Category: 2006-2010

Categories
2006-2010 Poems

“Questions to Kal”

Remove the spectacles, scarlet letter,
and the mercurial mythologies.
Grant a mask-less moment so I may ask
the being we have named the Man of Steel:
Did it hurt when you heard that you were not
Jonathan’s and Martha’s little boy Clark,
not even a boy at all, but some thing?
Did you weep any of those salty drops
of lost trust that leak out the reddish eyes
of your youngest fans when they discover
that Santa’s really just Dad’s MasterCard?

Is that why you prefer a glasses-mask,
to hide your own tired, dried-out, cried-out eyes?
Or are tears products of man’s reaction
and lowly to higher life forms like you?

Categories
2006-2010 Poems

“Driver’s Blues”

Exercisers on the streets
wave their aging arms
to the untapped beat
of an unseen drummer
while I sit, smoking,
behind a dark green Hummer
with sweat stinging my eyes
from the stifling summer
of CO in the skies!

Motorists on the street
wave their raging arms
in their sweat-soaked seats
at the cars next to them:
a Lexus whose driver
can’t remove the leather from his skin,
and his sweat stings his eyes
during the sweltering summer
of CO in the skies!

My greenbacks don’t go further
the farther I have to drive,
and if I ain’t careful,
my finances could deep-dive
into the sea of bankruptcy.

Categories
2006-2010 Poems

“Just Jump”

she says,
smilingly,
winking at the sun
and not me.

my shorts
fly freely,
sailing in the sun
into the sea.

Categories
2006-2010 Poems

“Arachne”

With angled limbs
so elegant, so graceful,
the widow spins
a tapestry of silk
to show her guests.
Her delicate legs
dancing upon her house,
she invites over
a neighbor.
She greets him,
and the visitor
is captivated.

The widow enjoys her neighbor’s company.

Categories
2006-2010 Music Reviews

Droppin’ Science: Greatest Samples from the Blue Note Lab

Like most hip-hop heads, I always love to find the source material of a particularly dope beat, and in that vein, Blue Note’s Droppin’ Science: Greatest Samples from the Blue Note Labis a rewarding compilation. Containing the original material for elements of songs from acts like A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre, DJ Shadow, Madlib, and many others, the album is an amateur (or armchair) DJ’s wet dream. In addition, many of the songs are restored or remastered versions, making the collection appealing to jazz aficionados as well.

Highlights: Davids Axelrod’s and Mccallum’s “The Edge,” as featured in Dr. Dre’s “Next Episode,” Jeremy Steig’s “Howling for Judy,” as featured in Beastie Boys’ “Sure Shot,” and Grant Green’s “Down Here on the Ground,” used in ATCQ’s “Vibes and Stuff.”

Bottom line: If you have listened to hip-hop in the last twenty years, you’re bound to appreciate at least 5 songs on this album. B+

Blue Note
Amazon