MU plans poetry events

Mood: complicated
Listening to: nothing


So begins the day of the last State of the Union Address by George Herbert Walker Bush. A minor milestone. The big one comes when his reign is over. History, kaput!

I received another rejection letter this weekend. Things are bound to turn around soon!

I've noted that Missouri University's Center for the Literary Arts has an ambitious series of poetry events planned. I wanted to give them some props for what looks to be a great lineup of poets.

• Stop Traffic benefit, 8 p.m., Feb. 14, Cherry Street Artisan, 111 S. Ninth St. - *This is to benefit Stop Traffic, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding to end human trafficking.
• Terrance Hayes poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 20, Reynolds Alumni Center, 700 Conley Ave.
• Heather McHugh poetry reading and lecture, reading 7:30 p.m., March 13, Reynolds Alumni Center, and lecture 4 p.m., March 14, with a location to be determined.
• Major Jackson poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., March 20, Reynolds Alumni Center.
• Kevin Prufer poetry reading, 7:30 p.m., April 24, Cherry Street Artisan. Kevin in the new Poet Laureate from Missouri.

It was nice to see the temperatures warm up a bit. The wind has kicked up too. Almost reminds me or tornado season in these parts but that would be a wee bit premature - at least historically.

According to my biorhythms, I am on the cusp of the convergence of all my positives tomorrow. Nothing like a little pressure.

Five Reasons Poets Should Revise

1. Keeps poets busy and off the street.
2. Creates illusion of being more productive.
3. Provides more fodder for critical review.
4. If you throw enough shit against a wall, some of it sticks.
5. I once heard someone else say, "Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!"

untitled draft

A voyage riddled with holes
Bled upon the waters;
Defused pink liquid—

Briefly marking the position
As time slowly ran though the motions
Of a trip [journey] that died a slow death [listing at sea].

* untitled 1-22-08
**revised 1-23-08

Lovingly supporting my vice

mood: cautious
listening to: nothing


One of the great things about my wife (and there are many) is her helpful eye for great poetry words. Keep in mind that Cathy is not particularly enamored by poetry itself, but is highly supportive of my vice. In the morning drive into the city the other day (she’s reading a book while I’m driving- she feels safer that way) she pauses and announces she has a perfectly awesome poetry word for me to work into some future creation. The word was "Kudzu" a fast growing vine indigenous to eastern Asia which evidently has been successfully introduced into the southern U.S. This is not a first occurrence; she has also e-mailed me words during the day.

I am appreciative of this on two levels. First, the words are in fact wonderful discoveries. It’s like she’s panning for gold and comes up with these precious finds. Besides the nature of her selections being top notch, the very fact that she considers their value in a poetic sense against her otherwise minuscule interest in poetry says this is an act of love and support. That says a lot!

On another note, I've added a couple of poems previously published elsewhere to my web site.
You can see them at michaelawells.com . If you visit the site, please take a moment to sign the guest book. Thanks!

A holiday from the office

mood: upbeat
listening to: Pleasant Valley Sunday - The Monkees

Complete overcast today - the cold continues. I've been busy on my day off this morning and will break shortly for lunch then I plan to write for an hour and a half - hopefully without interruption.

I've sifted quickly through my spam folder (twice in the past I've had responses to poetry submissions that ended up in my spam folder that I nearly missed. One acceptance and one rejection) just to be safe. 91 pieces of spam.

It's amazing how much I've won in online lotteries, How uh... big I can become, I think I must have had several e-mail epistles from Paul, and there are so many pills to choose from and so little time.

Well, lunch time!

Burrr.....

mood: funky
listening to: nothing

Bitter cold air seems to have taken up residency in the Kansas City area. Even yesterday, with one of the brightest sunshine skies I've seen in a long time, the temperatures were in single digits. Today however, the sky is cloudy. The snow has a crusty sound to it when you walk on it.

This caught my eye today - Maya Angelou's poem in praise of Hillary. Funny how many articles I read out of the Guardian. The British media do a very respectable job of covering a variety of things outside of Britain, not the least of which are the arts and American Politics.

It seems totally inconceivable to me that Suzanne Pleshette was 70. Ah, but perhaps I am in denial of my own age. I was very fond of her - enjoying everything I think I ever saw of her acting. Admittedly I did not see her in any Hitchcock movies. I know she did at least one of them. An any rate, I was saddened to hear of her death. God, the Newheart show was an evening staple for me for many years.

Anyone else amused by the speech last night by Fred Thompson as he was going down the tubes in the GOP primary in South Carolina? I mean it was early in the night and I guess the old man had to get some rest from all his walking for president, so he cut out early.

Turned out a good first draft today of a poem. I'm wanting to work on it some more but trying to resist till at least tomorrow to see what kind of perspective I have after sleeping on it.

Movie and a Book Store Date

mood:full
listening to: Shostakovitch Symphony No 5 in D minor

Wife and I got away today to the movies ans saw Juno. It was my wife's choice and she gets points for the selection. I would assume this was a relatively low budget movie. No awesome special effects, just a dynamite performance by Ellen Page, a teenage girl who carries herself through a serious adult sized crisis in comedic style. I found the storyline, bursting with pop culture, adorable. The author brought a range of emotion to the story, Page carried the weight of it beautifully.

Next to B & N where I bought W.S. Merwin's Migration today with a gift card I got for my birthday. I have one other Merwin book, and I have come to have great appreciation for his work. Remarkable poetic mind!

We capped it all off with a stop at Starbucks!