THE PACT

September 7, 2010. I promise I will only wear one shoe, and it will be on my left foot, and it will show my solidarity with you in whatever hijinks we happen to be up to, probably fueled by some substance. Lost and abandoned under the front fender of a car, a testament maybe to the immediacy of their owners' feelings and being in the moment. Their absence might form a bond that lasts forever, or just a night.

SUBWAY LION

September 3, 2010. Do you know the circus figures made by Calder. I saw them at a museum here. They were whimsical, fun, earnest. This lion greeted me as I went home after a long day of work.

VEILED EYES

August 25, 2010. A row of eyes looking through veiled hoods, outlined in black and white, backed with orange shadow. They stand in a long row, watching the alley, poised. Why are they transparent? The long tongue projecting from between the eyes like that of a butterfly.

BIG GLASSES

August 24, 2010. It's been a tough few weeks, but I came up out of the subway and there she was, staring at me. While it might matter to many who she is, to me it doesn't, since she might be asleep, and if she isn't, you might wish she was. She looks from behind those glasses, thinking that you should know her, validate her, acknowledge that she is here at all. What will it take to bring her from behind the glasses, into the world of light?

CEMETARY

July 11, 2010. Aaahhh, heavenly rest. One blue sky, clouds drifting by, grass green under my feet, an expanse of land. Who will rest in this patch, in a tiny town between the church and the trees. The lawn rolls, like the hills around this spot near the Mississippi. It holds the remains of ancestors and neighbors, arranged in rows, neat, tidy, harmonious. But each plot retains an individuality - the spirit in the body laid here. I am happy to be able to visit here, to walk among these stones, to remember what I do not know and imagine what I can.

BUILT TOUGH

July 8, 2010. My niece's new ride. It's tough, I thought, but she wasn't buying it. The huge silver stripe separates the top and bottom of the truck for no apparent reason. Maybe the designer thought it imparted a sense of speed. I see it only as an unnecessary interruption of color. Rust has eaten away at many parts, a sure sign of it's utility and the effort in support of it's owner.

STAIRWAY

July 7, 2010. A stairway into the air, crossing up into the blue. What height lies up there, what garden, what view of the beyond? The stairs beckon us, assuring us of safety - providing us a railing. We can see life at the top, an outline of something growing, a pot of plants, maybe a sprig of color, but in any event the beautiful blue of a sunlit sky. Go ahead, walk, climb, let it be revealed.