FEAR

Caught, covered and carefully carried;
The thief of my dreams appeared.
Can I contain this, a carriage for my fears?
How long will I remain a victim of inaction;
Paralyzed by thought; deprived of my satisfaction?

Human Foliage

Black and blonde
And dense and sparse
And short and long
And coarse from wear.

I know it isn’t clear,
But I’m talking about hair.
And not head hair
But hair that grows everywhere.

On your fingers.
And your knees,
And your ears,
And your toes.

Shave it off where you like.
Down in front and in your nose.
And then, if you’re pretty,
Go find a painter and pose.

Because you can make some good money that way without being called a slut.
Afterall, it’s art.

It’s a Rainy Night in Georgia

“In my career I’ve found that ‘thinking outside the box’ works better if I know what’s ‘inside the box.’ In music (as in life) we need to understand our pertinent history - and moving on is so much easier once we know where we’ve been.”

- Starbucks cup
Dave Grusin
Award-winning composer and jazz musician

What a great public service Starbucks does by putting quotes on their cups. I’m not sure whether I agree with what I just wrote but I know that I like that quote.

I love to read. Actually I usually listen to audiobooks (thanks Audible). Some of the best thinking I’ve done has come during or after reading books like Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, Homer’s Odyssey, Smith’s Wealth of Nations, and or Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. There are timeless ideas here that modern writers often dismiss or even disdain.

I spend time understanding classic pieces because their ideas are time-tested and hold fundamental truths about human nature which are always relevant. Many readers today don’t remember these books, therefore the ideas I adapt from them aren’t stale at all. In fact, I am often recognized as a unique thinker merely for repeating what has already been said. The beauty of great stories is that they never really get old. Shhhh…if you don’t tell, then I won’t either.