Dinner At Tom McCabe's

This is a poem for the group. Keith, I don't use end-line rhyme like you do. I tend instead toward internal rhyme, and my poetic expression is more abstract than yours, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. I love reading different styles of poetry. We round out the universe that way.

Dinner At Tom’s

Another hour spent stirring this gravy of sand, cacti, sun.

I’ll add lizards because their tongues refuse straight lines,

scorpions because pain adds flavor. But always my questions:

Is this mixing into just a tired wrist? A pitcher that pours dust?

A mirage I wish I could believe? A whole waste of a bowl?

Then a drop tapped off your finger forms an ocean;

A cold pizza enfolds a life. Let the connection rise to delicacy.

If we cook for hours we’ll need no knife. Quickly shut

the oven door before creation collapses. Let us linger over plates

and invite our guests and hope, for all of us, a taste will remain.

Life Without Stars

Keith,

I love how your poem moves from your personal experience to all of creation. Beautifully written, you poet-painter! I also love your twin's poem, and I'm interested in the similar expression yet vastly different styles that you have. Poetic styles are as varied as personalities. Okay, what's your next topic?

SK

"The Origin of Complex" by means of TV has-beens

I am going to write a book, "The Origin of Complex". I will open the Galapagos Islands retirement home. It will be dedicated to has-beens. I will invite Jerry Mathers, Bob Denver, and Gary Coleman and those retired chimps. Then I will compare and contrast.

And here is my twin's response

A Night With Stars

The sun is gone.
Replaced by twinkle light.
Usually, I barely heed.
But not tonight!

Out of my city now.
The stars are so very bright.
I'm before the great teacher.
Learning with all my might.

I look up.
Oh my, I am only slight!
I had forgotten that.
Thank you, night.

Life Without Stars

Life without Stars

Here I step and light into an Indian Summer night,
across the romantic Missouri farm of my distant youth and passage rite.

I gaze above and my subconscious awakes to a humble cast.
The stars prod me, I am not even a dot on a dot, and loneliness passed.

The twinkling bits scream to my ego and role,
yet whisper clearly to my heart and soul.

My eyes pitch and yaw from star to star,
a dot-to-dot transport thru the heavens afar.

Creation is not then a train of earthly debate and law,
rather returned to its berth, of wonder and awe.

Where are my trusty dippers so sure,
that bookmark my common place and cure?

Woe to us all as the star glow dims and worse,
that we wonder adrift in the vast of the universe.

Oh well, tonight the country is friendly and clear.
So for that I smile, thankful to be here, a place so dear.

And One For Keith

And, Keith, here my haiku for you, as a friendly prodding to write your poem. The chimp wrote this one, too.

Waiting

Tonight we're waiting

here for your Life Without Stars.

Give us your darkness.

I'm working on a haiku for each of you. But the chimp is a slow typer.

A Haiku for Tim

Tim,

Your information regarding the retirement home for chimps absolutely captured my imagination. So here is a haiku I wrote for you. For the painters in our group, you might like to play around with the tiny Japanese haiku poetic form. It's just three lines, the first line exactly 5 syllables, the second line exactly 7 syllables, the third line 5 syllables. I scribble out a haiku whenever I want to warm up my mind because the form forces you to express big ideas in very few words. The best part is that, if you don't like this particular haiku, well, hell, it was written by a CHIMP, OKAY?!

From A Chimp in Tim's Chimp Retirement House

Under the flicker

of widescreen, high-def TV

I dream of forests.

I just had the blog contact all members and invite them to blog -- -- -- you hit the button on the upper right 'new post' and write to your heart's content.

As a ceremonial beginning I am looking for Keith's new exciting poem "Life without stars"

Our virtual meeting place

Fellow artists,

This is our meeting place on the Internet -- -- a blog where we can share ideas, quickly express thoughts, share our struggles, and most importantly keep inspiring each other.

The intent is to create the serendipity and spontaneity of our meetings right here on the Internet -- -- so as you have inspired ideas or a thought you want quick feedback on, this is the place.

I will set up various sections: field trips, our next meeting, our charter, local events of interest, etc. If you have ideas for additional sections please tell me.

Cheerio,

Tom

What happens when we meet?

Magic happens, creative people share their visions and inspirations. It's about the very early feeling of a rumbling of a new idea, of how a seed is set and how it grows and takes form. It's about creating space to let the new seed grow.
It's a brotherhood of creativity -- -- blood brothers bonded by the pursuit of a dream. It's the scaffolding and support system for ephemeral dreams. It's creating self accountability to have dreams come true. It's about listening to the calling and letting its meaning be felt. It's honoring the lifecycle of the creative process -- -- a support group for self-expression. It's the excitement of witnessing a new idea becoming manifest -- -- something from nothing, creation.

Who are we?

'The Artist Connection’ ---- a gathering of artists to share, reinforce, and understand the dynamics of their creative trade. The idea is to share and have fun, and maybe learn something.


Members:


Thomas J McCabe -- mathematician, entrepreneur, poet -- tom@mccabetech.com
Keith Haller -- painter, poet, engineer -- kah250@comcast.net
Susan Kim -- author, poet, reporter -- susankim1@mac.com
Najwa Lamin -- painter, poet, engineer -- najwalamin@gmail.com 
Timothy Gillen -- painter, executive, tennis pro -- tim.gillen10@verizon.net
Wardel Lindsay -- author, engineer, social activist -- wardelllindsay@yahoo.com
JoAnne Growney -- poet, mathematician, professor -- wow@joannegrowney.com 
Stan Pickett -- author, entrepreneur, actor -- stan@stanpickett.com