Two Poems in the Bitter Melon Review

 

Hello all, here are two poems to read on a Sunday summer evening:

After Fantastic Obsessions

And

Medium Trouble in Chinese Cottage, about an old Chinese place I used to visit on the Upper West of America's greatest island, Manhattan

"Don't Worry About the Background. Just Go for the Tonal Values"

Metphrastics a publication based on poems inspired by the art of the Metropolitan Museum of Art  has come out with its Summer 2025 issue

And wouldn't you know it, one of my poems is in it, called The Tonal Values. It's influenced by a painting from Edouard "Who is this Monet whose name sounds just like mine and who is taking advantage of my notoriety?" Manet, pictured here.

Rugby and Argyle

Is the name of a poem published in Obindo Magazine.  It refers to two streets in my neighborhood.

Drip Drop a Poem Plop

 

Drip Lit Mag published a poem of mine. I fashioned it out of a body of text formed from John Cheever's the Swimmer. I ran it and backwards and forwards, dismantled the whole thing like a moth in a cocoon, and then assembled these lines from the soup of disjointed clauses. 

Go Empty into My Debris

 

Two poems in Arvilla Fee's Soul Poetry magazine. View it as a PDF or read it as a flip book.

Rush for Some Rhyme

 Poem at The Rush Magazine maybe the first rhymed verse I've published

Lucky Page 13 of Issue 1 of the Pineberry Literary Review

Get a look at "That Extra Metropolitan Look," nominated for the 2024 Pushcart Prize

Not so elusive now with this link

Picked Up By A Periwinkle Pelican

 

Howdy December. Howdy All. New poem called "Another Borough" has been published in Periwinkle Pelican. 

An Urbane Print in the Midnight Fawn Review

New poem in the Midnight Fawn Review. It has a Mondrian feel to it. Click on part 2 of their first issue to read it.

Come into My Aberration Labyrinth

 

Click here to access the page on Aberration Labyrinth that tells you where to access my work.

Blown by the California Zephyr

Okay, so I'm going to talk about the latest trip I took across the country using the magic of the railroads. Yes, we still have them in America. And yes, you can go transcontinental the whole way. As long time readers (all three of you) of this blog know, I previously took Amtrak trains to Seattle and Los Angeles in two separate trips. This time, I am going to recount my experience differently. The engine will not be moving forward in time. No, the engineer has gone crazy folks! We're going in reverse, backing up all the way to Emeryville, California! Which means starting with my time on the Lake Shore Limited. It dropped me off in Penn Station, after passing through Albany and Chicago. Before then, I had lunch all aboard.

Vegetarian Kofta with Basmati Rice and Curried Cauliflower

I ate it here in this dining car

My Roomette came with in-built toilet and fold-out sink. It was like being an astronaut in low, low orbit

Working on the train

Even though we left late (9:30 PM), they were kind enough in the dining car
to give us cheese, crackers, and in my case, champagne

Unlimited taste on the Lake Shore Limited!!!

I took he train the whole way, from Chicago to New York City. Here you can see the view I had from the Willis Tower. Yes, the very top of the Willis Tower. No better view of Chicago, no sir. But how did I get there? By riding another train, the California Zephyr! It was my means of conveyance across the Mighty Mississippi River. No more fording with oxen for me.

Now since the trip on the Zephyr was about twice as long as the Lake Shore Limited, I got to enjoy more meals aboard. Here is an omelet I ate during my last morning on the train. It had sundried tomatoes on it, a la 1997. It came with a flaky croissant and some pretty good roast potatoes. They had a kind of creamy consistency to them.

We stopped in Denver the previous evening. The Zephyr stood still for about an hour. During that time, I took in Union Station, the State Capitol, a game at Coors Field, and the Denver International Airport.

Or maybe just Union Station

We pulled in there after dinner. That night I had the blueberry strudel cheesecake, the steak, and the shrimp tempura appetizer. A complimentary glass of white wine was involved. During this time the train had to go backwards into the station. 

High above the mile-high city

First time being awake for the Rockies!

The secret of Coors

Boot-shaped rock

The Zephyr took me over several ranges of the Rocky Mountains, past various rivers and creeks, through dry basins, and along canyons. There were tall trees, precarious boulders, and rapids that were, um, rapid. All of which I could observe during an afternoon in the observation car.

The breakfast quesadilla. Also came with a croissant and potatoes. A NAFTA meal.

After my first night on the train, I woke up to see Utah towering over me. It was a welcome sight following an evening spent swaying back and forth in Club Amtrak.

But I could sleep with a full stomach at least. There was rice, and beans, and salmon that was oddly covered in a lobster sauce. A glass of wine too and a salad with bits of brie to compliment it all.

A little taste of the Zephyr

Another taste

Speaking of taste, Donner Lake, California

Though my conditions were cramped, I had my privacy, courtesy of curtains. They remained drawn most of the time I was on board. This fabric covered up my window, my door, and the window in my door. Good sturdy Velcro kept it in place. Not that I was completely shut out from the world. When I sensed I was near something worthwhile to look at, I ripped the curtains away from their holdings and looked out my window. 

I saw where all the air fresheners come from

Lunch options were limited. Pictured: hamburger

I was on the second floor

The golden west of California

San Pedro Bay, one of the few views that didn't involve going by a refinery

1980s problems require 1980s solutions

No WiFi

We set off from Emeryville, California in the morning. Unfortunately we were delayed by an hour and a half. I got to the station by flying from LaGuardia to San Francisco. No pictures of that trip survive because I dropped my phone from the plane. Since it landed on the western side of the Continental Divide, I caught it bobbing up and down in the bay. Here is me waiting to board the train. A hulking behemoth that managed to swallow me whole like Jonah. Didn't give me too much trouble until we hit Nebraska of all places. Then the thing buckled and shook like a sandworm, as if it was angry at being forced to enter the Cornhusker State. 

Art?

A Story to Go with Your Garbage Plate

 

It's something lickin' good

Rundelania, a journal based up in Rochester, NY, published a short story of mine. It is called "Blended Bifocal," It's about dirt, coffee, jogging, pipes, and more dirt. Bonus points if you can spot the Norman Mailer reference.

Your New Prairie Home Companion

Prairie Home Magazine has published a poem of mine. It's about the beach, Long Beach to be less than exact. I guess the sand is a kind of prairie? Different sort of Amber Waves. Anyway, read it here.

On Comedy, Transportation, and Sundays

 

A brutally honest reply to an invitation to watch a friend's sketch show. Completely hypothetical. Thanks to Disturb the Universe. 

Arts by Ben, for the People

 

The Platform Review, put out by Arts by the People, published a poem of mine "Big Apple Showtimes." Maybe I posted it before? Well, it might be new for you.

Washington Bridge Planh (Introducing Reuben St. Awesome)

 

Hello all, The Journal of Expressive Writing has published a poem of mine under the title Washington Bridge Plan. However, it is supposed to be Planh, a reference to a lamentable genre of troubadour poetry. Anyway, the poem is told from the perspective of one Reuben St. Awesome, a character I've created. Reuben is a pop star currently on tour when the poem takes place.