Confession Tuesday - Respect the Book Edition

Dear Reader:

It's been so long since my last Confession Tuesday that I can't begin to give you a time period. Let's just say that it's been a long assed time and that a whole bunch of shit has gone down since then.

I suppose one benefit of waiting so long is that it's easier to find subject matter for the confession. I do have a number of things twirling around in the back of my mind.

Let me start by confessing that I feel pretty darn good physically. This after an extended period of feeling dragged out. A recent trip to my doctor resulted in an adjustment in the treatment of a chronic condition and it has made remarkable difference in how I feel.  Running and clicking my heels would not be out of the picture the way I feel.

Tonight is a debate of the Republican candidates for president. I confess that I will not be watching. I confess that  I've pretty much read enough and listened to enough of them that I'm convinced that only one is remotely qualified to serve as president and I have problems with many of that candidate's positions on critical issues. The others are all such a hot mess that in spite of what they believe, there presence in the oval office would be a disaster.  So, again I reiterate that I will not be watching. That would be time wasted that I would never get back.

Let's talk about dogs. We have three of them. Silas, Inky and Madison. They are all rescue dogs and they all have their own special problems. Silas came to us semi-feral and he still has anxiety issues. Inky also has anxiety issues. Madison is still a puppy and this past week he was a turd. Yes, a turd.
He's a long haired dachshund  and if you know anything about the breed, they are stubborn.  I am a real stickler bout my books. Every dog we have had till now has left my books alone. I confess I have not always been especially trusting of them to do so and I am pretty good about not leaving them where they can reach them for more than a few seconds. This past week I momentarily left my new signed copy of Elegy/Elk River by Michael Schmeltzer on the bed. I walked out of the bedroom for a few moments and then returned. Being a chapbook I suppose the thickness was just perfect for a certain puppy to apply his mouth to the corner and chew. Now the book remains readable, but it's pristine condition bit the dust, By the way, the book is remarkable and I will be writing a review of it soon. Suffice to say, Madison has already put his stamp of approval on it. I confess I was angry at him.  Madison must learn to respect the book if he is going to hang around with me when I'm writing.

But I confess this has not been the best week for Madison and I. Yesterday, he decided to chew at the corner of the wall next to my studio door. Sigh. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be angry at a dachshund puppy?

I love it when I discover new poets. I suppose it would be better to say, poets that are new to me. My most recent discovery is Cate Marvin. I confess that I think as I read more of her work, she may rank pretty high on my list

I don't know about others, but the last two to three months of the year I always seem to put a lot of pressure on myself to about my writing. I confess that I know this is not the most beneficial way to approach writing. Still, I'm always driven to go out of the year in overdrive. It's about ending the year strong and carrying over into the new one. I will be writing a lot this weekend. I am planning to block out time for reading and time specifically for writing. I'm doing a make shift Writing Residency.  I promise next Tuesday to let you know how it was.  

Until next Tuesday, be safe and live well...



 

Post Card - Sylvia Plath

Pardon me while I begin my seasonal affective disorder

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops."   ~A. Bartlett Giamatti

Saturday Mail Bag

New  book arrived by mail yesterday. Sometime over the past  week or so I discovered poet whose work on initial read  I enjoyed. I honestly don't recall where I first learned of  Cate Marvin  but I did as I often do when I see a poet who looks interesting for the first time. I google them. I look for more of their works and try and establish a better grasp of their writing and if I think I might want to invest in one or more of their books.  I also look to see if there are any interviews of the author on line so I can learn something more about them Things that might inform the way they write.

Oracle is Cate Marvin's latest book to be released. I have added it to my stack of books to read and will soon tell you a little more about my thoughts on it.

I read a fascinating interview, albeit a bit old... dating back to 2008. It appeared in reDIVIDER a journal of new literature and art. 

Anyway, more Oracle after I've finished it.

Contemplative Division

is it normal
this mindset
the demonstrative fashion
flashy

I thought it punitive
I thought it course grade sandpaper

I thought the wind would whip us bare
I thought nothing-   then everything
and I though nothing of it

too many times my thoughts have proven
nothing

I can never stay with a thought long enough
to work it backwards the way you proof long division

math was never my best subject


Michael Allyn Wells (c) 2015

Being An Artist

The Discussion That We Are Not Supposed To Be Having

What do you say after something like this?  What can you say that has not been said before?

Another campus/school shooting with 9 victims & one shooter dead. But the devastation doesn't stop there. There were additional victims wounded - some with very serious life altering injuries. Then there are the families. The wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sons, daughters, grandparents, aunts & uncles and so on...

Some will argue this is not the time for this discussion. I know this because I have heard it ad-nauseam since 1968 when Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated. That was the year I realized America had a problem with guns. Not simply because of these two deaths, but they shined a light on a growing problem. I began looking at the costs to this country for our easy access to firearms. That problem has only escalated exponentially as the numbers of guns have grown in this country. As concerned as I was back then, I never dreamed it would grow to the level we ave reached today. I believe those who say this is not the time are right. That time has passed and so this means we are late to the discussion. That means it  is appropriate to engage in it now.

I realize that the the issue of gun ownership is a nuclear-hot topic. I realize there are people who fear that the government is coming to take their guns. I also realize there are persons who are hell-bent on continuing to propagandize this idea, and even more people paranoid enough about it to take it to heart. This leads to a few observations:

• That some pro-gun people/groups/lobbies actually want to perpetuate misinformation about guns in order to keep this nation at each other's throats. They believe as long as some of the most ardent gun owners ate vocal and out toting there guns in public, they control the message. 
• That many gun owners look at the issue only in absolutes. 
• That the second amendment is the most supreme law of the land and it supersedes any and all other laws. 

On the first point, it is well documented that the NRA and gun industry lobbies and spent insane amounts of money to propagate a variety of messages, drop money into the pockets of lawmakers and in general intimidate the body politic during each election cycle.

The fact that gun owners look at the issue in the form of absolutes leads to these types of responses to the overall discussion:

1. You want to come at take all our guns away. I know of no serious legislative effort that envisions that. It is not even practical.
2. Even with background checks, waiting periods, etc., there will still be deaths. You can't prevent them. This is a very narrow argument and again reflects an absolute ideology.  Of course it will not stop all deaths by guns, If it will somewhat stem the tide of gun proliferation it will save lives. If it will keep a firearm out of the hands of someone who should not have a gun, it will save lives. Those saved lives are important even if they are some faceless fixture in this debate. They could be a gun owner's niece, daughter, or other family member. Some will argue that we will be defenseless as a nation. That is what standing armies are for. We had no standing army when the second amendment was written. 
3. That brings me to the second amendment... Some treat it as an absolute. It is the only license they need to be armed even in public. The second amendment should not supersede another persons right to life and liberty. I'm not advocating it's appeal, but understand that it is an amendment to the constitution (an afterthought) and it could be repealed. The 18th amendment to the constitution was repealed. Further, courts (including the U.S. Supreme Count) have indicated that it is not an absolute and it does not prevent the exercise by government of reasonable controls, restrictions, or regulation. The term "well regulated" is in fact embodied within the  amendment.  

I don't want to ban guns. I know we cannot prevent people from killing other individual even from guns or other means. I also know that the law does allow us to make reasonable regulations.
This discussion needs to be had with legislators on state and federal level. We've not really had that discussion in recent years mostly due to political  intimidation from the NRA and industry lobbyists.

If gun owners don't want to have the conversation and be a part of the solution (the NRA has already proved it doesn't) then the rest of us need to have it with our lawmakers. I know many gun owners are actually with us. I know the NRA (which one had a positive mission) no longer represents the wishes of many gun owners.

We are no longer at a point where we can just shove this under legislative carpet. This is a violent bloody mess and it has to be cleaned up.