shadow on the moon/countdown
shadow on the moon
i throw a shadow on the moon
the sun recoils
the planets
S W O O N
Yesterday there was a Celebration of Life for my friend and classmate Charlie Rhodes. In the chapel, having arrived early, I wrote this before the Celebration began:
******
charlie rhodes, modest colossus
of his casket he is wearing number 55 on his
chest and shoulders a bengals cap on his head
and a moustache and his grin on his beaming face
his flag-draped casket and a slide show above it
too astonished if he burst out of his casket right now
joked at our 20th reunion that he had become an adult film star under the name ‘chuck stake’
you were the king of cheer
save a fluffer for me
layers 2016
jackson browne sings “fountain of sorrow” on the other tab
youtube as usual
and i write right now on this tab
but deeper into the background is the bus ride home
and the driver and his colleague talking about a friend
who was forced to take a cab
it bothered them: it was like the shoemaker’s children barefoot
and the next layer down is the shift i worked
and a mistake i made that almost resulted in a reprimand
i had interrupted a server taking an order
and the diner rightfully took offense
and earlier than my shift was a sandwich:
busride/funeral/busride
a friend’s remains boxed and outside the box
grievers “celebrated” as best they could
jackson browne has finished singing
my feet feel better unshod
my shift ended well
my dead friend sleeps without bad dreams
*****
As midnight approached I finished the poem and the drawing above, and here we are.
I have only a handful of posts to do before my 1000th post. I want them to be among the best posts I’ve ever done, and I want the 1000th post to be the best of all. I want it to help justify my existence . . .
. . . and I may try too hard and clench up. So this is the cautionary “SLOW DOWN!” that Darlene Goto, extraordinary Art Teacher of two-thirds of my life ago, wrote by way of critique of my first submitted portfolio, in her Drawing & Composition class at Glendale Community College in the Fall semester of 1973. With the handful of pre-1000th posts to do, and seven weeks or so to work with, I will unclench and unrush and have fun and be loose.
Back in a week or so . . .
One with Clay, Image and Text 
The pacing in this post was so engaging – like tumbling along in your consciousness, thank you for sharing your thoughts and your work, and my condolences.
Luke, your condolences and your thoughtful comments are welcome and appreciated. Thank you. This was a long post, and I’m gratified and relieved to learn that you found it well paced. Certain episodes do tend to send our consciousnesses tumbling, all right!
Ms Goto. I don’t know if you remember me, but I was one of your students(Debra Girard) in Drawing and Composition, back in the mid-70’s, at Glendale Community College. I consider you my best professor. What you taught me about composition I have carried with me in my paintings, like varying my mark making, and running the object off the page to create dynamic compositions. I am forever grateful. Thank you so much!