Date Day, we met some ladies in the window seat. My wife asked them to take a few photos of us. Unbeknownst to me, she posted one on FBK calling it a celebration for my new book (number 6!). I got an awful lot of love from that post. It was kind of nice for a change.

 

…Time to jump on the treadmill. I’ll leave you with my favorite Ocean Vuong poem:

 

Untitled (Blue, Green, and Brown): oil on canvas: Mark Rothko: 1952

The TV said the planes have hit the buildings.

& I said Yes because you asked me

to stay. Maybe we pray on our knees because god

only listens when we’re this close

to the devil. There is so much I want to tell you.

How my greatest accolade was to walk

across the Brooklyn Bridge

& not think of flight. How we live like water: wetting

a new tongue with no telling

what we’ve been through. They say the sky is blue

but I know it’s black seen through too much distance.

You will always remember what you were doing

when it hurts the most. There is so much

I need to tell you – but I only earned

one life. & I took nothing. Nothing. Like a pair of teeth

at the end. The TV kept saying The planes…

The planes...& I stood waiting in the room

made of broken mockingbirds. Their wings throbbing

into four blurred walls. & you were there.

You were the window.

--Ocean Voung, “Night Sky with Exit”