“It took a couple hours at the piano today, to match up what I know emotionally to the technical ability of my fingers. I’m not sure why I’m not a better player. But scattered, impulsive creativity is what I do. I’ve learned how to use threads of imagination to pull together songs, and albums. That’s why I ask you: what are your talents? No matter how you may debase yourself, or minimalize what you do, there’s a magic that only you possess. I dusted off my solar panels yesterday, pulling inches of snow to the ground. I used my push broom to clear the open floor of the wood shed. I don’t have much wood left, but a friend left me a message about some free wood that might be available, stumps. I’ve seen three friends in the past month. I’ve had to navigate getting my food in weird ways. And mail out copies of my new book making sure to stay six feet away from the postal clerk. The local store is paralyzed by fear, but coping, and handing things out to customers quickly, thru a ten inch gap. I try to be respectful of people who feel protected my face masks. I don’t look at them, I give them space. My understanding of health is way different but we need to respect all the various belief systems at play, that guide any individual’s decisions. What a beautiful spring melt. The sunlight races willy nilly through bare branches, lighting the tumbling streams. Wayside places look royal, decorated in coltsfoot, and the beginning rumble of marsh marigolds. I tried not to destroy my car this year. The pull-off on the Oxbow road did have plenty of room. You have to make split second decisions, and make the right choice to stop. The light’s falling into the woods right now, in just this way. I can’t control the urge. Confronted by a confusing labyrinth of logging roads, I know which one I want. You feel the pulse and feel seduced but that’s okay. This kind of debauchery leads to more. There’s no price to pay, no debt owed. You just climb the hills until you can’t go any higher. You sit on ancient rocks, and wonder who moved them and how. As if that was the most amazing information you could ever uncover. The fungi and moss emerge green from under snow. How is it, that some simple plants and animals beat all the odds? Let’s.”
