WILDFLOWERS WALK

Wildflowers.Van Lierop Park. Puyallup, Washington.

The dogs and I walked the trail that weaves amongst the wildflowers of the new Van Lierop Park.

Swallows flew overhead, fifty or sixty of them, chattering, chasing one another, eating insects. They would swoop down within inches of us. They would dive toward the ground and pull up with inches to spare. They would fly over nearby fields of lettuce and rhubarb and gourds and then return to fly over fields of wildflowers.

The wildflowers called for their photos to be taken. Adore our simple beauty they taunted. We marveled at lupine and California poppies and daisies and the volunteers of wild rhubarb escaped from the rigid rows of their farmed siblings.

The smell of recent rain still lingered in the air. The dampness clung to stalks of grass and Banjo's belly as it caressed them.

We took our time making our way. We let the impatience slowly bleed out of us and into the culverts and bioswales. We spoke aloud our angers and let them disappear on the whispers of wind, stolen by the beaks of songbirds flitting above us.

ENDURED, UTTERED

"Preston carves in glass as his ancestors carve in cedar. Raven rose through the smoke-hole of the longhouse. Raven rises through the smoke-hole of the hot shop."

Today, working in the yard, I find a crow's feather. Is this the same black feather that makes an appearance in my new short work "Endured, Uttered"? You'll have to show up to the Creative Colloquy Summer Soirée on Monday, August 19 to find out.

Come and celebrate the literary arts in Tacoma and Pierce County—food, drinks, silent auction, readings, musical performance by Forest Dogs.

Hosted by Creative Colloquy at Alma Mater Tacoma.

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Update: "Endured, Uttered" by Troy Kehm-Goins is now available online HERE.

BURNING

"a spark igniting / once again the tinder of our lately / banked noetic fire."

—from "Annunciation" by Scott Cairns, as found in Idiot Psalms

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"I have a name for you; you are / the crack of light / under the door / of the city morgue."

—from "Tell Me the Way / Psalm 32" by Daniel Berrigan, as found in Uncommon Prayer: A Book of Psalms

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"And yet there is in this warm alert creature / the weight and care of a great sadness."

—from "Die Achte Elegie (The Eighth Elegy)" by Rainer Maria Rilke, as found in Duino Elegies (translated by Gary Miranda)

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For the past couple years, I keep returning to Rilke's "Eighth Elegy." On the surface, it seems so simple and the language beautiful. Yet, when I peel back the veneer the slightest bit, I am confounded and cannot quite figure out what Rilke is doing in the poem. So I keep reading it. And reflecting upon it. Meditating upon it. Letting it seep into the marrow of my bones and the recesses of my mind.

Now I have two additional poems that have been haunting me, taunting me, in the same manner. "Annunciation" by Scott Cairns concerns the scene where the angel Gabriel informs Mary that she will be the vessel that carries the Son of God; that she will be the bearer of God. Yet, as in "The Eighth Elegy" this familiar tale collapses into something I find hard to parse. Language unravels. The same happens with Daniel Berrigan's rendering of Psalm 32, in both his initial poetic lines and then his later exposition, which is also poetic—collapse into lack of comprehension.

So I will read. And reflect. And return again to these texts. Rinse and repeat.

JIM CREEK

Our home this past weekend.


Sleeping in tents.


Campfire.


Creekside.


Hiking.


Disc golf. (I came in second of eight players.)

Board games. Family. Food. Lots of dog walks.

RUNNING

Running has been...

...moments spent with The Child.

...prayer.

...pain.

...progress and improvement.

...weight loss, which wasn't planned, but is taking place anyway.

...shifting my mental attitude.

...welcomed.

ALL GLOW

"All glow" at Lakewood SummerFEST.

CHARON

This is Charon, Inktopodes number 130.

Charon is named after the ferryman of the dead who helps those recently deceased cross the River Styx (River of Hate) and the River Acheron (River of Woe) from the world of the living into Hades.

The pattern of chromatophores on Charon's skin mimic the nostrils on a human skull.

Charon is watercolor ink, gouache, and India ink on 3" x 3" watercolor paper. (No colored border.) It comes with a small wooden frame that includes glass.

$17.50 + $5 shipping. (Shipping is waived if you live in the South Puget Sound area and we meet up for delivery.)

MARLEY

This is Marley, Inktopodes number 126.

He is the quintessential Inktopod for which I've been searching. The ink color is Payne's grey and I like that it captures the quality and look of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy without being too dark.

The brush strokes were quick and loose and definite. Marley drifts through the water, without surrendering his own agency.

He is named after the ghost of Scrooge's business partner in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

I like him so much that I think he will take up residence on the physical manifestation of Troy's Work Table.

THE DOG

An additional actor has been hired to play the role of The Dog on Troy's Work Table. Along with the aforementioned Banjo,Wrigley has joined the household and is making a bold claim to his position.

Wrigley is a four-year-old, slightly emaciated, blind Chihuahua. He is a balance of reserve and adventure. Once he has "mapped" an area or space, though, and becomes more comfortable in it, he is rather bold and confident.

His blindness is less a disability than it is a minor inconvenience. He is highly reliant upon both his sense of smell and his sense of hearing to get around and explore.

Wrigley is quickly making friends with his fellow actor, Banjo, listening for the latter's tags on his collar to follow him around. He also seems to have quite an affinity for The Child.

Look for future posts reporting his shenanigans.

CAND HANNON

Cand Hannon IPA by Iron Horse Brewery.

12 ounce can in Lagunitas glass.

6.8% abv.

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The pour is a clear yellow-orange body, with a thin white ring of head.

The nose is citrus, tropical fruit, fresh-pressed leaves of herbs, and biscuits.

The tongue is citrus bitterness, orange peel, tangerine, and biscuity malts, with hints of papaya and mango.

The mouthfeel is medium to medium-heavy. (It sits a bit heavier in the mouth than most IPAs.)

This is really good—a nice balance of hops and malts.

I could just keep drinking this.

(Iron Horse is brewing some of my new favorite beers!)