"To Protest"

Take your banners; men,
Take them among the cold winter streets
And weave in autonomous lines,
Your warm breath illuminating
bloodied statistics.

Take your banners; you dreamers.
Expose the youthful eyes
To what you consider to be just.
Let them know you think it true.

Fight for your cause, humble warriors.
Bring the troops home, if you must.
Let the talk of change flow.

But when your warm breath turns cold;
Retreat.
Let gold-paved disillusion resume,
And take to the woods, you cowards.
Have you no idea how to inspire?

Take your banners in flight; men,
And bring your cause to the wild.
Stake your words at the base of the trees.

"Ha,"
The wise ones will reply--
Hinting at a fact they have long known;
At the words nearly engraved in their withering limbs:
"nothing ever changes"

...Autumn Hues- (one video, a few songs, a new sketch, and somebody else's poem)...

...OTHER LIVES...
"Speed Tape"

...DAWES...
"Love Is All I Am"

...JIM SULLIVAN...
"So Natural"

...JACKSON C. FRANK...
"Milk and Honey"

...SPLINTER...

The voice of the last cricket

across the first frost

is one kind of good-by.

It is so thin a splinter of singing.

- Carl Sandburg

"When the Time Comes"

“Stand clear of the closing doors.”

Please.

Let’s be listless for a while,

I know a place.

There’s a room in this city...

Full of smoke.

If you’re lucky,

It’s at the stop with the children

slowly reciting valedictorian speeches.

Look for eyes that frighten you

like the aspect of love.

(That’s the one.)

Head a few blocks north,

and ring a door or two--

I’ll be down in a minute.

211th chorus

211th chorus

by jack kerouac

from mexico city blues

The wheel of the quivering meat

conception

Turns in the void expelling human beings,

Pigs, turtles, frogs, insects, nits,

Mice, lice, lizards, rats, roan

Racinghorses, poxy bucolic pigtics,

Horrible unnameable lice of vultures,

Murderous attacking dog-armies

Of Africa, Rhinos roaming in the

jungle,Vast boars and huge gigantic bull

Elephants, rams, eagles, condors,

Pones and Porcupines and Pills-

All the endless conception of living

beings

Gnashing everywhere in Consciousness

Throughout the ten directions of space

Occupying all the quarters in & out,

From supermicroscopic no-bug

To huge Galaxy Lightyear Bowell

Illuminating the sky of one Mind-

Poor! I wish I was free

of that slaving meat wheel

and safe in heaven dead.

...SKETCHES...

Feet To The Pavement

i am being led by the hand

so that i can see and understand

so that i can breathe in deeply

what others have done

those who have gone before me

to Rothko's Chapel and the streets

of Austin

to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme

and the blueprints of King David

relayed, baton-like, into the hands of King Solomon

to the sacrificial offering

to Johnny Cash's The Man Comes Around

to conceive how many times work is recycled

so that something short of perfection is made

to Makoto Fujimura's

Soliloquies and Four Holy Gospels

to this quest I place my feet to the pavement

to this way I rest my walk

to this giving place, that grows like bamboo, from

the knowing place inside my heart

to that sidewalk i am glued

but You, my love, must be

my only audience

for now, forever, far beyond the time being

to You, my love, i will grieve with woes

and suffer the most beautiful anxious part

to You, my love, i receive my imputed beliefs

that the shattered glass will, with gorgeous stains, carve

a life in me so diligent

carve a path by an immaterial Spirit so elusive

enabling my being

to run roughshod over minor importances

to the foot of a throne wide enough

to hold, at times, my ambivalence

and the certainty of God

Doodles

I was scribbling down some ideas for a book of poems that I initally called "Shapeshifters". I think I'll change the name to Paternal Lobo now. The poems are basically about family and the metamorphosis of becoming a father; that kind of tender wolf that we become. I wrote 11 songs to go with it. It was going to be a package deal that I would practically give away locally. I've really gotten into these God poems now though. I may come back to it.

...Decay...

When I got my knew camera, this was the first set of shots I took. All of them (except the one with the top-down shot of the girl in the leaves) were taken very early morning at a cloister in the woods I that I find very powerful. It's a conglomerate of all sorts of 50's vehicles-- mostly Chevy's. They are partially buried, overgrown, and rotting away. I have no clue how they came to be. The trees around them are too big to be less than 100 years old. It's just a very strange, surreal environment that I often visit. I wanted to capture the sense of decay, and loss of life there. The shots of the boy hopefully reflect it. I've sort of created this fantasy story in my mind that some horrible accident happened there, leaving everything mangled; only to be abandon. As if nature tried to hide the fact by eradicating the roads and sprouting the old trees. Of course, none of it's true-- but it's an image to me. Some secret is trapped there. I just wanted to combine the strange feeling of the secrecy with the equally obscure sense of autumn (and youthful) decay.

music and poetry: paleo

(Expect Delays)

Hey guys. I feel like a slacker, or something for not coming on here in a while. I've got a lot to share-- I'm not at home now, but when I am, I'll be sure to post up some of my work. Really like your shots, Doug. And the Stephen Crane poem a few posts down is inspiring. Made me think of "Into the Wild," which has also been a source of inspiration lately. Anyhow, I was along the highway with some friends of mine, and saw this sign through the treeline... had to snap a shot. I'll be back soon. I'll compensate for my long absense. Hopefully, you won't have to "expect delays" from me anymore.

}(this body)}

when this sickness finally goes

rises up from my bones like dross

i'll flee this place for another
divide the night like a freight train
i never have been too good at staying in one place

restless mind always telling my body how it should be

as though it knows

i'll step to the edges of untrodden heights
scale unclimbed trees
sing unsung songs

when my mind is better
better than this
i’ll be long gone
gone like the flipside of a full country moon
gone for good
there is a woodland where the water is quite mute
and not so swift in the flowing

the rain falls soft & slow there
sinks down deep
exalts the ground
trees & greens
doesn’t leave you quite so wet
i haven’t been sleeping

but once I've rested
i intend to move on from here
to the nourishment of fruit bearing a new hue
sweetness unfamiliar
i was on the porch this morning
with tea – but I was dizzy
time will tell it
downy tree shade that is dark
but not dismal – not daring
before too long
when this spell has finally lifted
i will inhabit a new dwelling
i will not care for this body there
i will plant no flag
carry no memory

[{( in the saffron sky )}]

{a few of my favorite haiku/american pops from kerouac}

..............

I'm so mad
I could bite
The mountaintops

.......................

~~~~~~~~

"You and me"
I sang
Looking at the cemetery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

------------

One flower
on the cliffside
noddong at the canyon

-------------------------

***************

Everlastingly loose
and responsive,
The cloud bussiness

****************

..............

Gull sailing
in the saffron sky---
The Holy Ghost wanted it

................................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you know why my name is Jack?
Why?
That's why.

~~~~~~

--------------------------

Beautiful summer night
gorgeous as the robes
Of Jesus

---------

*****************

When the moon sinks
down to the power line,
I'll go in

******

...................

The little worm
lowers itself from the roof
By a self shat thread

..........................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The other man, just as
lonesome as i am
In this empty universe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever Present Help/ Helper, Help Me Now

vigilance i must prove
sobriety i must drink
the lion is roaring
the lion is seeking

and You my King
(from this point forth
i will refrain
from calling You anything less
than Your proper name)

the cloud over me is not grey
(it is the essence/Presence
of the Lord of Hosts)
the lightning flash at my back
is not frightening
(it is Your smile)

the dragon is a chamelion
the snake is a cuddle fish
the enemy is camouflaged
in the lies of my own selfishness

i repent, i am the
repenter
nothing more
nothing more than a saint
nothing less than a new creature

i hunt in wood
i carry a spear
it is composed of forever-words
it is made of all You've said

i create war in the jungle deep
i am a warrior with bare feet
i carry a javeline
it is composed of words that create wood
of Your manifold wisdom that makes things

a colorful array

i arise from the smoke, from decay

i will lavish in the beautiful
i will run in forever-fields
i will draw nigh to Thee
i will forsake what my tissue longs for

the repenter
the forgiver
the seeker
the hunter

i traverse the jungle deep
and the lion is waiting for me

i am ready

...Flying V...

After writing this post and reading it later, I decided to make some necessary revisions to bolster the piece's structure. And, although I feel like the changes more accurately reflect the hope that I hold onto concerning my own mortality, I also believe the emotion that inspired these thoughts has been slightly diluted.

As my children grow so quickly, and the years slip by rapidly, and the seasons come and go, and life changes, and I go for strolls in the local cemetery, and I see the gravestones of so many- both young and old; individuals who have passed within the last year or 150 years ago; husbands who have been waiting for 15 years for their wives to join them- it is impossible for me to not consider my own mortality.

Nothing sobers me with the truth that our lives are just blades of grass, quite like standing in a field of gravestones. It strikes a wistful nostalgia within me- to consider the lives of people whose paths I've never crossed. How strange to realize that one day, I will be placed in a spot similar to this (and most days I am unaware how rapidly that day is approaching. But at times like these, I am very conscious of that fact). Observed. Contemplated. Considered. To understand that someday my children will reflect upon life at the stone placed above my head- and then years later, the child or children of someone whom I have never met. These thoughts are the roots of the following entry....

...Flying V...
--------------
Honking heads,
-oVerhead-
Simulate horns of rapture.

Is it that time?
-Again?
-Already????
(pause)

And graying skies,
-oVerhead-
Resound in graying beards,
(pause)

And foretell of gray stones,
-oVerhead-
My spirit caught in a migrating skein.
...Selah...

...Random photos from the past couple of months...

Duck banding

Gentleman Jesse and His Men
"Butterfinger"

The Strange Boys
"They're Building The Death Camps"

[{( Routine Homecoming )}]

so last night i was recording a song with my buddy ben nester.

ben & i used to play in a band called Routine Homecoming together.

it was initially ben's solo project, but it eventually developed into a five piece.

each of us had a fulltime job and small children

and living in NH made for long trips to play out,

and so for this and various other reasons

the band folded about a year ago (on good terms).

other members of the band included

paul vittum, nate herrick & micah drexler.

at the moment ben & i are writing and recording music

under the name Be Thine Mountain.

the focus is on recording as opposed to playing out.

it's a very loose arrangment and therefore

works very well with our present lifestyles.

in a week or so i hope to post Be Thine Mountain's

first song for all to listen to and download,

as well as sharing my broader vision

for forming a collective of recording musicians

who are interested in harnessing free music

as a means of saving the world.

or at least parts of it - or people within parts of it anyhow.

so if you're a musician with the ability to do home recordings

and you like the idea of saving people in parts of the world,

then you might want to tune in for that one.

for now, here are some recordings from Routine Homecoming.

hope you enjoy, and would love to here your comments ~ doug

Computers Monitor

God & the Saddest Song

Heavenly Knives

There Will Be a Light

[{( born~cinder )}]

...A Mix of BlackForrestry- End of Summer 2010 mixtape 2...

Although slightly delayed, here it is, the sequel to my "End of Summer" mixtape. It's a mix of garage, soul, and gospel tunes- some old, some new; some known, some lesser known. Download the entire mix via the mediafire link below or listen to the entire mix as a single track and begin reminiscing about those good 'ol summer days.

1. Create!/Honny & the Bee Band

2. Thane Russall and the Three

3. Ty Segall

4. The Strange Boys

5. Sandwitches

6. Woozy Vipers

7. Yardbirds

8. Rolling Stones

9. Woods

10. Beach Boys

11. Hacienda

12. The Pretty Things

13. Conspiracy of Owls

14. Explorer's Club

15. The Association

16. Shuggie Otis

17. Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens

18. The Art Reynold's Singers

19. New Hope

20. Menahan Street Band

21. Generationals

22. The Byrds

23. Floating Action

24. Band of Bees

25. Floating Action

http://www.mediafire.com/?f76v7e1xooh2453


BlackForrestry End of Summer 2010 Mix (2)
..........................

Conglomeration and a Vision

Luna (a satelite revolts)
Nautilus (on Neptune's moody shores)
Nebulas (as a planet unfolds)
Sepulcher (empty tomb absent its doors)
Perseverate (continuing your words in bold)
Simpatico (brains connected and on course)
Instrinsic & Extrinsic (the thoughts take hold)

33 trapped in a mine
singing Chile's national anthem (fine)

the vision of things found in the mountain
warriors on the shore (oblivion?)
the Lord, Himself, comes out of the ocean
warriors' (dressed in black) armor changes
beautiful calamity, gorgeous commotion
with every movement in worshipping the King
you see the colors change-the earth shakes, it rings

larry norman & the get low frisbees

some film related bits for those interested:

i inadvertently stumbled upon this film while working. I was joyously required to take an individual to see a movie in a pinch. without making a plan we made the long drive to concord, nh in the early afternoon only to learn that all the main theaters weren't showing movies until after 4pm. i did some asking around and found a fantastic independent theater downtown. it had tiny, fancy theaters, offered great treats, served good beer (no drinking on the job!) and offered other niceties of the sort. not to mention that they were showing great films (http://www.redrivertheatres.org/), one of which was "get low". It was a great film - scratched all my particular itches. highly recommended. i'll let the trailer speak for itself:

also, while doing some preparation for an upcoming mix that josh & i intend to collaborate on, i stumbled upon the fact that larry norman died a few years back. i was unaware of this some how and was saddened to learn of it. i also came across this trailer for a recent documentary about his life. the film was directed by david di sabatino who also made the documentary "frisbee" which you can also check out below.

...Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens...

As I was reading Andrew's post below, I was listening to some music, and Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens came on. I thought that these two songs went along pretty well with the Stephen Crane poem that Drew put up. Give them a listen. Even if you're not a fan of gospel/soul music, I think you'll find that Naomi has a great voice and excellent musical style (it sounds as if this were a recording from 40 or 50 years ago rather than just last year)...who knows, maybe you'll dig it. It's a current release, so it can be picked up over at Daptone Records, and you can check out other classic sounding soul records there, as well.

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens- Take The Long Road

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens- What Have You Done?

I have just recently stumbled upon a poet by the name of Stephen Crane. I am really enjoying his work so far. You guys may have already heard of him. Read his poem, "The Wayfarer":

The wayfarer,
Perceiving the pathway to truth,
Was struck with astonishment.
It was thickly grown with weeds.
"Ha," he said,
"I see that no one has passed here
In a long time."
Later he saw that each weed
Was a singular knife.
"Well," he mumbled at last,
"Doubtless there are other roads."

the crux of the blessing

here's something different.

this is not something that fits into an artistic format per se,

but it is inspiring and can cause you to grow & thrive & expand infinitely.

this is a link to a sermon that my pastor shared a few weeks back.

it fits into what you could call his motif.

if you feel like you never manage to meet up to the expectations that surround you

(this would include your own expectations)

- if you feel like you're being crushed beneath them,

then you might want to consider giving this a listen.

the below link will bring you to a list of messages.

open "the crux of the blessing"

or any other one that strikes your fancy.

http://www.christredeemerchurch.org/resources/sermon-downloads

...Journey Round My Skull...

I just came across this post at one of my most frequented blogs-
http://ajourneyroundmyskull.blogspot.com/
It involves the illustration of some of the Psalms and is definitely worth checking out. It was pretty inspiring to me and seemed to fit in with the spirit of what we're doing here, so I thought that I would link it here on crescere. You can check out the original post at http://ajourneyroundmyskull.blogspot.com/2010/09/light-in-darkness-benns-psalms.html

Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of the eye
conceal me under the shadow of thy wings.

THE PUDDING

so...i need to admit from the get go that this is not a very accessible way to kick off my music posting endeavors. some jazz for you. however, this is not merely jazz, but it's jazz that contains guitar accompaniment throughout. and this is not simply guitar jazz, but it's free guitar jazz. and by that i mean freedom. not monetary freedom. musical freedom (not all of the tracks fall in to this catagory, and none of them are extreme in the free jazz sense).

all the same, this will cost you nothing, and therefore you should consider supporting artists that you especially like, and this goes for all sharing posts. every time i make a mixtape it will come in just under 80 minutes - so...if you fancy, burn it to a disc and drive it around town.

this post is to prove to the naysayers, that guitar and jazz can dance better than you think they can - the proof is in the pudding.

Virtually, Pt. 3 ~ Soft Machine

Maleem Ya Maleem ~ I Heart Lung

Sarana ~ Ray Russell

To Undertake My Corners Open ~ Henry Threadgill's Zooid

Arjen's Bag ~ John McLaughlin

Pete The Poet ~ John McLaughlin

Three Butterflies, Seven Mockingbirds ~ Create (!)

Agnewistic ~ The Richard Davis Trio

Baiyina ~ Pat Martino

The Anniversary Song ~ Django Reinhardt

lastly, for those of you who have a special appreciation for boundary pushing jazz (hi josh), please read the following post from Destination Out about a new feature that they're adding to their blog:

http://destination-out.com/?p=1529

...We Were Made To Walk...

Here's something I was thinking about yesterday. It' not really editted or anything, but I thought that I would put it up anyway. It's nothing great, but something that I would like to think about more- The smaller we are, the greater God is. When we shrink the Creator is magnified.

...We Were Made To Walk...

............

By airplane, the .earth. is beautiful.

By train, the .treeline. and .skies. are beautiful.

By bicycle, the .birds. and .trunks. and .fields. are beautiful.

By foot, the .leaves. and .flowers. and .lawns. and .buzzings. are beautiful.

.............

To the ant, .creation. glorifies by the square foot.

New Tunes

http://allthebrightlights.wordpress.com/Hey you guys. I just found another band I really like. I think you will too. The bass and guitar player for John Mark McMillan has a group called All The Bright Lights. Check them out. Also, there's a great free download from The Blue Indian Compilation. Tell me what you think. John Marks' "Carbon Ribs" is on there. Excellent song.

orion no. 8

( this here's the last of the orion poems ~ hope yall enjoyed them)

orion no. 8

save the sound of the wings
fluttering backward thru my mind
i heard nothing
there was only rest
the rest of soul sleep
the rest of womb dreams
the rest of subway cars
floating empty
through silent tunnels
coming & going & knowing no enemies
only open passages

...Music 9-18-10...

Here are some songs that I've been listening to the last couple of days. I also included the video to one of the songs, because I thought that they did a nice job with it.

Young Rival- Modern Life

The Soft Pack- Pull Out

Best Coast- When The Sun Don't Shine

Best Coast- When I'm With You

Local Natives- Wide Eyes

Foreign Born- Early Warning

orion no. 7

my eyes are shut
but i’m wide-eyed awake
with the money i can’t make
& the strength i can’t fake
& i can’t help
but to speak to myself
here in the dark
about my will to break
and this step to take
of faith in a GOD

who bled for my sake
and so i pour myself out
with these words that unravel
these thoughts that time travel
thru the trees
& the breeze
& the clouds
constricting
& expanding
& thru the atmosphere
& thru this weightless air
i keep breathing
i breathe is all
again

& again
unto HIM

orion no. 6

orion no. 6

not one wish for today
from waking sun to setting sleep
i will seek the silence of rustling leaves
& eliminate all thoughts
of if
of when
of why
i shall not laugh
i will not cry
but will abide in the cleft
between life & death
while ceasing to try
seeking only that silence
that breathes deep & intrepid
with lungs full of now & thanksgiving

orion no. 5

this one received a bit of editing

just grammar & word use

nothing major

-it needed it.

orion no. 5

we are mesmerized in motion
marching ~ vibrating ~ pulsating
our small hearts clutched in our little hands
thrust up & over our heads
held like scalps of war

we are dizzy with private thoughts of
genius, grandeur & glory
leading us in shackled feet
to the base of the mountain
whose birds fly crossways
above the tree-line
declaring,

there is a way that seems right to you
........but it’s path ends in humiliation
..............it’s path ends in confusion

....................path ends in vexation
...........................ends in isolation
...................................in degradation
.......................................destruction

... !! ... go no more this way ... !! ...

...Margins...

A while ago, I had an idea that I thought might be fun. I thought that I would share it with you guys and see if it might be something collaborative that would be interesting enough to do together via this blog. I was thinking how almost everything in life can be viewed differently, and that the differing views can each have truth within them, as well as, error. My idea was to pick a topic and write two pieces based on the differing perspectives- one from each side of the subject- creating the margins of the topic and finding truth somewhere in between. I am including one that I wrote, as an example....it's based on jazz. I don't know if this would interest anyone, but maybe one of us could pick a topic and two others could "marginalize" it. Just an idea.
I made the drawing above, for my buddy, EJ's, trombone recital in Boulder, Co, where he is attending grad school. I thought that trombone fit nicely with the jazz theme. Let me know if this sounds fun.

...FREE JAZZ...

Can you really be free?

Or does that just mean-

Unreceivable,

Intolerable,

Untranslatable-

The abrasiveness of

Coarse nails on the

open slate of my thoughts?

Is it not the very restraint

that-

Intertwines,

Fellowships,

Communicates?

Jazz...

Without ringing-

Freedom blasts,

Emancipated tones.

There is no other

way to speak openly.

Life happens-

Blades of grass,

carving

the sidewalked slabs of my mind.

Groomed by no hand-

Usurping,

Ungoverned,

Flourishing.

...Jazz

...hEAR-Be hEARD...

I've been practicing with my pen and ink, with a goal of incorporating an illustration style into my work...here's my latest attempt.