Posted: December 5, 2023

Splake's Takes

the early days of november in calumet have been very dark and dreary with a lot of light precipitation.  however waiting for the arrival of the michigan upper peninsula ‘season of long white’ the locals (le metrops) citizens are happy not to be shoveling rain.

contrary to popular believe i truly enjoy the arrival of winter, because time slows down and there are also fewer distractions to interfere with my creative activity.  on a typical winter day i shovel a path through the new snow to the pickup truck in the driveway.  while the  engine horses are warming, i brush off the windshield and shortly i am driving to the rosetta café in the village for an early morning espresso.  at the camus corner window table i review my writing materials and fine-tune plans for the day’s agenda.

during a regular day i will be doing serious literary contest with the ever elusive dame muse, maybe turning pages in a new book, watching a film or two on the i-pad, or finally spending time contemplating a writing project in the winter day’s silence.

since the last “splake’s takes” i have been extremely pleased with the literary ink and space of splake writings.

there have been two new poetry chapbooks – “late midnight riffs” and “final espresso” – published by cyber-wit press (editor doctor agrawal) in india.  also transcendent zero press (editor dustin pickering)  in houston, texas produced the “poet’s fool’s journey.”

my fine writing friend, jonathan hayes (purple haze) in oakland, california, had several splake poems in the new issue of his “over the transom” literary magazine.  in addition the last two editions of “bear creek haiku” (editor ayaz daryl nielsen) in longmont, colorado, contained many short splake poems.

looking to the remainder of this year, street corner press editor robert zoschke is working on a third splake biography with the title “the splake summit.”

finally gordon purkis, editor of “shoe music press” is currently working on a new splake  poetry collection.  the title for this new book is “slowly moving toward heaven.”

Posted: December 5, 2023

Late Midnight Riffs

small forest shadow
alone in wilderness
happy in middle of nowhere

# # # #

ice out coming into spring
shoveling snow from yard to street
yooper anal retentive pleasure

# # # #

great prose poetry writings
sound like bad country-western music
feelings more important than words

# # # #

dark buffalo ghost shadows
becoming herds of cattle
grazing in prairie grass

# # # #

wife mortgage kids in college
husband and father selling himself out
now jealous pf artist’s free time

# # # #

Posted: December 5, 2023

Poet's Fool's Journey

free at last

tranny-tripping early morning
battle creek city limits rearview mirror
steady hummm of tires on highway
poet heading true north
crossing mackinac bridge
returning to god’s country
solitary traveler
imagination in high gear
dreaming of brook trout beauty
campfire cold beers
owls warm evening welcome

# # # #

elegy for li po

knapsack on back
full of haiku writings
wilderness pilgrim
hiking mountain paths
warming beside evening fire
sipping dinner wine
writing new poems
white-haired poet
drawing early winter breaths
as bright moon rising
above brautigan creek
knowing it is time

# # # # #

father’s presents

for birth
birthdays and christmas
instead of toys and money
giving something with memories
for young son
compass and swizz army knife
thoreau’s “walden” paperback
his daughter receiving
heavy rucksack and soft teddy bear
han shan’s “cold moumtain” poetry
native copper ring
after many years passing
dad’s shadow forgotten
left important things
to shape children’s lives

# # # #

Posted: December 5, 2023

Bear Creek Haiku

important life lesson
hiking alone in wilderness
finding own path

# # # #

leaves swaying in breeze
poet floating in warm spring light
brief moment time standing still

# # # #

poet disappearing
out of body and time
in special creative space

# # # #

thunderstorms  and lightning
releasing creative energy
poem in rainbow of colors

# # # #

Posted: December 5, 2023

Over the Transom

angry over losing video game
throwing controller against screen
tomorrow taking gun to school

# # # #

hair of the dog breakfast
morning drink to start the day
hours of dancing on the edge

# # # #

not dying peaceful in sleep
welcoming death with open eyes
whispering final poem

# # # #

toweling off after shower
woman’s naked beauty
hidden behind mirror steam

Posted: December 5, 2023

Final Espresso

safe lives

most people don’t know
meursautlt geoffry firman harry lime
free from existential terrors

# # # #

portrait

through black gypsy’s eyes
dali painting  naked women
weeping flesh on canvas

# # # #

deer season opening day

pasties poker leinenkugel farts
“hustler” magazine in two-holer
dreams of seventeen point buck

# # # #

commitment

til death do us part marriage
juvie facility work release job
a.a. 30 day program

# # # #

last stop calumet

greyhound stopping at john’s family restaurant
with bus passengers who failed in their lives
starting all over again at the end of the world

# # # #

Posted: July 18, 2023

Splake's Takes

the july fourth holiday has passed, joining the previous calendar celebrations of easter and the opening day of trout fishing season.  now looking ahead is labor day and the upper peninsula’s freedom from the visiting ‘touristas bastardus.’  after the labor day pause there will be a brief blush of autumn color.  then native ‘yooper’s’ will begin looking for their snow shovels and another winter season of long white.  -for the familiar cliché, time flies when you are having fun, i might add it is also passes very quickly when words are filling the blank page.  “rat bastard time” is precious indeed

however, i am currently extremely pleased with the latest book – “the splake path” –
written by robert zoschke and published by street corner press in sister bay, wisconsin.  “the splake path” is the third book by author zoschke that reflects upon my personal writing and artistic life.  in a recent e-mail-message zoschke suggested the possibly of a late autumn visit to calumet, and prospect of a fourth book reflecting the splake writings and creative life. this possible new memoir addition could rival the ‘legend of doluoz’ of jack kerouac’s writing career.

besides “the splake path,” there have been two new chapbooks produced since the last “splake’s takes” computer site commentary.   “surrealistic shadows” is a collection of photographs and poems published by cyberwit press (karunesh agarwal, editor) in allahabad, india.  also “poems for richard” was produced by transcendent-zero press (dustin  pickering, editor) in houston, texas.  note: the front cover artwork for “poems for richard” was a drawing of richard brautigan by k. carlton johnson, of lake linden, michigan.
 
in addition, i am very much pleased that in the last two issues of “bear creek haiku’ (daryl nielson, editor) in longmont, colorado, ink and space was given to eleven to splake poems.

finally there were several splake poems published in the latest issue of “trajectory” (phil helvey, editor) in frankfort, kentucky.

looking to the splake writing future, i am currently finishing a chapbook manuscript “poet’s fool’s journey,” and also working on another collection of poems with the creative theme “behind the eight-ball.”

the splake path

yooper wilderness ghosts
dancing in autumn leaves
gray sky soon all over white

# # # # 

red bull vodka breakfast
hot black coffee chaser
working on emoji hangover

# # # # 

naked body wrapped in towel
dipping finger in morning coffee
warm smile on her lips

# # # # 

not dying peaceful in sleep
welcoming death eyes open
whispering final poem

# # # # 

Posted: July 18, 2023

Surrealistic Shadows

following pregnancy abortion
horrible fears always being alone
listening to tiny ghost’s voice

# # # # 

too little creative pain
not taking risk or pushing yourself
must let go and move deeper

# # # # 

high school art class
water colors of birds and flowers
no paintings of real emotions

# # # # 

Posted: July 18, 2023

Poems for Richard

wealth

business stock dividends
fat woman’s rich pasty pleasures
 box of new amazon books

# # # # 

poet’s soul

shooting star flying to heaven
brightness of dark night firefly
always burning in hot embers

# # # # 

waiting for social security

negotiating house mortgage
long term bank payments
new car loan interest
credit union dues
health insurance premiums
young husband and father
prisoner of system
no chance of parole
pardon from higher power

Posted: July 18, 2023

Bear Creek Haiku

poet’s ghost dancing through forest
memories floating on light breeze
pine needles softly humming

# # # # 

listening to wind
carrying loon’s haunting cry
dark  night serenade

# # # # 

floating dandelion floss
blown on light breeze
carrying wilderness beauty

# # # # 

Posted: July 18, 2023

Trajectory

poet like spider
quietly weaving invisible web
collecting other lives

# # # # 

morning facing broken mirror
surveying different personalities
choosing one for today

# # # # 

spring college dropout
receiving draft notice
summer vietnam killer

# # # # 

Posted: April 27, 2023

Splake's Takes

the recent upper peninsula winter is really hanging on this year.  with the april calendar days rapidly disappearing the weather report for this coming weekend is for serious storm warnings.  the slow arrival of ice out and coming into spring reminds me of the old familiar yooper humor.  the upper peninsula joke of having two seasons, eleven months of winter and one month of hard sledding.  however, after last week’s alberta clipper blizzard roaring down out of canada, i wrote a brief yooper winter poem.

early upper peninsula autumn
april blizzard turning
god’s country all over white

since the last “splake’s takes” computer entry i have enjoyed several poems published in different literary journals.  i am very extremely pleased to have poems and a photograph produced in the seventh edition of the UP READER, the upper peninsula literary magazine.  in addition, there was a splake poems printed in “glimpse,” clinton, new york (editor george searles) and eight short writings in “bear creek haiku,” longmont, colorado (editor daryl ayaz nieslsen).

plus, two new splake poetry chapbooks recently rolled off the presses.  “tranny trippin’ was produced by transcendent-zero press, houston, texas (editor dustin pickering).   cyberwit press in allahabad, india published the new splake collection of poems “mad dog fevers” (editor doctor agarwal).

a final footnote for this new “splake’s takes” entry.  recently i watched and enjoyed the jeff daniel’s film “escanaba in da moonlight.” the movie described  an upper peninsula deer camp at the opening of hunting season.  the film revealed the special poetic realities that exist with yooper people and places.  this is with the exception of the ‘phony  yoopers’ who live near the academic communities of houghton, marquette and sault ste. marie michigan.  after watching daniel’s  “escanaba in da moonlight” i wrote my own deer season poem

deer season opening day

pasties euchre leinenkugel farts
“hustler” magazine in two holer
dreams of sixteen point buck

# # # #

Posted: April 27, 2023

U.P. Reader

soft forest symphony

everything makes noise
only poet hears
autumn leaves turning color
fresh snow falling
spring buds growing
small birds in flight
standing in their shadows
becoming part of nature
enjoying wilderness music

# # # # 

we love it

storm blowing out of canada
fierce alberta clippers
below zero saskatchewan screamers
snow knee high and rising
foot or more accumulation
many losing tempers
making unkind remarks
graybeard poet declaring
“we love it”
making storm less severe
enjoying blizzard beauty
life feeling better

# # # # 

Posted: April 27, 2023

Glimpse

rest in peace

organist playing soft music
minister reading short prayer
coffin taken to cemetery
cars quiet funeral procession
reception back home
cakes and pies
future casserole dinners
waiting in refrigerator
peoples warm condolences
quietly anxious to leave
while graybeard poet
spirit on light breeze
wind soft wilderness hymn
ashes floating in brautigan creek
bardic soul vanishing
beyond dark tree shadows
sudden moment of silence

# # # #

Posted: April 27, 2023

Bear Creek Haiku

essential hemingway in rucksack
hiking boots moving down trail
chasing big two-hearted dreams

# # # #

ice out keweenaw bay
dark blue black purple colors
soon melting pollock canvas

# # # #

beside brautigan creek
poet lost in steady currents
flowing through his bones

# # # #

nervous old spice sweat
waiting slow dances
lost in ‘stardust’ dreams

# # # #

Posted: April 27, 2023

Tranny Trippin'

poetry is life

with creative freedom
no borders or limits
touching tasting reality
seeing and feeling
working outside of time
something many writers
don’t understand

# # # #

rebirth

young woman’s body
rising from brautigan creek
wet naked flesh
fresh from first sex
confidently walking
through wilderness shadows
moving to new life

# # # #

last chapter

artist’s sudden death
prevented writing final poem
describing failing body
sadness of losing creative life
dying with personal dignity
like many people
mistakenly believing
life last forever
until shit happens

# # # #

Posted: April 27, 2023

Mad Dog Fevers

kerouac beat wisdom
dexter gordon trane miles davis
cool jazz sweetens the soul

# # # #

angler casting trout stream fly
photographer viewing reality through lens
quiet out of body experiences

# # # #

grave shadow’s whisper
are there any rainbow trout
wherever you are

# # # #

trout fishing in america
no fish in richard’s creel
empty dickel bottle floating

# # # #