Gypsophila Zine has published a poem of mine, Backyard Babylon. Go to page 43 of the latest issue to read. Or better yet, read the previous 42 pages to get to it.
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Gypsophila Zine has published a poem of mine, Backyard Babylon. Go to page 43 of the latest issue to read. Or better yet, read the previous 42 pages to get to it.
I wonder how many people think this is the Brooklyn Bridge |
Y2K Quarterly a venue dedicated to all things turn-of-the-millennium has published a short tale of mine. I promise it is not too long. It's called the Dandy Ace. Read it and add to the counter numbers at the bottom of the page.
Happy Equinox, here are two poems from Skeleton Flowers. Depth Changes involves a watery ladder and The Disconnecting is about SOCIETY, man.
Good afternoon from the middle of September. Little Leaf Literary Journal published one of my poems, called Ocean District Redevelopment Plan. It is about tourism and sustainability, culture and liminality, or something like that.
AKA Cawnpore, or is it FKA Cawnpore? Anyway, THE Cawnpore published work of mine.
Poems published in By the Beach. Their issue is pomegranate themed. Not literary though. Think of the way the fruit opens up and spills seeds everywhere.
My works are at the 1:05 mark (Not to be confused with Mark 1:05)
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 |
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.
Or maybe just Union Station |
High above the mile-high city |
First time being awake for the Rockies! |
The secret of Coors |
Boot-shaped rock |
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? |
Two Poems in Wild Greens. Number Letter Period and The Genius of the Place
Sage Cigarettes has published a poem of mine in their latest issue. It is page 28 in the issue, page 33 when you scroll in the reader. The title refers to a genre of writing from Byzantium that focuses on the intricaies and practicalities of siege warfare.
Thanks to Finnialla at Pulp Lit Mag for publishing my short story The Glass Palace Chronicle. Half Cheever, half Faulkner, half Dick, it comes with a trigger warning for bigotry.