perpetual jam!!!!!!!!!

[sasha]

oh, the years roll on
one by one
like newspapers off a press
and sometimes
the day to day
gets too loud
shouting down the music
of the jam -
but the jam
(like the band)
plays on -
it must -
'cause life aint about acquisition
it ain't about conquest
or even gettin' by -
it's about love
music
beauty
'cause without these
what's the struggle supposed to getcha?

[judih]

one small moment a pause
how much to appreciate
and i do

[saw]

it's quiet in here
the hum of the fan
masks the fireworks
I am alone
tapping a keyboard
my vocabulary spilled
like dripping thoughts
onto a screen
the words come in
and they go out
into the perpetual jam
fruit that never rots
but continues to be alive
and there are so many entries here
in this cybergarden of love
in this safe place to confess
I feel lucky to have found this place
i feel comfortable here
I feel like it's a privilege few know about
it's kind of a secret
between you
and me

[sasha]

this meeting place
this cafe of love
where strangers from far lands meet
to share their passion for words
words of all kinds
rounded
angular
short and long
new and old
simmered together in a pot
a swirling concoction
sweet tart bitter
warm and smooth
with a hint of spice
a collaborative verbal confection
into which we stick our fingers
like giggling children
to lick clean
savoring the ever new
flavors
of the jam

[saw]

still have loving thoughts
of wireman of the stars, such
a truly creative and warm friend
inclusive and multi-pronged
always ready for a new venture
into the the many faces of art
the founder of the perpetual jam....
I'm sure he didn't think at that time
that he would be leaving prematurely
and that his legacy would be to continue
to live in this space where a few hanger-ons
would pay tribute
but here we are, the last vestiges
of a fading conglomeration of thoughts
expressed as they come rolling from the tongue
to land in this honored forum
born of an artist that left too soon

[judih]

we who linger
lovingly add our syllables
wordsculptures in space

[saw]

space is full of the wireman
he has a regular open mike on pluto
and those words along the with the music
of the back-up band orbit our planet
and on occasion break off
and plummet as fallen stars to land in our ears
wireman is forever

[sasha]

what shall I leave behind?
a stone with my name
and little else?
whither my essence?
the quirks
proclivities
the endlessly whistled melodic fragments -
the things I say to myself aloud -
the boyhood fantasies of rocket ships
and secret agents,
never fully outgrown -
the scribbled mathematical scraps
on leftover mailings "this page left blank" -
the daily rituals of poached egg and dinner salad...
will any trace remain?
who will laugh at my disregard for fashion?
my ignorance of sports?
admire my artistic pretensions?
cluck disapprovingly about my myriad
bad habits?
will my legacy be nothing more
than two dates in time?
ahh, well...
I suppose so
better men than me
now exist only in textbooks
bedeviling bored schoolboys
I guess there is no shame in being ordinary
nor perversity in a wistful "what if" -
I never could afford to be rich

[judih]

before i stop living,
may i enjoy
more worry-free days

[saw]

happy to still be here
in whatever form it takes
that resembles Life
I'm ok with a facsimile...
My beloved Orioles
are in first place
and I love the exuberance
of the youth movement
because I'm reminded
of that time when I could do anything
run like the wind
leap over parking meters
drink with the gang til 4 am
and get up at 6am to go to work
not every night of course, but when
we were jamming with surprise musicians
nothing could stop us
and it doesn't pain me in the least
that I could never do that now
no the memories are more than enough
reminders that I lived my life creatively
fully when the opportunities arose...
music is like baseball.....there are times
of little action, then bursts of excitement
lulls that set you up for crescendos of joy
yin yang and yahoo, the calm before the storm....
now I'm more of an observer, but
I know exactly what I'm looking for

[saw]

there is no truth
purer than her song,
when you hear those notes
curling the hairs on your neck
you understand the difference
other truths are merely words
spoken as fact
not to be minimized for worth
but you cannot feel them, hold them
they do not resonate the same way

her song breaks down all the lies
all the nonsense
eases all varieties of malaise
and it's easier than making an appointment
Doctor You Tube is on call and ready
on any days of discontent, when
octopus arms wrap up your torso
with mysterious unrest.......Freedom !
is just a click away, and she is there for you
melting the clinging angst

there is nothing left to do
pull her up on the screen
it's better than any pills
more soothing than any alcohol
lie back
sink in
hear the truth
feel it
know it
recover

[saw]

strange dreams come to visit me often
maybe they are a side effect


no aria for the lingering soul
on a mission of discovery, only
deafening silence rings like tinnitus,
so psalms for the choir
lined up inside your head
Where is the music dammit ?

Dreams are getting more real
performances shine on cloudy days
circumstances rain thru it to untangle
sleep is a journey with puzzles
when the moon is in pisces and
they lead to even more questions

this peculiar drama unfolds
shocks the REM waves, wakes you
wondering what just happened and
after a short while you're at it again
deep inside this mystery you have no
explanation for, not a nightmare per se

but a driving urge to want to know what it means

[saw]

exasperatingly
there is a Tic Toc Challenge
videos showing juveniles
how to steal a car in seconds
and then tag your friends
with you speeding away and waving
I have a hard time considering this
as free speech, this needs to be
classified as aiding and abetting a crime
first you smash out the window
then you rip out the ignition
then a simple hotwire and you're off
there is a huge lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia
if they weren't cutting corners avoiding
anti-theft software they would have saved many millions
in legal damages.....now they are offering the upgraded
software for free
that's so nice of them
I can't wait to get mine
but first I'll nee to tow my car from the impound lot
to a mechanic outside the city
because every body shop has no more room
to put another car.....my mechanic included
his lot is full of joyridden damaged vehicles
aah, these kids today

[sasha]

strange new world
not what I thought in 1970
the 21st century would be...
for all we've advanced
in science and medicine
cruelty and ignorance thrive
no longer in the shadows
but codified
admired
emulated
vectored by our own technology
spreading like measles in a daycare...
I sure did my share of stupid
but it didn't earn me a million likes
and followers the world over...
maybe that's why I've been looking back lately
remembering when
not just because I have more past than future
but because I despair for that future
a future world filled
with CM Kornbluth's "Marching Morons"...
no thanks
I'll pass
I'm good
you go ahead without me
think I'll stay right where I am
here in 1970

[saw]

1970
barefoot in Key West
a sailor for Admiral Zumwalt
maneuvers to Jamaica and Mardi Gras
my ship nicknamed The Burning Bush
that's right the US Bushnell.....for all
its onboard fires, and when in port
a burgeoning hippie, the weed
from Columbia, Mexico, Panama
discharged in 1971, stayed on
a carpenter living 2 blocks from the beach
jam session most every night
with wanderers looking for paradise
the young tan ladies in the cotton dresses
dancing in the sunshine, and big black dogs
swimming out to meet the sailboats
we were so high....on life.....on the future
the war was winding down, and the island buzzed
like bumblebees sniffing the frangipani
and the poinsettias, the night blooming jasmine
filled our nostrils alongside the ganja
and we thought this was it, it couldn't get
any better.....but alas
we didn't know there was an undercurrent
pulling the world below the waves
drowning the sensibilities, scorching the earth
I'd go back to the early 70's in a heartbeat
wouldn't be cool if time travel were a vacation option
"Yes sir, you've chosen the Cayo Hueso Package-1970,
A very wise choice sir, I'm sure you will enjoy your trip. !"