Devil at the Delta - and - Brian Comes Home

Mark Twain gets to the Mississippi Delta, finds black fish, black birds, black water. Fishermen cast nets to catch sludge. Coast guard lights water on fire. Mark Twain watches Dante's Inferno, wonders what he'd expected to find at the Mississippi Delta.
"Well, not this."

Good Day!

Party Animal

Yellow Ochre Mixed with Elmer's Glue (or, Chocolate Pie)

Two big ol' towers of babel topple,
shipwrecked Noah's Ark,
battle for Babylon, and
good ol' Sacrificial Lamb.

Ahhh, the Big Bang and a storm of trouble;
the Marter outside the church
up on the hill.

Talk, talk, talk, and march to the chess match;
gloves come off in the ice rink;
spit out the mouthpiece, naw on some jerky;
ride the wagon to the desert, plant a windfarm.

Put the Baby in a basket and float 'im downstream
into the arms of the President.
Watch him lead a million people to the Guggenheim.

Wash your hands in a fountain of fossils,
dust the mantel with the Texas Plains,
refurbish your corpse with an empty Milk jug,
cut open your heart with ancient Roman coins.

Lasso a wave and reap a hurricane;
bake the grain, steam veggies in a locomotive;
sit in traffic on the way to evacuation routes
three days after the storm.

Chariots throwing bows and arrows,
Drunk Soldiers throwing elbows,
Angry Fans throwing tomatoes,
Poor Sports playing cheap;

lockdown at the Rock in the Gulf Stream.
Cover the Klan with burlap sacks.
Tie 'em together like the logs for a raft.
Take pictures of the easily manipulated.

Eat ice cream on the curb outside the prison,
galavant around like a springtime cardinal,
watch parades at Nine o'clock,
ticker tape falls like the morning paper -

dents the cars and wrapped in plastic.
Keep an eye on the mountains and valleys.
Get out of the red and stay in the black.
We already been on the bad side once, don't wanna go back.

Put an afro on a Kitten,
take the balls of a Bulldog,
shave your head and go to Church,
grow a beard and join the Choir.

Talk to the Secret behind the screen door,
waste your money on a thimble of wine.
Break a pita and pass it around.
I guess I'm picky, but Jesus shoulda served chocolate pie.

Lay down your rug face East and get down,
a big ol' cube off in the distance.
God's thumbnail and that must be Jupiter.
All the ancient profits hold hands in the shadows.

Don't throw dirt 'cause it can get in yer eyes
and we all know about specks and splinters.
Offer your cheek, and offer a prayer,
and offer your heart, if you dare.

Smile like a Mormon.
Dance like a Hindu.
Play like a Buddhist.
Love like a Yogi.

We're all cattle coralled behind farm fences,
sectioned off like counties.
Borders are for the bored and evil.
Shooting stars don't need passports, let's go!

Something I Found Along the Way

sorry if it's quiet

Life got numb.
I hit the roads and followed 'em.
I met beggars and talkers,
cross-walk loiterers.
Saw comedians knock-knockin on barstools,
"How'd the chicken get to be roadkill?"

Silver-lined skies led to soggy sidewalks.
Slick rails pushed greasy trains along.
Each day sighed.

Now I was lost, but I was lovin it.
I was alone, but I couldn't cry.
My friends were back home,
but snow was my lullaby.
I wandered like a patient cat
and watched the rain pitter-pat.
Now there ain't nothin
wrong in that.

I fell asleep on empty roads.
Woke to snow and mountains
I didn't even know were there.
One place rained
and rained so much
soft green moss covered
the steps of each porch.
Fog so dense in the desert
I got lost
in my own backyard!

I hada keep my foot on the break
coastin down a hill.
Felt like Wile E. Coyote
with an ACME booster
bout to be roadkill,
straight into a valley,
saw two men redder'n sand.
Everything glowed
sunburnt red and gold.
I felt wind cyclone through pines
and I picked grapes at sunrise
and I can tell you
I saw God.
Beyond routine.
Paddlin through the jetstream.
Farther than telescopes can see
and deeper than anything
I can read,
I found God!

I hurried to shelter cause by God
it was 7 degrees.
But that didn' much matter
cause She was so sweet
smilin through those
chatterin teeth.

I say creativity is a cloud
and child pointing, sayin,
"Daddy, that one's a unicorn!"
And Daddy sees it too
cause he never gave up!
He pays the bills
but not til he's played with his child
and no marriage is perfect,
but these disagreements are mild.

When church is a treehouse,
God is a chapel mouse,
to pray we rough-house,
to worship we love,
and when we finally realize
that with each rain we're baptized,
we'll ALL be saved!



In a more-or-less related note:

출발일 | 16:30(06/25, 금 인천 예약상황 |OK 아시아나항공 도착일| 11:15 (06/25, 금 샌프란시스코 비행시간 |10시간 45분 214편

공항대기/연결시간 : 01 시간 55분

출발일 | 13:10(06/25, 금 샌프란시스코 예약상황 |OK 아메리칸항공 도착일| 18:50 (06/25, 금 달라스 비행시간 |03시간 40분 1902편

총소요 시간 : 14시간 25분 (비 행 시간. 14시간 25분,대기시간 1시간 55분), 총 거리: 7107마일

Let me explain: I'M COMING HOME!


I'll leave Incheon Airport at 4:30pm Friday June 25th and arrive to DFW at 6:50pm Friday June 25th!

Old McDonald, woof woof, moo moo, mrrrr?

This is a hilarious way to say the following. I suggest watching this link

From such a distance I discover the nonsensical catastrophy of the American diet. What are Americans doing to themselves? How big are the burgers getting. And how false is the meat? Majority drugs and ill-fed cattle. The farm Papa grew up on would be ashamed of what happens now. These “Farms” don’t sing E-I-E-I-O.

When I came to Korea I was well-underfed. I could afford little, an avocado and banana was lunch, usually no breakfast, and dinner would be whatever I could get my hands on (including plates left behind at a patio table). Since arriving I’ve put on weight and have fretted about this gut I seem to be developing, but when I see the advertisement for KFC’s “Double Down,” I realize I don’t need to be so concerned. The weight I’ve put on in Korea is not the grease-leaden, fat-heavy, hormonal, steroid-injected weight in America.

What’s happening over there? And WHY? What is this desire for more, bigger? My friend Charles and I discussed one night the great freedom afforded in the United States, but how such freedom is abused. The freedom to want more and strive for more is wonderful, but in our consumption of food (and other meaningless vices, for that matter), we are exploiting freedom and abusing it. It’s unhealthy and over-indulging. Ellen says it so well!

This blog post is no stone. I’m by no means free from vice and indulgences. I was just blown away by this American trend for consuming and CONSUMING. It’s quite disgusting.

Let me Introduce the class...

Left to Right: Front Row: Kelly, Leah, Erin, Jenny.  Second Row: Sun Teacher, Kelly, Cory, Kevin, Whitney. Back row: Edwina Teacher, Jenna, Brian, ME!

This is my favorite picture from the speaking contest. Just wanted to share. Maybe my favorite class. And the boy next to me in the back is Brian. I taught him "Knuckle sandwich straight to the moon."