squall is closing in and i’ve barely begun today's cardio peonies nod, spilling rain abundantly as i pass
Image: Yes, that’s an early bee in there – sheltering from La Niña
Today’s musical offering is the Australian jazz duo Ben Marston (trumpet) and Hugh Barrett (keyboards) with their 2018 album Unfound Places
i’m seeing lots of blue
blue bays, fantastic tans & white-
washed cliff top churches
come pilgrim, come traveller
— weekend magazine
Image: Morning over the Mediterranean, Turkey, years ago.
For music this morning, jazz from 1960 with pianist Bill Evans and guitarist Jim Hall in Undercurrent. And here’s the dream-like cover photo from American photographer Toni Frissell, “Weeki Wachee Spring, Florida”.
grasses in profusion
beautify the freeway
unmown, the median strip
hides oncoming traffic
— all I see is wildflowers
Image: Local traffic this morning.
And this morning’s musical offering from Canadian gamelan orchestra – Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan – with their album – Solo. Start anywhere – perhaps – Gamelan Solo 1 – Wood – perfect for writing a well balanced tanka or two.
sunrise, how many i’ve seen already this year each says change your life — today began so well then rain on my roof 'til dusk
Image: Clouds, Sun and Sea’ 1952 – Max Ernst (1891 – 1976)
Today’s musical offering – (more hammering I’m afraid) – Australian composer Ross Edwards with marimba-iste and percussion black belt Michael Askill with Marimba Dances
In the room the air has sides cornered, delimited floor to ceiling a dragonfly (call it thought) clatters against the glass
Image: Waiting room, Wollongong Hospital.
And today’s musical offering, in keeping with the mallet theme of yesterday’s pick, here’s jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson from 1968 (tho not released until 1980…what were they thinking?) with his album Patterns (pick any track you like – it’s all gold – a favourite: Nocturnal – just the ticket for writing tanka…)
the coleus
cuttings have flourished
seven clones now
jungle my bookshelves
mauve drape my dictionary
Image: Never let anyone give you one of these things, they’ll take over…
Today’s musical choice: Japanese ambient artist Masayoshi Fujita with his latest: Led by a Blue Bird into the Mountains (some lovely mallet work by that birdy)
here a Bob Ross sky blended blended blue and rose van dyke pines lakefront happy forest just like that touch of crimson there you go
Image: On my walk this morning, before it rained. Having missed the poem a month celebrations, I’m going to try for a daily tanka for a while (there’s a local anthology afoot). Bob Ross was a landscape artist and tv personality.
Today’s music choice: Berlin musicians F.S Blumm and Nils Frahm collaboration Tag Eins, Tag Zwei
Caution: This post contains a description of a suicide
how to poke the spider from its holeContinue reading
how to dodge my pushbike thru the traffic
or hang off a lorry for a tow up the hill
to where the freeway looks like a river
and the river is a smokestack
at every moment the beach re-writes itself out of nothing, waves form and fall an inundation of lowlands, a strew of corpses muttonbird, drinkbottle, a ship’s anchorContinue reading
Thrilled that my poem 8 ways to look at an octopus was joint winner of the South Coast Writers Centre / Wollongong Art Gallery Prize, for best response to a painting (or in this case sculpture) in the Ways to Water exhibition . Great to be in such talented company with the other poets and writers.
You can read more about the event here – and read the poem here.
Image: Octopus by Phyllis Stewart (2002) a weaving of soft twig sedge c/- Wollongong Art Gallery.
And for some cool minimalism, here’s Pat Metheny with Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint
Peter Frankis writes 