The first poem each day is by Ian Wilder, the second is by David Kirschenbaum.
-----------------------
The May Project 2014
May 1
may day
every year
seems to bring
a greater
emergency
more civil rights
violated
increased ecological
damage
another war
yes
we must have
nonviolent resistance
to rolling, roiling oppression
halting expansion
making profiteers
question the next iteration
but we must remember
the other face of
satyagraha
we must construct
a joyous, permanent maypole
with ribbons
of home-spun cloth
"hand-grinding
hand- pounding
soap-making
paper-making
match-making"
May 1
i put my laundry in the dryer,
before late breakfast/late lunch at my parent's house,
ate a mini-bialy with light cream cheese,
and red onion, lox, cucumber, tomato, and lettuce,
with club soda and lemon on ice,
before gathering recyclables and redeemables,
and heading downstairs to fold my laundry,
setting aside my sleepy clothes
and tomorrow's outfit,
blue jeans to go with yesterday's rugby shirt
May 2
Laundry
was the nickname
of my high school
classmate
Robert Limandri
Bob was popular
among the geek set
that I orbited
and even generally
he played
Captain Von Trapp
in the senior play
Bob
arguably
is the most successful
of our graduating class
he is the Commissioner
of Buildings
for New York City
I don't remember
the exact details
but he got pulled
into an Occupy controversy
something like
the decision fell to him
if
the Occupiers could stay overnight
in the semi-public
Zuccoti/Liberty Park.
I was glad
Bob extricated himself
without having to make
a negative decision
I always liked Bob
and didn't want to
be holding a placard
outside his office
"hey, hey Laundry
how many kids
did you evict today?"
May 2
watching folks hyundai to save folks $25,
while dad's surgeon inspects his gallbladder gone wound,
they're done at about two
so i moved my new psychotherapist appointment up to three.
odds are they won't wait around until i'm done about four
so i'll head home with stewardess, computer, bike messenger, and thermal bags
on the 23rd street crosstown bus,
to ensure i make my new psychotherapist appointment at three.
May 3
apron
of our driveway
has a pothole on its edge
a low priority
in the list of defects
to be fixed
for our 80-year-old home
the majority of the hole
fronts
contiguous driveway
of the house
rented out next door
the town
owns that section
of land
not sure who
is less likely
to fix it.
May 3
after giving up
go see the statue of liberty
at least you tried
i'm having yesterday's uneaten cream cheese bialy
still good.
May 4
Star Wars
Day
just doesn't
click for me
I grew up
reading the science fiction
classics
Heinlein
Asimov
as a boy
I attended Star Trek
conventions
and even
got to ask
Gene Roddenberry
a question
at age 11
I watched
A New Hope
in the theaters
waiting in the
long lines
that seemed
to be the hallmark
blockbuster
1970s movies
and I anxiously awaited
Empire Strikes Back
and Return of Jedi
decades later
Joseph Campbell
has informed my understanding
of how societies
use mythology
yet I don't
feel the need
to celebrate
May the Fourth
May 4
subway platforms
can be dangerous
even when you're not
intending them to be.
May 5
Cinco de Mayo
celebrated
more in the US
than Mexico
same way
St. Patrick's Day
and
Chanukah
are
commercialized
and
Americanized
(is that synonymous?)
Considering
the dearth of vacation
time
in the US
compared to the resting world
I wonder if we have traded
short spurts of
ethnic -tinged
shopping and drinking
for a real break
from work
May 5
(sing)
cancel me
cancel you
do you really
have the flu?
May 6
other
people's words
are sometimes
more important than
my own
climate change
democracy
and art
cannot
be ignored
to insist
that all
words
must sprout from me
as a mushroom
from the back
of a troll
May 6
put a dozen eggs
into my spaghetti pot
half fill it with water
add a bit of salt
cover it,
set the timer for 10 minutes
check that its boiled,
remove from flame
set the timer for 12 minutes
drain hot water,
run cold water water over the eggs,
drain cold water,
put 11 eggs back into the carton,
crack the last one on the pot's cover,
an easy peel
before salt then bite then salt then bite then salt then bite.
May 7
serendipity
of internet meanderings
happened upon
Melissa Etheridge's
pean
to love equality
reminding me
of her debut
a cassette tape
buried
in the bottom
of a packed box
resurrected
by my local library's
portal
to a county
of CDs
shared for a
fortnight
May 7
napping isn't working anymore
daylight waking
no shades awakened
for awhile
May 8
"who'll walk through fire for you"
yesterday
a large skin tag
turned purple
as they are
wont to do
when blocked
by a blood clot
i expected
it to turn black
shrivel up
and fall off
as is the normal course
according to internet medicine
and the RN I conferred with today
on the telephone
when the proceedings went awry
(but more on that later)
more than expected
hoped
the tag
had been an annoyance
on my chest for decades
besides the expense
i probably never got it
removed
since it was
a genetic tie
to my mother
unlike my mother
this skin tag
got ill-tempered
it stayed purple
blew up like a grape
and finally started
oozing
of course
this was on
my doctor's day off
and my dermatologist
couldn't see me
any time soon
and even his associates
couldn't for another
fortnight
when it started
oozing
i went to my
local
urgent care
took a look
cleaned
bandaged
prescribed antibiotic
(gotta remember to eat yogurt)
and smoothed a way
for a different local dermatologist
to remove it
(hopefully) tomorrow
May 8
sleeping isn't working anymore
can't outrace the maylight
May 9
two different
stories
co-exist
as to why
Newton's
explanation
of planetary motion
languished in a drawer
an unfinished poem
until Edmond Halley
begged
Newton had fled
London
when the plague hit
doing calculations
in the countryside
and at least once
in an orchard without his books
inserting
from memory
the mass of planets
into his equations
he found
his equations
didn't quite work
he drawered them
until Halley arrived
to point out
Newton
had misremembered
the mass
and with the correct mass
the numbers worked
yet
Newton
was bullied
by the Royal Society's
Robert Hooke
on a previous optics
discovery
Hooke claimed credit
Newton feared
proclaiming
his planetary equations
would again
invite
Hooke's
sharp elbows
over a cup of coffee
with Halley
Hooke claimed to have solved
planetary motion
yet could not provide
the mathematical proof
surprisingly
Hooke
suggested
Halley visit
Newton who might
be able to make
the calculations
Newton proclaimed
to Halley
he already had
promised to copy them over
and send them along
no mention of Hooke
in the first
no mention of the
misremembered mass
in the second
is either correct
or a combination?
May 9
four alarms set
for bloodwork
for pick up meds
for psych hello
up to pee just before first alarm
cancel psych and the rest
pee
grab quart of water from the fridge
find jug of lithium i'd forgotten about in my mets meds bag,
pull sleepy bandanna over eyes.
May 10
unresolved physical
problems
and
an exhausting work week
leave me
needing to take it
down a notch
no yardwork
but still
library board prep
and a checkbook to balance
May 10
from the railroad
to arthur treacher's
i like my parents
May 11
Mother's Day
at
my in-laws
my parents
have passed
the day will be enjoyable
but still
miss my parents
too much
to rant
about Mother's Day
originally
being about peace
May 11
my sweatpants,
all sweatpants,
need velcro in their pockets
so everything stays where i want it to.
i keep my phone and my pills
in my shirt's left-breast pocket
so they stay where i want them to.
May 12
chilly Spring
finally
breaks
yellow pollen
blankets my car
my eyes itch
May 12
i taped the tonight show
because the info said
musicians neil young and jack black
which didn't make much sense to me.
May 13
Some days
I'd rather not
drive
stuck
in a seat
leg muscles
back muscles
cramping
the monotony
of the road
the noises
of the engine
the cost
of gas
gas fumes
exhaust fumes
the worry of repairs
May 13
i watched the tonight show
because the info said
musicians neil young and jack black
which didn't make much sense to me
but i wanted to hear neil young.
playing the show
jimmy fallon says
"we'll be right back with neil young and jack white."
May 14
cognac
and soy sauce
in vegetable broth
taste of beef
May 14
no wifi at the doctors' office
the 10 doctors in the practice doctors' office
o the humanity.
May 15
Ides of May
1856
L. Frank Baum
was born
no one
saw
divinity
of Lewis' lion
in Oz
but for several recent decades
the uncowardly
Bryan
was nailed
to silver slippers
and the golden road
May 15
when my supplies run low
i drink ice water throughout the day
and one two-liter soda bottle at bed time.
tonight i have a 2014 Diet Dr Pepper cued up.
May 16
Ginger
I found out
recently
is not only
good for
digestion
but also
breathing
But to persons
of a certain age
it only reminds them
of
Mary Ann
May 16
no more searching
or replying
one weight off me
one weight off me
no matter
May 17
mismatched
socks
the oft asked
where did
the partner
go
does everyone have
a drawer full
how often
does one
lay them out
for
reunification
how often to
turn
long term
stragglers
into
rags
or just
wear
an ill-sorted
pair
for weekend
chores
May 17
everything including some pennies
on a sicilian pie with mushrooms
and orange crush and diet pepsi two liters.
pie'll last me three days,
might have some money by then.
May 18
13
year old
nephew's
birthday
and my deceased
father
his grandfather
13 years ago
Kimberly and I
were at
the 56th Fighter Squadron
with my parents
for my father's birthday
of the 4 of us
my father was the only one
with a cellphone
the call came
announcing
my nephew's
imminent arrival
Kimberly and I
left in the middle
of dinner
to care
for his 2 and 6 year old
brothers
my parents
didn't
mind
May 18
two slices yesterday
two slices today
five to go
later a gala apple,
a baked potato with deli mustard,
or mini bialies with american cheese.
May 19
Archibald
MacLeish
read
a selection
of Emerson's poetry
gently
respectfully
lyrically
a poor
choice
May 19
i'm checking in on you
don't know what else to do
it's really easy to
reply
May 20
my cursory
college reading
of Emerson
left me
with the impression
that he was
the passive tense
of the
woodlands living
Mexican War Tax protesting
simply simplify
different drummer
Thoreau
revisiting
their work
a quarter century
later
clarifies
Emerson
was the
theoretical
structural
financial
underpinning
of the
Transcendentalists
and
even more
the inheritance
from his new bride's
death
at age 20
provided
the opportunity
for all
May 20
it's over a decade
and every day i'm watching the gilmore girls
more often than i b rush my teeth
May 21
Certain days
of the year
seem
to have
their own
seasonal moon
tides of similar
occurrences
swell
and crash
against
the conscious shore
relationships
thought gone
return
as problems
of increasing
magnitude
May 21
look for me
repeat
look for me
repeat
eventually look for me
repeat
May 22
eating
at Friendly's
with
my brother's family
to celebrate
my 13 year old nephew's
birthday
the 15 year old
looks up
"that's the song
we played at my concert"
signed
sealed
delivered
i'm yours
May 22
wendy's french fries
are fried in a separate fryer
so i can eat them
wendy's french fries suck
even though they're fried in a separate fryer
May 23
some days
seem to be
overflowing
quickly moving from
one
to the next
until the next day
has arrived
an interlude
of cake
helps relive
the exhaustion
May 23
soda at cvs
chicken wrap and baked potato at wendy's
fish and chips and onion rings at arthur treacher's
chocolate and vanilla haagen dazs pops at the former dairy barn
back to folks,
still in slippers and sleepy shorts.
May 24
my honors
college course
reading
left me
with the impression
that Emerson
was the passive
tense of Thoreau
my then
professor's admonition
not to delve
too deeply
into the transcendentalism's
Hindu roots
because it was
a religion founded
in poverty
did not encourage
further exploration
i remember him
being more entranced
by Buddenbrooks
Germanic discounting
of the disabled
a quarter century
later
my explorations
have unearthed
Emerson's
personal
theoretical
structural
financial
toils
to build the
superstructure
of transcendentalism
without Emerson
failed author Thoreau
and many others
would not
have had
an education
a livelihood
the land to squat on
or the borrowed money
to buy a shed
May 24
at the end of million dollar arm
the tale of discovering
two baseball pitchers
in a country, india, devoid of baseball,
we watch the two pitchers get signed to minor league contracts,
and as type scrawls across the screen,
updating us to some of the real-life characters in the film,
they forget to tell us how
one of the pitchers just didn't cut it and retired,
while the other is on his last leg,
having just had tommy john surgery on his pitching arm
May 25
saturday afternoon
nap
with
one you
love
luxury
no amount
of wealth
can match
May 25
no more good wife
until september
May 26
#yesallwomen
You are right to be outraged. It is a huge problem that is not being dealt with. Even the military refuses to acknowledge it. We will not have a just society until the attitude which supports violence against women is dealt with
being a
truth teller
can be
lonely
and bruising
those who
are almost
ready
to hear
will struggle
the most
like a child
resisting
sleep
May 26
folks back late from the track
mom talks a big dinner
after a while
i reheat three mushroom slices
cook three ears of corn.
May 27
About 16 years ago
I had lunch
with my father
at a Chinese restaurant
in Babylon village
that is no longer there
(but neither is he)
My mother
was out of town
at the time
either
at a community activist
meeting
or
visiting relatives
I asked him
if I could use
his mother’s
engagement ring
to propose.
“You have
to ask
your mother.
I gave it
to her.”
May 27
forgot my niece's 21st birthday
until facebook reminded me,
emailed her anyhow
May 28
today
was going to be
about
the confluence
of listening to
Claire Danes
read
The Handmaiden's Tale
and its reference
arising
in a discussion
of #YesAllWomen
a different sadness interupted
a memory surfaced
early 1990's
living in DC
somewhere the Oprah show
was on
I liked Oprah
but generally
did not watch television
her guest
was a woman
I had never heard of
(it was before the Clinton Inauguration)
she was introduced
as a poet
Maya Angelou
entranced
she spoke
of not allowing
prejudice in her home
politely but firmly
telling a guest
the behavior
is inappropriate
May 28
kinda wishing for a
car accident
that kills my parents and me,
easier that way
May 29
relief
at the
business magazine
wrap-around
announcing
the end
of the subscription treadmill
started
from minimal
frequent flyer miles
earned
on a business trip
to San Diego
on my higher
credit limit
card
will always
carry
memory
of waving
to my wife
babysitting
in Cape Cod
through
the San Diego
zoo
panda
cam
May 29
thought of calling my sister
to get together for my dad's birthday tomorrow
then thought of the aggravation
over almost every part of it
May 30
interview questions
heavy client contact
high stakes decision
juggling files
why did you leave
May 30
it's some sorta wrong
to wanna be dead
on your father's 84th birthday
May 31
for years
we celebrated
Walt Whitman's
birthday
by going to his
state park
birthplace
house
and
our own
private ceremony
of a
moment
of silence
to hear
the waves
from any point
on Paumanok
as he claimed
you could
in his time
in 2009
we didn't notice
the day before
after weeks of trying
we placed
my mother
in a hospice facility
from home hospice
we all knew
that she
was holding on
past what
medical science
could understand
and she was past
being able to express
but we all knew
she didn't
want to die
at home
the opposite
of my father
after one
night's sleep
in the hotel
inspired hospice
she died
on the day
of Whitman's birth
we now light
a yahrzeit candle
on that day
every year
May 31
back home
to greet new roommate
clean his room before he arrives
roberta left a pair of high heels
they're sitting in my front hall now,
waiting for a match
