May all of us be blessed…
every child,
every woman
every man….
to live a life with a motto like the city of Spokane.
It’s a beautifully simple motto…
but it’s meaning is so powerful and strong…
The motto of this city:
In Spokane we all belong
Dapper Yan was born in Sudan
in the back seat of a van
his mother's name was Ann
His father's name was dapper dan
and little Yan had a sister named Maryanne
All together there is a 100 in the clan
They were spread all over the land some in Spokane
A couple cousins in Iran
And every year Dapper dan
would take his son dapper Yan
with some of the clan on a caravan
to visit his uncle Chan can in Japan.
Route 66ish No 5
There was a young girl from Spokane,
Who drove both her parents insane,
She was cursed with a stutter,
And would sit in the gutter,
Screaming "G God I h hate all this rain!!!
Ich binn ein Berliner
I somehow went to Berlin in 1937
it was time travel I can't explain
I saw the date on a newspaper in the Alexanderplatz
After looking in shop windows for an hour,
I realised I had an opportunity to kill Hitler
there were lots of pictures of him
people were staring at me, I looked like a foreigner
a policeman wearing feldgrau asked me "Wo sind deine Papiere?"
I spent the night in a horrible jail cell with some men I thought sounded Jewish
the next day I was at the American Embassy
the Ambassador was an old man wearing a rumpled grey suit
and he spoke with a Southern accent
I said "I want to kill Hitler"
he stared at me and told me I was in danger
he bought me a ticket to America
I ended my journey of seasick travelling
at Kemp and Hebert's department store
in the Liberty Building in Spokane, Washington
Portals In Time is a name that is precious to me,
A Magickal space - a place to be free.
Portals is a Gateway - a window oh, so clear,
Holding treasures, secrets, and mysteries dear.
A place where all true seekers may find,
Solace, knowledge, and people so kind.
When it gets dark we shine a light upon your way,
So that on this path you're traveling you can forever stay.
Here there is clothing, jewelry, and herbs galore,
I could write pages and still there would be more.
There is harmony, happiness, warmth and peace.
Come through the Portal and find sweet release.
Throughout the ages we've been harassed for possessing the sight,
For healing the sick and doing what's right.
But if you feel you belong here and this place is too good to be true,
Put your faith and trust in the Goddess - She'll always help you through.
Footnote: This poem was written about this store when we had it in Las Vegas, NV - see the poem Portals - The Return - that one was when we reopened it in Spokane, WA.
PEACE IN AMERICA
Radio turned down in bed,
Late night 2 a.m. Unhurried
Man’s voice speaks of the weather.
It is the only tiny sound in the universe.
Nothing disturbs his steady calm
At the top of the hour.
He intones the next record -
Slow country fiddles,
Dedicated to Annette in Spokane.
..............................................................
Other poems of mine, similar to this, are available at
https://www.fictionmagazines.com/magazines/five/
Cowboy boots
and vintage wool psychedelia (poncho, jazz shades)
and cool drip slow burn tea
and electric notes of Bob Dylan, Maggie’s Farm
and that dude, he has meth mouth
so I guess he’s going to talk
and talk and talk
Mestizo soda pop
and a Vietnam Vet. selling car insurance
and damn, it’s just too bad
that no one knows of his jungle
or of the opaque-eyed landlocked Lord of the Fish
and the fire-brained midnight mutterings
of his old compadres, the soon to be deceased
and now the bus moves
Sporadic in gesture
and old woman (oxygen masked dementia)
and the intergalactic fliers of fancy
and the acid head priest’s imbalance in fact v.
fiction with his ass in seat and wheels as feet
and the shivering ribs of this, our noble mode
of ultimate conveyance through the assailing grays
whites and silvers of the snow-water-nebulas
and now the bus slides
and slides and slides
Through Spokane dark
and the disintegration of passengers into sleep
on the black glass highway
through the breath of the night
and this is motion
and this feels right.
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain;
here I am to ponder on your beauty;
From photographing you I cannot abstain!
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain.
Dear Russian mountain: 5861 miles plus
19 hours it took me to reach your home,
surrounded by nature. I am not a wuss!
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain.
Russian mountain, -30 F
don't deter me from being here. I don't
care if I frezee. This is sheer delight!
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain.
Russian mountain, make heart glad and gay!
If you were able to speak today
I wouldn't understand a iota of what you say!
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain.
Russian mountain sacred and pristine.
Mountaineers and explorers from abroad
come to visit you because you are alpine!
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain.
Russian mountain pristine and sacred.
We won't find you in an amusement park;
because you're only here, blue and red.
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain.
There's no one like you in Spokane!
Sacred and pristine Russian mountain.
I have been to Ireland
Noticed the Colour Green
Is predominant in the fields
Where the produce is seen
Besides the grand potato
Of which Ireland is renowned
The green bean that grows
Put in a broth, will add the crown
Amongst the variable farm stock
Pigs, sheep and cows you’ll see
The cows are at the foremost
Phhew the smell meets me
The aroma of the cows
Brings tears to the eyes
But the taste of the steaks
Makes one drool I tell no lies
So what have I got now
Green beans, beef and Pots
Sounds like ingredients
For a fine Irish Broth.
But I need some onions
The finest in the crop
Will have to travel to
Spokane, to Isaiah plot
A dash or two of pepper
A pinch or two of salt
A few herbs for good measure
That’ll be a fine broth we’ve got
After that hearty eating
How about a jig
Gather in the barn then
Of Guinness we will have a swig.
Dance to an Irish fiddler
Whose fingers move so fast
All the weight the Broth put on’
Will be a thing of the past.
Spokane needs no cane,
Like the little train that could,
Spokane really can.
WANT A HOLD YOU
ON LINE AND OFF
ARE YOU SEEKING OR JUST PEEKING
LOST 62 LBS. 43, DWF MOTHER
SEEKING THAT BLUE-CALLER MALE 30 TO 45
LET’S BARBER0-QUE,THROW FRISBEE,
WET IN THE POOL
RUN IN THE SAND
DANCE IN THE MOONLIGHT
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME……….
HOLD ON TO ME……
NONSMOKER, WATER ON THE ROCKS,
DON’T DO DRUGS, GET HIGH OFF LIFE
UP FOR THE BEAT IN THE HEAT
SO LET’S SEEK AND DO MORE THAN PEEK
LET’S MEET AND RUB FEET
WORLD AROUND ME
PO. BOX 14744
SPOKANE VALLEY, WA. 992
First day of Kindergarten,
It’s all exciting and new,
Found a new friend,
I was happy too,
We always ate lunch together,
Played at recess as well,
We became close,
It was easy to tell,
One day I asked my Mom,
Can she come and play,
Of course she said,
How about Friday,
All excited I was,
To have a friend over,
I just have to ask her,
I’ll ask her tomorrow.
She was gone that next day,
She was going to Spokane,
She would be back tonight,
I’ll try again,
Had to wait until Monday,
A little sad but no big deal,
Got a call on Sunday,
Nobody would want to hear,
She had been in a crash,
A semi truck had toppled over,
Crushed the car,
Her under,
I cried for weeks,
She was gone,
She was only six,
Way too young,
Memories are fading away,
Her face is going blurry,
Through my mind,
She is dying slowly,
In my heart,
There’s a place forever,
For her to stay,
A place to remember,
I ain't got nutt'en to say,
I be shy, an scared anyway,
To public speak,
My mind too weak,
I'll only go on if you pay...