Monday, December 30, 2013

(by Paul simon)
Fog's rollin' in off the East River bank
Like a shroud it covers
Bleeker Street
Fills the alleys where men sleep
Hides the shepherd from the sheep

Voices leaking from a sad cafe
Smiling faces try to understand
I saw a shadow touch a shadow's hand
On Bleeker Street

A poet reads his crooked rhyme
Holy, holy is his sacrament
Thirty dollars pays your rent
On Bleeker Street

I head a church bell softly chime
In a melody sustainin'
It's a long road to Caanan
On Bleeker Street
 

Sunday, December 29, 2013

another cup of coffee
(bob Dylan)
Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your daddy, he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice, it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below

 

Saturday, December 28, 2013

diners

east greenbush diner,
east greenbush,
new york

coney island hotdogs,
saint Petersburg,
florida

central coffee shoppe,
saint Petersburg,
florida

central coffee shoppe,
saint Petersburg,
florida

Katrina's café,
Pinellas park,
florida

bunn's bar-b-que,
Windsor,
north carolina

Sunday, November 24, 2013

east greenbush
new york
tom's diner
(Suzanne vega)
I am sitting
In the morning
At the diner
On the corner
I am waiting
At the counter
For the man
To pour the coffee
And he fills it
Only halfway
And before
I even argue
He is looking
Out the window
At somebody
Coming in
“It is always
Nice to see you”
Says the man
Behind the counter
To the woman
Who has come in
She is shaking
Her umbrella
And I look
The other way
As they are kissing
Their hellos
I’m pretending
Not to see them
Instead
I pour the milk
I open
Up the paper
There’s a story
Of an actor
Who had died
While he was drinking
It was no one
I had heard of
And I’m turning
To the horoscope
And looking
For the funnies
When I’m feeling
Someone watching me
And so
I raise my head
There’s a woman
On the outside
Looking inside
Does she see me?
No she does not
Really see me
Cause she sees
Her own reflection
And I’m trying
Not to notice
That she’s hitching
Up her skirt
And while she’s
Straightening her stockings
Her hair
Has gotten wet
Oh, this rain
It will continue
Through the morning
As I’m listening
To the bells
Of the cathedral
I am thinking
Of your voice…
And of the midnight picnic
Once upon a time
Before the rain began…
I finish up my coffee
It’s time to catch the train
 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

A Trip to Sesame Street

It's a magic carpet ride
Every door will open wide
To happy people like you--

Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame Street...

Sunday, November 3, 2013

57th Street

new York city
2013
(Bruce Springsteen - Incident on 57th Street)
Johnny was sittin' on the fire escape
 watchin' the kids playin' down the
street,
He called down,
"Hey little heroes, summer's long
 but I guess it ain't very sweet around here anymore,
Janey sleeps in sheets damp with sweat,
 Johnny sits up alone and watches her dream on,
dream on,
And the sister prays for lost souls
then breaks down in the chapel
 after everyone's gone.
Jane moves over to share her pillow
 but opens her eyes to see Johnny up and putting his clothes on,
She says,
"Those romantic young boys,
all they ever want to do is fight,
Those romantic young boys,
 they're callin' through the window:
Hey,
Spanish Johnny,
 you want to make a little easy money tonight?"
 

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

north jersey
2013
(don mclean)
Starry
 starry
 night

Flaming flowers
that brightly blaze

Swirling clouds in violet haze

Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colours changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's LOVING hand

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

dearly departed
cemetery
Marcellus, new york
 
(bruce springsteen)
On the road to Basra stood young Lieutenant Jimmy Bly
Detailed to go through the clothes of the soldiers who died
At night in dreams he sees their souls rise
Like dark geese into the Oklahoma skies
Well this is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Those who've gone and left their babies brokenhearted
This is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Now Raphael Rodriguez was just seven years old
Shot down in a schoolyard by some East Compton Cholos
His mama cried "My beautiful boy is dead"
In the hills the self-made men just sighed and shook their heads
This is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Those who've gone and left their babies brokenhearted
Young lives over before they got started
This is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Tonight as I tuck my own son in bed
All I can think of is what if it would've been him instead
I want to build me a wall so high nothing can burn it down
Right here on my own piece of dirty ground
Now I ply my trade in the land of king dollar
Where you get paid and your silence passes as honor
And all the hatred and dirty little lies
Been written off the books and into decent men's eyes

Sunday, August 4, 2013

sunny florida road
(bruce springsteen)
At sixteen she quit high school to make her fortune in the promised land
She got a job behind the counter in an all night hamburger stand
She wrote faithfully home to mama
Now mama don't you worry none
From small things, mama
Big things one day come

It was late one Friday he pulled in out of the dark
He was tall and handsome; first she took his order, then she took his heart
They bought a house up on the hillside
Where little feet soon would run
From small things, mama
Big things one day come
Oh but love is fleeting
it's sad but true
But when your heart is beating
You don't wanna hear the news
She packed her bags:and with a Wyomie County real estate man
 
She ran down to Tampa
In an El Dorado Grande
She wrote back home
Dear Mama
Life is just heaven in the sun
From small things, mama
Big things one day come

Well she shot him dead
On a sunny Florida road
When they caught her all she said
Was she couldn't stand the way he drove

Back home lonesome Johnny
Prays for his baby's parole
He waits on the hillside
Where the Wyomie waters roll
At his feet and almost grown now
A blue-eyed daughter and a handsome son
Well from small things, mama
Big things one day come
Well from small things, mama

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

MORE MAIL-ART I've sent

saint petersburg,
florida

MONICA

(Dan Bern)

I remember Monica
At the US Open
She might have been sixteen
Couldn't have been much more
Answering some questions and giggling
I'd never seen
Someone so alive on TV before


Do you remember Monica
shrieking on her backhand
Disguising herself when she went out at night?
Coloring her hair
Like something was telling her
Stay low, invisible
And out of sight


And then, Monica
The blade came, Monica
Like God spitting on you
A knife in your back
We read it in the paper
And moved on to other things
But for you all the colors
Fade to black


And oh, Monica
There you are, Monica
On the cross with Jesus
And Martin Luther King
Just like John Lennon by that hotel
You have to pay for our sins


Was it like being raped?
Was it like being dead?
Like a bad movie over and over again?
Then did everyone who came close to you
Suddenly hold a knife in their hand?


And now, you're back, Monica
Grim and hammering
Trying not to think about that thing then
I hope that you win every medal you can win
But it may never be much fun again


And oh, Monica
There you are, Monica
On the cross with Jesus
And Martin Luther King
Just like John Lennon by that hotel
You have to pay for our sins
Just like Jesus by that hotel
You have to pay for our sins

Friday, June 7, 2013

MORE MAIL-ART I've sent

sandcastle 
boca grande, florida
all day
all night
mary ann
down by the seaside siftin' sand
even little children love
mary ann
down by the seaside
siftin' sand.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Nashville, May 2013

the alley in Nashville, Tennessee
Where Pasty Fell To Pieces.
at least that's what I suspect...
 
(Written by harlan howard and hank Cochran)

I fall to pieces
Each time I see you again
I fall to pieces
How can I be just your friend

You want me to act like we've never kissed
You want me to forget, pretend we've never met
And I've tried and I've tried but I haven't yet
You walk by, and I fall to pieces

I fall to pieces
Each time someone speaks your name
I fall to pieces
Time only adds to the flame

You tell me to find someone else to love
Someone who'll love me, too, the way you used to do
But each time I go out with someone new
You walk by and I fall to pieces

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

5 A.M. oil pressure's sinkin' fast
I make a pit stop wipe the windshield check the gas
Gotta call my baby on the telephone
Let her know that her daddy's comin' on home
Sit tight little mamma I'm commin' round I got 3 more hours but I'm coverin' ground
Your eyes get itchy in the wee wee hours
sun's just a red ball risin' over them refinery towers
Radio's jammed up with gospel stations
 lost souls
 callin'
long distance salvation
Hey mr. deejay woncha hear my last prayer
hey ho rock 'n roll
deliver me
from
 nowhere 
(open all night -b.springsteen)
 new jersey
march 2013
 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

More Mail Art I've Sent:


Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina
 
He's lying on the double bed acting self assured
in his t-shirt and his underwear he's barely said a word
she pours a cup of coffee lights the day's first cigarette
picks up the phone and calls her kids from the motel kitchenette
from "Camelot Motel"
by
Mary Gauthier / Kerri Powers

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

New York, March 2013.

 
Toucha toucha toucha touch me, I wanna be dirty
Thrill me
chill me
 fulfill me
Creature of the night.
 
 
 Then if anything grows while you pose
I'll oil you up and rub you down
And that's just one small fraction of the main attraction

 You need a friendly hand and I need action...

Toucha toucha toucha touch me, I wanna be dirty
Thrill me
chill me
fulfill me
Creature of the night.
 
("Touch-a Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me",
 Rocky Horror Picture Show, Richard O'Brien) 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

MORE MAIL-Art I've sent:

tobacco barns
near Windsor,
north carolina
 
I was born in a lump,
 mama died and daddy got drunk.
Left me here to die or grow in the middle of Tobacco Road.
Grew up in a rusty shack,
 all I owned was a hangin' on my back,
Only Lord knows how I loathe this place called Tobacco Road.
But it's home,
 the only life I've ever ever knowed,
But the Lord knows I loathe Tobacco Road.

Gonna leave.
 get a job,
 with the help and the grace of God.
Save my money,
 get rich,
 I know bring it back to Tobacco Road
Bring dynamite and a crane,
 blow it up and start all over again
Build a town,
 be proud,
 to show keep the name
 Tobacco Road.
Cause it's home,
 the only life I've ever ever knowed
I despite you cause,
 you're filthy but I love you
cause you're home.
-Tobacco Road, by John D.Loudermilk.

MORE MAIL-Art

a trailer park in Bowling Green
Florida

RED RUM

Friday, January 25, 2013


Motor Court, near Tampa, Florida:
 
She packed her bags
and with a Wyomie County real estate man
She ran down to Tampa
In and "El Dorado Grande"
She wrote back home, "Dear Mama
Life is just heaven in the sun
From small things, mama
Big things one day come"
 
Well she shot him dead
On a sunny Florida road
When they caught her all she said
Was she couldn't stand the way he drove.
(Bruce Springsteen)
 
 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013


It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beautywood,
A neighborly day for a beauty,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
 
NORTHSIDE,
SYRACUSE, NY

Thursday, January 10, 2013